03. Kenneth P. Birman, Computer Science
Reliable Distributed Systems: Technologies, Web Services, and Applications (Springer, 2005). For those designing and deploying next-generation mission-critical applications and web services, an understanding of the techniques used to make distributed computing systems and networks reliable, fault-tolerant, and secure will be critical. Reflecting his sweeping knowledge of this area and his experience in teaching, Birman’s textbook is an essential and practical resource for advanced students and practitioners in computer, computer networks, and distributed systems. He reviews and describes the key concepts, principles, and applications of modern distributed computing systems and architectures. The book consists of five parts with features including concrete examples drawn from real-world settings to explain fault-tolerance in clear, readily understood terms; a practical focus for building mission-critical networked applications that keep working even when things go wrong; discussions of CORBA, XML, .NET, J2EE, group communication, transactions, peer-to-peer systems, time-critical protocols, scalability, and security; and reviews of more than 25 major research efforts placed in context.