A Dependable Distributed Auction System: Architecture and an Implementation Framework

The work presented here develops a distributed systems architecture and propose an implementation framework for conducting dependable Internet based on-line auctions, meeting the requirements of scalability and service integrity. Current auction services essentially rely on a central auction server. Given the increasing popularity and usage of electronic auctions, such a centralised approach is fundamentally restrictive with respect to scalability. Further, different national markets have different monetary regulations and may employ different procedures for payment settlements. Catering for local market autonomy means that decentralisation is an essential and practical requirement. With these design goals in mind, the paper develops an approach that permits an auction service to be mapped on to globally distributed auction servers. It then proposes a framework for a fault-tolerant implementation of the architecture. Faulttolerance is achieved through matured technologies: replication management and group paradigm.