Initial failures in distributed computations

Localizing Failures in Distributed Synchronization

We investigate the fault-tolerance of distributed algorithms in asynchronous message passing systems with undetectable process failures. We introduce failure locality as a measure of the fault-tolerance of distributed algorithms. This measure captures the general idea of allowing part of a system to continue to function despite the failure of other parts of the system. We concentrate on two pro...

Tracking Causality in Distributed Computations

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Universal Constructs in Distributed Computations

This paper presents two classes of universal constructs that occur in distributed computations and explores their properties. It first examines a pair of universal constructs termed IO and OI intervals that occur at nodes in distributed computations. These universal constructs are used as building blocks to design two global universal constructs, termed segments and paths, that occur across nod...

Uncheatable Distributed Computations

Computationally expensive tasks that can be parallelized are most efficiently completed by distributing the computation among a large number of processors. The growth of the Internet has made it possible to invite the participation of just about any computer in such distributed computations. This introduces the potential for cheating by untrusted participants. In a commercial setting where part...

Un heatable Distributed Computations