MIS 491 Section 1: Client / Server Computing – Fall 1999

 

Instructor: Dr. Minder Chen Class room: Robinson B 105

Office Room: Enterprise Hall 150 Class time: Tue. & Thur. 10:30 a.m.–11:45 p.m.

Office hours: 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. Office phone: 703-993-1788

E-Mail: mchen@osf1.gmu.edu

Faculty’s Home Page: http://mason.gmu.edu/~mchen/chen.htm

Course Home Page: http://mason.gmu.edu/~mchen/csc/

This class will first discuss the evolution of client/server technology in the context business reengineering and systems downsizing. Hardware and software components of C/S technology including: clients, servers, and networking, will be evaluated. Five styles of C/S computing will be introduced. C/S technology enables organizations to develop innovative and GUI-based applications using database servers in opened systems environments. Methodologies for building C/S applications include prototyping, data modeling, event analysis, and GUI design will be studied. Visual Basic, one of the most popular C/S development tools for building mission-critical C/S applications will be taught in a computer lab. It will be used to help students learn object-oriented programming and event-driven Windows programming. Students will learn how to use various how to create a client/server application. GUI design principles, Multiple Document Interface (MDI) applications, database programming with database-aware controls, master-detail processing, and embedded SQL will be discussed in detail. Several hands-on exercises will be used. Several other C/S development tools will also be reviewed. Students are required to work on a real world project using Visual Basic.

 

Textbook

Robert Orfali, Dan Harkey, Jeri Edwards, Client/Server Survival Guide, 3rd edition New York: Wiley, 1999.

Visual Basic 6.0 Professional Edition (Software and Documentation).

Course Outlines

Date

Topics

References

Aug. 31 & Sep. 1

· Evolution towards Client/Server Computing

· Introduction of Client/Server Computing

Chapter 1, 2, 3

Sep. 7 & 9

· C/S Computing Components: Client & Server

Chapter 5, 6

Sep. 14 & 16

· C/S Computing Components: Middleware

Chapter 4, 7-9

Sep. 21 & 23

· C/S Styles & Architectures

· Database

Chapter 10-11, 14

Sep. 28 & 30

· Data Warehouse

Chapter 12, 13

Oct. 5, 7

· Data Modeling and Database Design

 

Oct 14

Midterm Examination

  

Oct. 19 & 21

· Web Client/Server

Chapter 26-29

Oct. 26 & 28

· Web Client/Server

Chapter 26-29

Nov. 2 & 4

· GUI Design

· Groupware

Chapter 19 & 20

Nov. 9 & 11

· Concurrency Control & TP Monitor

Chapter 15-18

Nov. 16 & 18

· CSC Development Tools

· Client/Server with Distributed Objects

Chapter 32

Chapter 21-25

Nov. 23

· Client/Server Development Methodology

· Distributed System Management

Chapter 30, 31, 33

Nov. 30 & Dec. 2

Project Presentation

Dec. 7 & 9

Project Presentation

Dec. 16

Final Examination (10:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.)

 

Grading: Midterm Examination: 30%

Final Examination: 30%

Visual Basic project: 40%

 

If you miss two classes will automatically receive a failing grade.

 

Individual Visual Basic project:

Develop a complete VB application. Deliverables include:

Application requirement analysis.

Data model in entity-relationship diagram.

Screen flow diagram.

User manual (screen by screen operational manual).

VB source codes.

 

Your application should contain the following characteristics:

Support MDI by using MDI Frames

Have printing capability of reports.

Can display business graphs.

Show database programming techniques.

Should have at least an example of master-detail processing in the application.