INF4019NSA – Service Management and Developer Operations
Course description
Course content
This course focuses on the practices and technologies used for network-based services such as large web sites and back-end systems. It covers topics specific to large architectures, such as service architectures, load balancing and service continuity. Topics that are relevant for working on software projects often found in this context are also covered, such as release management, automated testing and agile development principles.
Learning outcome
The student should have the following outcomes upon completing the course:
Knowledge
Upon successful completion of the course, the student:
- has advanced knowledge of service architectures and how they are applied in the industry
- has advanced knowledge of the techniques and methods used to build large-scale network-based services
- has a deep understanding of the principle of service continuity and the techniques and methods used to make services robust to infrastructure failure
- has a deep understanding of agile development methodologies and how they apply to system administration
- has expert insight into release management from a system administration perspective
Skills
Upon successful completion of the course, the student:
- can evaluate and discuss a service architecture in relationship with the intended service function with regard to performance, scale and robustness
- can apply load balancing and failover techniques in order to create robust network-based services
- can define release management strategies
- can evaluate and discuss a release-management plan in relationship to an agile development practices
General competence
Upon successful completion of the course, the student:
- can analyse release management in the industry
- can communicate challenges, analyses and conclusions in system administration with regard to service architectures and release management to experts and non-experts alike
Admission
This course is only avaliable for students at the master program Network and System Administration
Overlapping courses
10 ECTS overlap with MS019A Service Management and Developer Operations from OsloMet—Oslo Metropolitan University.
Teaching
This course combines lectures and lab sessions in order to cover theoretical topics and to give students hands-on experience. Students work individually in order to complete technical assignments that focus mostly on setting up and configuring services and methods for load balancing and failover. Assignments covering an analysis and evaluation of their setup with regard to the theoretical content are also given. Software engineering topics such as agile development and release are covered in the same way, with lectures and classroom sessions. Lab work is supervised by the teacher, who provides feedback to the students along the way.
The coursework is based on three reports. Each report is based on a specific assignment chosen from a compendium. The assignment is a combination of technical work and theoretical discussion.
The students are required to complete three assignments from the compendium. Each assignment can vary in difficulty but will always encompass some theoretical discussion and technical work. Each assignment will be documented as a report and added to a portfolio, which will be handed in through the e-learning system and be subject for the examination.
Examination
Individual portfolio consisting of three reports, between 40 and 60 pages, graded as one report.
Assessment is based on the quality of the report in terms of technical quality (40 %), theoretical discussion (40 %) and overall structure (20 %).
Examination support material
All examination support materials are allowed.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.
Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass the original examination.
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.