Concurrent Geometric Multicasting

We present MCFR, a multicasting concurrent face routing algorithm that uses geometric routing to deliver a message from source to multiple targets. We describe the algorithm's operation, prove it correct, estimate its performance bounds and evaluate its performance using simulation. Our estimate shows that MCFR is the first geometric multicast routing algorithm whose message delivery latency is independent of network size and only proportional to the distance between the source and the targets. Our simulation indicates that MCFR has significantly better reliability than existing algorithms

Approximating max-min linear programs with local algorithms

A local algorithm is a distributed algorithm where each node must operate solely based on the information that was available at system startup within a constant-size neighbourhood of the node. We study the applicability of local algorithms to max-min LPs where the objective is to maximise $\min_k \sum_v c_{kv} x_v$ subject to $\sum_v a_{iv} x_v \le 1$ for each $i$ and $x_v \ge 0$ for each $v$. Here $c_{kv} \ge 0$, $a_{iv} \ge 0$, and the support sets $V_i = \{v : a_{iv} > 0 \}$, $V_k = \{v : c_{kv}>0 \}$, $I_v = \{i : a_{iv} > 0 \}$ and $K_v = \{k : c_{kv} > 0 \}$ have bounded size. In the distributed setting, each agent $v$ is responsible for choosing the value of $x_v$, and the communication network is a hypergraph $\mathcal{H}$ where the sets $V_k$ and $V_i$ constitute the hyperedges. We present inapproximability results for a wide range of structural assumptions; for example, even if $|V_i|$ and $|V_k|$ are bounded by some constants larger than 2, there is no local approximation scheme. To contrast the negative results, we present a local approximation algorithm which achieves good approximation ratios if we can bound the relative growth of the vertex neighbourhoods in $\mathcal{H}$.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

On Strong Diameter Padded Decompositions

Given a weighted graph G=(V,E,w), a partition of V is Delta-bounded if the diameter of each cluster is bounded by Delta. A distribution over Delta-bounded partitions is a beta-padded decomposition if every ball of radius gamma Delta is contained in a single cluster with probability at least e^{-beta * gamma}. The weak diameter of a cluster C is measured w.r.t. distances in G, while the strong diameter is measured w.r.t. distances in the induced graph G[C]. The decomposition is weak/strong according to the diameter guarantee. Formerly, it was proven that K_r free graphs admit weak decompositions with padding parameter O(r), while for strong decompositions only O(r^2) padding parameter was known. Furthermore, for the case of a graph G, for which the induced shortest path metric d_G has doubling dimension ddim, a weak O(ddim)-padded decomposition was constructed, which is also known to be tight. For the case of strong diameter, nothing was known. We construct strong O(r)-padded decompositions for K_r free graphs, matching the state of the art for weak decompositions. Similarly, for graphs with doubling dimension ddim we construct a strong O(ddim)-padded decomposition, which is also tight. We use this decomposition to construct (O(ddim),O~(ddim))-sparse cover scheme for such graphs. Our new decompositions and cover have implications to approximating unique games, the construction of light and sparse spanners, and for path reporting distance oracles

Subexponential parameterized algorithms for graphs of polynomial growth

We show that for a number of parameterized problems for which only $2^{O(k)} n^{O(1)}$ time algorithms are known on general graphs, subexponential parameterized algorithms with running time $2^{O(k^{1-\frac{1}{1+\delta}} \log^2 k)} n^{O(1)}$ are possible for graphs of polynomial growth with growth rate (degree) $\delta$, that is, if we assume that every ball of radius $r$ contains only $O(r^\delta)$ vertices. The algorithms use the technique of low-treewidth pattern covering, introduced by Fomin et al. [FOCS 2016] for planar graphs; here we show how this strategy can be made to work for graphs with polynomial growth. Formally, we prove that, given a graph $G$ of polynomial growth with growth rate $\delta$ and an integer $k$, one can in randomized polynomial time find a subset $A \subseteq V(G)$ such that on one hand the treewidth of $G[A]$ is $O(k^{1-\frac{1}{1+\delta}} \log k)$, and on the other hand for every set $X \subseteq V(G)$ of size at most $k$, the probability that $X \subseteq A$ is $2^{-O(k^{1-\frac{1}{1+\delta}} \log^2 k)}$. Together with standard dynamic programming techniques on graphs of bounded treewidth, this statement gives subexponential parameterized algorithms for a number of subgraph search problems, such as Long Path or Steiner Tree, in graphs of polynomial growth. We complement the algorithm with an almost tight lower bound for Long Path: unless the Exponential Time Hypothesis fails, no parameterized algorithm with running time $2^{k^{1-\frac{1}{\delta}-\varepsilon}}n^{O(1)}$ is possible for any $\varepsilon > 0$ and an integer $\delta \geq 3$

Subexponential Parameterized Algorithms for Graphs of Polynomial Growth

We show that for a number of parameterized problems for which only 2^{O(k)} n^{O(1)} time algorithms are known on general graphs, subexponential parameterized algorithms with running time 2^{O(k^{1-1/(1+d)} log^2 k)} n^{O(1)} are possible for graphs of polynomial growth with growth rate (degree) d, that is, if we assume that every ball of radius r contains only O(r^d) vertices. The algorithms use the technique of low-treewidth pattern covering, introduced by Fomin et al. [FOCS 2016] for planar graphs; here we show how this strategy can be made to work for graphs of polynomial growth. Formally, we prove that, given a graph G of polynomial growth with growth rate d and an integer k, one can in randomized polynomial time find a subset A of V(G) such that on one hand the treewidth of G[A] is O(k^{1-1/(1+d)} log k), and on the other hand for every set X of vertices of size at most k, the probability that X is a subset of A is 2^{-O(k^{1-1/(1+d)} log^2 k)}. Together with standard dynamic programming techniques on graphs of bounded treewidth, this statement gives subexponential parameterized algorithms for a number of subgraph search problems, such as Long Path or Steiner Tree, in graphs of polynomial growth. We complement the algorithm with an almost tight lower bound for Long Path: unless the Exponential Time Hypothesis fails, no parameterized algorithm with running time 2^{k^{1-1/d-epsilon}}n^{O(1)} is possible for any positive epsilon and any integer d >= 3

Sharing Memory between Byzantine Processes using Policy-enforced Tuple Spaces

Abstract—Despite the large amount of Byzantine fault-tolerant algorithms for message-passing systems designed through the years, only recent algorithms for the coordination of processes subject to Byzantine failures using shared memory have appeared. This paper presents a new computing model in which shared memory objects are protected by fine-grained access policies, and a new shared memory object, the Policy-Enforced Augmented Tuple Space (PEATS). We show the benefits of this model by providing simple and efficient consensus algorithms. These algorithms are much simpler and require less shared memory operations, using also less memory bits than previous algorithms based on access control lists (ACLs) and sticky bits. We also prove that PEATS objects are universal, i.e., that they can be used to implement any other shared memory object, and present lock-free and wait-free universal constructions. Index Terms—Byzantine fault-tolerance, shared memory algorithms, tuple spaces, consensus, universal constructions. Ç