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Chasing the Weakest System Model for Implementing Ω and Consensus
October-December 2009 (vol. 6 no. 4)
pp. 269-281
ASCII Text
x 
 
Martin Hutle, Dahlia Malkhi, Ulrich Schmid, Lidong Zhou, "Chasing the Weakest System Model for Implementing Ω and Consensus," IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 269-281, October-December, 2009.
 
 
BibTex
x
 
@article{ 10.1109/TDSC.2008.24,
author = {Martin Hutle and Dahlia Malkhi and Ulrich Schmid and Lidong Zhou},
title = {Chasing the Weakest System Model for Implementing Ω and Consensus},
journal ={IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing},
volume = {6},
number = {4},
issn = {1545-5971},
year = {2009},
pages = {269-281},
doi = {http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/TDSC.2008.24},
publisher = {IEEE Computer Society},
address = {Los Alamitos, CA, USA},
}
 
 
RefWorks Procite/RefMan/Endnote
x 
 
TY - JOUR
JO - IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing
TI - Chasing the Weakest System Model for Implementing Ω and Consensus
IS - 4
SN - 1545-5971
SP269
EP281
EPD - 269-281
A1 - Martin Hutle,
A1 - Dahlia Malkhi,
A1 - Ulrich Schmid,
A1 - Lidong Zhou,
PY - 2009
KW - Distributed systems
KW - failure detectors
KW - fault-tolerant distributed consensus
KW - system modeling
KW - partial synchrony.
VL - 6
JA - IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing
ER -
 
Martin Hutle, EPFL Vienna University of Technology, Vienna
Dahlia Malkhi, Microsoft Research
Ulrich Schmid, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna
Lidong Zhou, Microsoft Research
Aguilera et al. and Malkhi et al. presented two system models, which are weaker than all previously proposed models where the eventual leader election oracle Ω can be implemented, and thus, consensus can also be solved. The former model assumes unicast steps and at least one correct process with f outgoing eventually timely links, whereas the latter assumes broadcast steps and at least one correct process with f bidirectional but moving eventually timely links. Consequently, those models are incomparable. In this paper, we show that Ω can also be implemented in a system with at least one process with f outgoing moving eventually timely links, assuming either unicast or broadcast steps. It seems to be the weakest system model that allows to solve consensus via Ω-based algorithms known so far. We also provide matching lower bounds for the communication complexity of Ω in this model, which are based on an interesting “stabilization property” of infinite runs. Those results reveal a fairly high price to be paid for this further relaxation of synchrony properties.

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Index Terms:
Distributed systems, failure detectors, fault-tolerant distributed consensus, system modeling, partial synchrony.
Citation:
Martin Hutle, Dahlia Malkhi, Ulrich Schmid, Lidong Zhou, "Chasing the Weakest System Model for Implementing Ω and Consensus," IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 269-281, Oct.-Dec. 2009, doi:10.1109/TDSC.2008.24
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