Cornell University

Title: Cornell University

Main Research Question: Can a system with unreliable but fair communication achieve uniform distributed coordination (UDC) if there is no bound on the number of faulty processes?

Methodology: The researchers used a knowledge-theoretic analysis to study uniform distributed coordination (UDC) and failure detectors. They considered a precise sense in which if there is no bound on the number of faulty processes, UDC can be attained if and only if a system has perfect failure detectors. They generalized this result to the case where there is a bound on the number of faulty processes. They showed that a certain type of generalized failure detector is necessary and sufficient for achieving UDC in this context.

Results: The researchers found that in a system with unreliable but fair communication, UDC can be achieved even if there is no bound on the number of faulty processes. They also showed that a certain type of generalized failure detector is necessary and sufficient for achieving UDC when there is a bound on the number of faulty processes.

Implications: These findings have significant implications for distributed computing. They show that it is possible to achieve uniform distributed coordination in a system with unreliable but fair communication, even in the presence of an unbounded number of faulty processes. This could potentially lead to more robust and reliable distributed systems. Additionally, the results provide insights into the role of failure detectors in achieving UDC and could guide the design of more effective failure detection mechanisms.

Link to Article: https://arxiv.org/abs/0402012v1 Authors: arXiv ID: 0402012v1