IN9420 – Distributed Blockchain Technologies
Course description
Changes in the course due to coronavirus
Autumn 2020 we plan for teaching and examinations to be conducted as described in the course description and on semester pages. However, changes may occur due to the corona situation. You will receive notifications about any changes at the semester page and/or in Canvas.
Spring 2020: Teaching and examinations was digitilized. See changes and common guidelines for exams at the MN faculty spring 2020.
Course content
We are witnessing an explosive rise in the popularity of the blockchain paradigm, the technology that enables cooperative economic models without a central administrator. While originally inspired by Bitcoin, Ethereum, and generally cryptocurrency, the paradigm has since found many additional applications and become a hot topic both in industry and research. This research oriented seminar explores state-of-the art advances, principles, and techniques in the area. In particular, the seminar covers:
- Bitcoin and origins of blockchain.
- Blockchain storage technologies.
- Scalability of the data update (consensus) protocols.
- Security and privacy aspects.
Learning outcome
The student will:
- Learn about research advances related to one of the most popular technological areas today.
- Get experience with reviewing and summarizing research papers and presentations.
- Get experience of participating in research discussions with peers.
Admission to the course
The course number is limited to 15 students (IN5420 and IN9420 together).
If the number of enrolled students is higher than 15, they will be ranked as follwed:
- PhD candidates who has the course as mandatory
- Master students at the Department of Informatics who has the course approved in their study plan
- Master students at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences who has the course approved in their study plan
- Master students at the Department of Informatics
- Others
Formal prerequisite knowledge
INF5040 – Open distributed processing (continued) or another course in distributed systems. The most relevant aspects of distributed systems are P2P, data replication, and consensus protocols
Recommended previous knowledge
Knowledge in security and applied cryptography;
Knowledge in distributed databases
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with IN5420 – Distributed Blockchain Technologies.
Teaching
Being a seminar, the course consists of reading, presenting, and discussing research papers. In the beginning, an overview lecture in the area will be given. Attending the first lecture is mandatory.
3 hours pr week. It´s mandatory to attend at least 75% of the lectures. Everyone will be required to hold a presentation. Active participation in lessions and discussions is required.
Examination
Oral exam. All mandatory activities must be approved in order to be admitted to the exam.
It will also be counted as one of your three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: IN5420 - Distributed Blockchain Technologies
Examination support material
No examination support material is allowed.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.