Report: Zoom study case

Zoom study case

by Firdaus Hussain

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3,565 506 34 2 min 1 sec 3 min 53 sec
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Score Writing Issues

93 12 12
Issues left Critical Advanced

This text scores better than 93%

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Writing Issues

1 Clarity
1 Wordy sentences

Unique Words 41%

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Report: Zoom study case

Rare Words 44%

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that are not among the 5,000 most common English
words.

Word Length 5.8

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Sentence Length 14.9

Measures average sentence length words per sentence

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Report: Zoom study case

Zoom study case

1. Introduction to Zoom as a Distributed System (2-3 marks)

• Definition of a Distributed System: A distributed system is a collection of

independent computers that appear to users as a single coherent

system. Zoom fits this definition because it involves multiple servers and

clients working together to provide seamless video conferencing

services.

• Zoom's Architecture: Zoom operates on a client-server model where

users (clients) connect to Zoom's servers to participate in meetings. The

servers handle tasks like video/audio processing, data storage, and

session management, while the clients (users' devices) handle the user

interface and local processing.

2. Transparencies in Zoom (12-14 marks)

Transparency in distributed systems refers to hiding the complexity of the

1
system from users. Zoom achieves several types of transparency:

a. Access Transparency (3 marks)

• Explanation: Access transparency means that users interact with Zoom

as if it were a single system, even though it is distributed across multiple

servers and clients.

• Example in Zoom: Users join meetings by clicking a link or entering a

meeting ID, without needing to know which server is handling their

session or where the data is stored.

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Report: Zoom study case

b. Location Transparency (3 marks)

• Explanation: Location transparency means that users do not need to

know the physical location of resources (e.g., servers, data centers).

• Example in Zoom: Users can join a meeting from anywhere in the world

without knowing where Zoom's servers are located. The system

automatically routes their connection to the nearest or most available

server.

c. Replication Transparency (3 marks)

• Explanation: Replication transparency hides the fact that data or

services may be replicated across multiple servers for redundancy and

performance.

• Example in Zoom: Zoom replicates meeting data (e.g., video streams,

chat messages) across multiple servers to ensure reliability and fault

tolerance. Users are unaware of this replication.

d. Failure Transparency (3 marks)

• Explanation: Failure transparency ensures that the system continues to

function even if some components fail.

• Example in Zoom: If a server fails during a meeting, Zoom automatically

redirects users to another server without interrupting the meeting. Users

may not even notice the failure.

e. Performance Transparency (2 marks)

• Explanation: Performance transparency ensures that the system

maintains consistent performance regardless of the load or network

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Report: Zoom study case

conditions.

• Example in Zoom: Zoom dynamically adjusts video quality and

bandwidth usage based on network conditions, ensuring smooth

performance even in low-bandwidth environments.

3. Additional Distributed System Features in Zoom (3-4 marks)

• Scalability: Zoom scales to support millions of users simultaneously by

distributing the load across multiple servers and data centers.

• Openness: Zoom integrates with other systems (e.g., calendars, email)

and supports APIs for developers to build custom integrations.

• Heterogeneity: Zoom works on various devices (e.g., PCs, smartphones,

tablets) and operating systems (e.g., Windows, macOS, iOS, Android),

demonstrating its ability to handle hardware and software diversity.

4. Conclusion (2-3 marks)

• Summarize how Zoom exemplifies a distributed system by achieving

various transparencies (access, location, replication, failure, and

performance).

• Highlight the importance of these transparencies in providing a

seamless user experience.

• Conclude by emphasizing how Zoom's distributed architecture enables it

to handle large-scale, global usage efficiently.

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 Report: Zoom study case

1. system's complexity Wordy sentences Clarity

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