Internet Computing: Principles of Distributed Systems and Emerging Internet-Based Technologies

This book introduces the reader to the fundamentals of contemporary, emerging and future technologies and services in Internet computing. It covers essential concepts such as distributed systems architectures and web technologies, contemporary paradigms such as cloud computing and the Internet of things, and emerging technologies like distributed ledger technologies and fog computing. The book also highlights the interconnection and recombination of these Internet-based technologies, which together form a critical information infrastructure with major impacts on individuals, organizations, governments, economies, and society as a whole.
Intended as a textbook for upper undergraduate and graduate classes, it features a wealth of examples, learning goals and summaries for every chapter, numerous recommendations for further reading, and questions for checking students’ comprehension. A dedicated author website offers additional teaching material and more elaborate examples. Accordingly, the book enables students and young professionals in IT-related fields to familiarize themselves with the Internet’s basic mechanisms, and with the most promising Internet-based technologies of our time. 

Ali Sunyaev is Director of the Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods (AIFB) and a Professor of Computer Science at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). His research interests are reliable and purposeful software and information systems within the scope of critical infrastructures, cloud computing services, distributed ledger technology / blockchain, information security solutions, auditing/certification of IT, and innovative health IT applications. His research work also accounts for the multifaceted use contexts of digital technologies with research on human behavior affecting IT applications and vice versa.