MetroPulse is a digital news agency that hosts an extensive online archive of historical newspaper articles.
To ensure a professional and uniform appearance across thousands of archived pages, the developers use a single file to manage the visual presentation. The following line is included in the <head> section of every page:
The site features an interactive archive viewer where users can see the date they accessed the specific record. This is handled by a script included in the page footer.
Part of the script in the file archive_utils.js is shown below:
function updateAccessStamp() {
const stampElement = document.getElementById("access-timestamp");
const currentTime = new Date();
const formattedDate = "Record retrieved on: " + currentTime.toLocaleString();
if (stampElement !== null) {
stampElement.textContent = formattedDate;
}
}
window.onload = updateAccessStamp;
The administrators of MetroPulse want to ensure that their historical records are easily discoverable by researchers using global search engines. They also need to secure the subscriber login area where users manage their accounts.
(a)
two benefits of using an external Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) file rather than defining styles internally within each individual HTML document.
[2]
(b)
the processing that occurs within the client's web browser when the updateAccessStamp() function is executed.
[3]
(c)
two ways in which the developers can use technical configuration files to assist search engine crawlers in indexing the MetroPulse archive effectively.
[4]
(d)
HLPaper 2
A company is developing a distributed web application to provide real-time data analysis for its clients. The system is designed to handle large volumes of data and deliver insights with minimal latency. It leverages distributed computing resources across multiple geographic locations to ensure high availability and fault tolerance.
(a)
how load balancing is implemented in the distributed web application to optimize resource utilization.
[3]
(b)
the role of distributed computing in enhancing the performance of the web application.
[3]
SLPaper 2
HTTPS is not a distinct protocol, but makes specific use of a combination of two separate protocols.
A web application provides a search form that allows a user to search a library database by author name. The user enters an author and submits the form in a web browser. The browser sends the form data to a web server, which runs a server-side script that queries a database and returns an HTML results page to the browser.
(a)
these two protocols.
[2]
(b)
their functions.
[4]
SLPaper 2
A non-profit organization is launching an international educational portal named 'EduGlobal'. The portal provides interactive learning modules, a searchable database of academic papers, and a private forum for registered educators.
The portal is hosted on a central server and accessed via the URL: https://www.eduglobal-portal.org/resources/index.php.
To ensure high performance, the developers must decide which tasks are handled by the user's browser and which are handled by the server. They also need to ensure the site is easily discoverable by search engines while keeping sensitive data secure.
(a)
two components of the URL https://www.eduglobal-portal.org/resources/index.php.
[2]
(b)
HLPaper 1
A company is developing a distributed system to handle high volumes of transactions and provide a seamless user experience worldwide. The system uses modular components and a database system to ensure scalability, reliability, and low latency.
(a)
the concept of modular software and its benefits in a high-volume transaction system.
[4]
(b)
how a database management system supports the scalability and reliability of the transaction system.
[4]
IB Computer Science (CS) Topic C.3 Distributed Approaches to the Web Questionbank
Practice IB Computer Science (CS) Topic C.3 Distributed Approaches to the Web with authentic exam-style questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank focuses on the exact syllabus content for C.3 Distributed Approaches to the Web and mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 style where relevant.
Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build confidence with questions aligned to IB examiner expectations.
between the GET and POST methods in the context of an HTTP request.
[2]
(e)
how the implementation of HTTPS protects the data of users logging into the MetroPulse subscriber portal.
[3]
(c)
the benefits and drawbacks of using a distributed web application compared to a centralized one.
[4]
(d)
how data consistency is maintained across distributed nodes in the web application.
[3]
(e)
the challenges of ensuring low latency in a distributed web application.
[3]
(c)
the interaction between a user, a web browser and a domain name server when accessing sites on the internet.
[4]
(d)
the processing that takes place when the form that was sent from the client is received by the web server.
[4]
(e)
, giving two reasons, why the use of server-side scripting promotes security when retrieving content from databases.
[4]
When a user signs up for the forum, a script checks if the password meets the minimum length requirements.
one advantage of performing this check using client-side scripting rather than server-side scripting.
[2]
(c)
the HTTP status code that the server would return to a browser if a student attempts to access a deleted lesson page.
[1]
(d)
The 'EduGlobal' team adds new research papers to the portal every week. one way a web crawler (spider) identifies that new content has been added to the site's index.
[2]
(e)
The 'EduGlobal' portal must be accessible to students using various browsers (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox) and different operating systems.
the role of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in making this possible.
[4]
(f)
The portal consists of a public blog and a private database of academic papers that requires a subscription to access.
between the Surface Web and the Deep Web in the context of this portal, and why the academic papers might not appear in general search engine results.
[5]
(c)
the challenges of maintaining data consistency when many users access and update the system at the same time.
[4]
(d)
how caching contributes to the performance and reliability of the transaction system.
[4]
(e)
the benefits and drawbacks of using a modular system compared to a single, monolithic program for this scenario.
