Increased availability and scalability for clustered services via the wait time calculation, trust based filtering and redirection of TCP connection requests

The paper describes two new transport layer (TCP) options and an expanded transport layer queuing strategy that facilitate three functions that are fundamental to the dispatching-based clustered service. A transport layer option has been developed to facilitate. the use of client wait time data within the service request processing of the cluster. A second transport layer option has been developed to facilitate the redirection of service requests by the cluster dispatcher to the cluster processing member. An expanded transport layer service request queuing strategy facilitates the trust based filtering of incoming service requests so that a graceful degradation of service delivery may be achieved during periods of overload - most dramatically evidenced by distributed denial of service attacks against the clustered service. We describe how these new options and queues have been implemented and successfully tested within the transport layer of the Linux kernel

Undergraduate, graduate and professional education in software engineering in the '90's: a case study

The demands for graduate education in software engineering were clearly established in the late 1980's. Now, several years later, the practical imperative has emerged that information technology graduates are increasingly required in their first positions to work in large teams, to use new and quite complex tools and environments, and to be able to communicate effectively in their work environments. There is therefore a need for significant studies in software engineering at the undergraduate level. The paper describes recent developments in software engineering education at the Queensland University of Technology at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional levels and examines the alignment of the undergraduate and postgraduate curricula with those proposed by the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Curriculum Task Force and the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie-Mellon University

Core software engineering subjects: A case study ('86-'94)

The "software crisis" was first acknowledged in the mid 1960s. Some would claim that the software crisis is still with us. A recent issue of Scientific American ran a story on the currently infamous software disaster at the new Denver international airport. Software engineering has been heralded as the needed discipline that can improve software development to meet the needs of modern software requirements. This paper will look at the key subject at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) that introduces students to software engineering. This subject will be compared to current model curricula. The success of this subject will be evaluated and a corollary drawn to the usefulness of the model curricula. Then this paper will look at software engineering project work at QUT and consider what are appropriate compromises to make to run a successful group project in a single semester

Transforming IT education : promoting a culture of excellence

"This book is a case study of engagement with the scholarship of learning and teaching. People interested in the learning and teaching of information technology in the higher education sector; and those looking for insights into the pursuit of the scholarship of learning and teaching, as well as the range of forms that activity may take in a localised setting, will want to read this book. The reader will find amongst the chapters gathered here examples of learning and teaching innovations and research. These range from the provision of outstanding online learning environments, to the use of proprietary curriculum, mentoring programs, professionally grounded first year curriculum, and administrative systems. Examples of research projects reported include investigations into first year student learning styles, how students learn to search the internet, how students learn to program and the range of capabilities required of our graduates by industry."--back cover