A Hierarchical Protocol for Decentralizing Information Dissemination in Distributed Systems

Systems of distributed processors connected by a physical network may have a virtual structure imposed on them to facilitate parallel cooperative system actions. This paper describes the Multiple Virtual Rings organization which is an instance of this approach. System processors are partitioned into groups, structured as virtual rings, which operate in parallel to accumulate local information and make decisions. A hierarchy of rings is formed, at the pinnacle of which is one ring which joins the system together and enables overall cooperation. The configuration of the virtual ring hierarchy is explained and issues which are independent of the ring topology are discussed. A simulation study of a large distributed system is presented which investigates the operation of load balancing algorithms in a hierarchical processor organization.