Introduction to Transactional Cyber Systems

Catalog description

The class explores the design, implementation, security and reliability of transactional cyber systems, distinguishing them from distributed systems and networks. Using contemporary examples like blockchain, Git, IPFS, and other transactional platforms, the course introduces a five-layer architecture, encompassing communication, authentication, transaction, resource, and service layers. Students will engage in hands-on projects to design, build, and test transactional cyber systems, addressing challenges such as transaction consistency, scalability, debugging, security analysis, and resilience testing. Key topics include atomicity, transaction ordering, transaction parallelism, batching, race condition handling, smart contracts, and operational management, equipping students with the skills to develop secure and reliable transactional infrastructures.