Midterm Examination

CSci 555 / Neuman Fall 1994
Directions for completing exam

Answer the following two - three part questions:

1. (40 points for 2 parts) You have been hired by the Bank of Commerce and Communication for the Internet (BCCI) to design a system that will allow customers to conduct banking and other financial services over the Internet. Your task is to design a new distributed information system for BCCI that will be used by customers to:
   • Retrieve the status of accounts, including account statements.
   • Transfer funds between accounts, or make loan or credit card payments.
   • Retrieve marketing information on BCCI products.
   • Maintain investment portfolios, and buy and sell stocks or bonds.

   Answer the following questions about the design of such a system.

   1. What are the requirements for synchronization in this system? What communication method(s) would you use (e.g., message passing, remote procedure call, shared memory, or work queue) to handle updates, queries, and commands. Discuss the reasons for your choice, comparing it with the alternatives. Be sure to mention any negative implications of your choice. (20 points)
   2. What information must be protected in this system? Who will be allowed to access each kind of information, and what kind of access is allowed? What steps might you take to protect this information in the design of the system (don't forget to think about the overall design, not just the security mechanisms themselves)? Justify your answer. (20 points)

2. (60 points for 2 parts) Because of the recent attention to the Simpson trial and to ensure a fair trial, Judge Eto directed that measures be taken to guarantee equal access to information for all members of the press, and ordered that information not to be released unless approved by the court.

   Problems in recent weeks included leaks to the media of inaccurate information, and leaks to the media of information that should not have been released. Further, the number of reporters present has caused problems, and it is hoped that by making all information available electronically on an equal basis, news organizations will feel less compelled to keep people on-scene at the courthouse.

   You have been hired by the court to implement a computer information system for disseminating information related to the trial. The information to be disseminated includes:

   • Photos of evidence presented at trial.
   • Digitized video of the proceedings of the trial.
   • Transcripts of the testimony.
   • Test results once they are presented as evidence.

   For your design, answer the following questions:

   1. What are the objects to be named? What information will be known when looking for an object? What naming mechanisms are appropriate for each of the objects you just identified?
      Why? (20 points)
   2. What steps might you take to improve the performance and scalability of the system? (10 points)
   3. What communication method(s) are you likely to use in such a system. Why? (10 points)
   4. What security techniques could you use to prevent some of the problems that are
      described above? (20 points).

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