School of Computer Science Wiki

You've loaded an old revision of the document! If you save it, you will create a new version with this data.

==== SoCS Computing Resource Strategic Plan ====

== Requirements: ==

== General requirements for all majors: ==

The majority of courses offered by the School of Computer science need predictable and conventional computer resources. These resources include:

* Compilers and interpreters for programming languages including:
    * C
    * Python
    * Java
    * Ruby
    * JavaScript
    * Perl
  * Editors
  * SQL clients
  * Debuggers including gdb
  * Profiling tools including IDEs
  * Version Control Software such as SVN and git

While this list covers the requirements of most courses there are a few courses required by all majors that may have special requirements.

CIS*2030 Structure and Application of Microcomputers

* Connection for peripheral boards

CIS*3110 Operating Systems I

* Independent processing time for simulations not suitable for shared computing environments

== Non Major-Specific Electives: ==

The following courses are available for all SoCS students and may have special hardware requirements.

CIS*3090 Parallel Programming

* Dedicated parallel computing environment (currently provided by Sharcnet)
  * Graphics hardware available for CUDA

CIS*3210 Computer Networks

* Network analysis tools such as Wireshark
  * May require dedicated networking infrastructure (switches, routers, access points) in the future

== Bachelor of Computing: ==

All requirements for courses within the bachelor of computing are covered within general requirements for all majors.

== Software Engineering: ==

In addition to resources specified within general requirements for all majors the following resources are needed for most Software Engineering courses:

* Diagramming tools including Visio or Omnigraffle
  * Collaboration tools and project management tools (The web-app Trello is currently used)
  * Ticketing systems including Redmine and RT.

== Mobile: ==

CIS*1XXX Introduction to Mobile Computing

* This course will only require resources already specified within general requirements for all majors

CIS*2XXX Mobile Applications Design

In addition to general computing requirements, this course will need:

* Mobile Devices (iOS and Android)
  * XCode and iOS SDK
  * Android SDK
  * Mobile device emulators
  * Secure device Storage

CIS*3XXX Pervasive Systems

* This course will require resources similar to those in Mobile Applications Design

CIS*4XXX Mobile Systems Project Course

* This course will require some of the resources required for Mobile Design Applications
  * Some specialized server infrastructure may be required

== Game: ==

In addition to resources specified within general requirements for all majors the following resources will likely be needed:

* Advanced graphics hardware
  * Hardware for CPU intensive simulations which are unsuitable for a shared computing environment
  * Sound
  * A Windows environment to support DirectX
  * Input devices
  * Consoles (Xbox, Playstation, Wii?)
  * Secure storage for devices and consoles

=== Summary ===

^Item                       ^General^B Comp^SoftEng^Mobile^Game^
|Compilers                  |✔      |✔     |✔      |✔     |✔   |
|Editors                    |✔      |✔     |✔      |✔     |✔   |
|SQL Client                 |✔      |✔     |✔      |✔     |    |
|Debuggers                  |✔      |✔     |✔      |✔     |✔   |
|Profiling Tools            |✔      |✔     |✔      |✔     |✔   |
|Version Control            |✔      |✔     |✔      |✔     |✔   |
|Connection for Peripherals |✔      |      |       |✔     |✔   |
|Independent Processing Time|✔      |      |       |      |✔   |
|Graphics Hardware          |✔      |      |       |      |✔   |
|Network Analysis Tool      |✔      |      |       |      |    |
|Diagramming Tools          |       |      |✔      |      |    |
|Collaboration Tools        |       |      |✔      |      |    |
|Ticketing System           |       |      |✔      |      |    |
|Mobile Devices             |       |      |       |✔     |    |
|XCode                      |       |      |       |✔     |    |
|iOS SDK                    |       |      |       |✔     |    |
|Android SDK                |       |      |       |✔     |    |
|Mobile Device Emulator     |       |      |       |✔     |    |
|Secure Storage             |✔      |      |       |✔     |✔   |
|Sound                      |       |      |       |      |✔   |

=== Lab Environments ===

== PC ==

Pros: 
  *Standalone, machines operate independently of each other
  *Can run software without impacting other users

Cons:
  *Management, increased time as efforts must be duplicated for each machine.
  *Complex client, admin resources required to fix

== Mac ==

Pros: 
  *Standalone, machines operate independently of each other
  *OSX Software – Only environment with OSX software available

Cons:
  *Management, increased time as efforts must be duplicated for each machine.

== ThinClient ==

Pros:
  *Manageability – Reduced administrative efforts as changes can be rolled out quickly to all machines.
  *Setup – adding new clients requires less resources as only a terminal must be set up
  *Shared Environment – The environment is standardized for all users
  *Remote access – Server for shared environment accessible over SSH or Remote Desktop type application
  *Dumb Client, easy to replace terminal if broken without sysadmin

Cons:
  *Downtime – server outage may affect multiple machines

== BYoC ==

Pros
  *Demonstrated enjoyment by students
  *Requires limited sysadmin computer resources as not managed by SoCS

Cons
  *Lack of standardization, all machines will be unique
  *Software unavailability – some software may be unavailable for BYoC machines, or unpractical/uneconomic to provide

== Raspberry Pi ==

Pros:
  *Mostly standard environment – all pis run the same OS and have same software availability
  *Requires limited sysadmin resources, most problems fixed by reformat of SD card or replacement of Pi

Cons:
  *Limited processing power, not suitable for high computational needs

Edit summary

Note: By editing this page you agree to license your content under the following license: CC Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International