Iterative Approximate Consensus in the presence of Byzantine Link Failures

This paper explores the problem of reaching approximate consensus in synchronous point-to-point networks, where each directed link of the underlying communication graph represents a communication channel between a pair of nodes. We adopt the transient Byzantine link failure model [15, 16], where an omniscient adversary controls a subset of the directed communication links, but the nodes are assumed to be fault-free. Recent work has addressed the problem of reaching approximate consen- sus in incomplete graphs with Byzantine nodes using a restricted class of iterative algorithms that maintain only a small amount of memory across iterations [22, 21, 23, 12]. However, to the best of our knowledge, we are the first to consider approximate consensus in the presence of Byzan- tine links. We extend our past work that provided exact characterization of graphs in which the iterative approximate consensus problem in the presence of Byzantine node failures is solvable [22, 21]. In particular, we prove a tight necessary and sufficient condition on the underlying com- munication graph for the existence of iterative approximate consensus algorithms under transient Byzantine link model. The condition answers (part of) the open problem stated in [16].Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1202.609

Consensus Computation in Unreliable Networks: A System Theoretic Approach

This work addresses the problem of ensuring trustworthy computation in a linear consensus network. A solution to this problem is relevant for several tasks in multi-agent systems including motion coordination, clock synchronization, and cooperative estimation. In a linear consensus network, we allow for the presence of misbehaving agents, whose behavior deviate from the nominal consensus evolution. We model misbehaviors as unknown and unmeasurable inputs affecting the network, and we cast the misbehavior detection and identification problem into an unknown-input system theoretic framework. We consider two extreme cases of misbehaving agents, namely faulty (non-colluding) and malicious (Byzantine) agents. First, we characterize the set of inputs that allow misbehaving agents to affect the consensus network while remaining undetected and/or unidentified from certain observing agents. Second, we provide worst-case bounds for the number of concurrent faulty or malicious agents that can be detected and identified. Precisely, the consensus network needs to be 2k+1 (resp. k+1) connected for k malicious (resp. faulty) agents to be generically detectable and identifiable by every well behaving agent. Third, we quantify the effect of undetectable inputs on the final consensus value. Fourth, we design three algorithms to detect and identify misbehaving agents. The first and the second algorithm apply fault detection techniques, and affords complete detection and identification if global knowledge of the network is available to each agent, at a high computational cost. The third algorithm is designed to exploit the presence in the network of weakly interconnected subparts, and provides local detection and identification of misbehaving agents whose behavior deviates more than a threshold, which is quantified in terms of the interconnection structure

Reliable fault-tolerant model predictive control of drinking water transport networks

This paper proposes a reliable fault-tolerant model predictive control applied to drinking water transport networks. After a fault has occurred, the predictive controller should be redesigned to cope with the fault effect. Before starting to apply the fault-tolerant control strategy, it should be evaluated whether the predictive controller will be able to continue operating after the fault appearance. This is done by means of a structural analysis to determine loss of controllability after the fault complemented with feasibility analysis of the optimization problem related to the predictive controller design, so as to consider the fault effect in actuator constraints. Moreover, by evaluating the admissibility of the different actuator-fault configurations, critical actuators regarding fault tolerance can be identified considering structural, feasibility, performance and reliability analyses. On the other hand, the proposed approach allows a degradation analysis of the system to be performed. As a result of these analyses, the predictive controller design can be modified by adapting constraints such that the best achievable performance with some pre-established level of reliability will be achieved. The proposed approach is tested on the Barcelona drinking water transport network.Postprint (author's final draft

A multipath analysis of biswapped networks.

Biswapped networks of the form $Bsw(G)$ have recently been proposed as interconnection networks to be implemented as optical transpose interconnection systems. We provide a systematic construction of $\kappa+1$ vertex-disjoint paths joining any two distinct vertices in $Bsw(G)$, where $\kappa\geq 1$ is the connectivity of $G$. In doing so, we obtain an upper bound of $\max\{2\Delta(G)+5,\Delta_\kappa(G)+\Delta(G)+2\}$ on the $(\kappa+1)$-diameter of $Bsw(G)$, where $\Delta(G)$ is the diameter of $G$ and $\Delta_\kappa(G)$ the $\kappa$-diameter. Suppose that we have a deterministic multipath source routing algorithm in an interconnection network $G$ that finds $\kappa$ mutually vertex-disjoint paths in $G$ joining any $2$ distinct vertices and does this in time polynomial in $\Delta_\kappa(G)$, $\Delta(G)$ and $\kappa$ (and independently of the number of vertices of $G$). Our constructions yield an analogous deterministic multipath source routing algorithm in the interconnection network $Bsw(G)$ that finds $\kappa+1$ mutually vertex-disjoint paths joining any $2$ distinct vertices in $Bsw(G)$ so that these paths all have length bounded as above. Moreover, our algorithm has time complexity polynomial in $\Delta_\kappa(G)$, $\Delta(G)$ and $\kappa$. We also show that if $G$ is Hamiltonian then $Bsw(G)$ is Hamiltonian, and that if $G$ is a Cayley graph then $Bsw(G)$ is a Cayley graph