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77804 - SISTEMI PEER-TO-PEER

Academic Year 2018/2019

                
                        Docente:
                        Stefano Ferretti
                    
                        Credits:
                        6
                    
                        SSD:
                        INF/01
                    
                        Language:
                        Italian
                    
                        Teaching Mode:
                        Traditional lectures
                        
                            Campus:
                            Bologna
                        
                            Corso:
                            Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
                            Computer Science (cod. 8028)

                            Teaching resources on Virtuale

Learning outcomes

The course discusses some relevant research themes related to peer-to-peer systems, blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies and novel applications that can be built over the blockchain.

Course contents

Nowadays, the most prominent peer-to-peer is related to the blockchain and distributed ledgers. Thus, the main part of this course will be devoted to these topics.

Bitcoin and novel cryptocurrencies gathered momentum in the last months. More and more investors look with interest at these technologies, while others label them as a dangerous speculative bubble. The truth is that the blockchain, and the alternative implementations of a distributed ledger, represent very interesting technologies, that can be exploited to build novel distributed applications. The underlying building blocks are related to many concepts and research areas of computer science in general. This course will illustrate the main principles and conceptual foundations of the blockchain and the Bitcoin network.

Program

Introduction to peer-to-peer sysystems
Overlay topologies and decentralization
Introduction to Crypto and Cryptocurrencies
The blockchain: how to achieve decentralization
Transactions and transaction scripting languages
Mining
Attacks to the blockchain
Anonymity
Smart contracts

Readings/Bibliography

Lecture notes and slides will be provided by the instructor, along with papers and a list of bibliographical references and additional material. All the course material is in English.

Teaching methods

Interactive lessons

Assessment methods

Project

Teaching tools

Unibo e-learning platform

Office hours

See the website of Stefano Ferretti