The Problem of Mutual Exclusion: A New Distributed Solution

In both centralized and distributed systems, processes cooperate and compete with each other to access the system resources. Some of these resources must be used exclusively. It is then required that only one process access the shared resource at a given time. This is referred to as the problem of mutual exclusion. Several synchronization mechanisms have been proposed to solve this problem. In this thesis, an effort has been made to compile most of the existing mutual exclusion solutions for both shared memory and message-passing based systems. A new distributed algorithm, which uses a dynamic information structure, is presented to solve the problem of mutual exclusion. It is proved to be free from both deadlock and starvation. This solution is shown to be economical in terms of the number of message exchanges required per critical section execution. Procedures for recovery from both site and link failures are also given

Logical rings in the mutual exclusion problem of distributed memory systems

In this thesis, we investigate distributed mutual exclusion algorithms and delineate the features of a new distributed mutual exclusion algorithm. The basis of the algorithm is the logical ring structure employed in token-based mutual exclusion algorithms. Specifically, there exists dynamic properties of the logical ring that, given certain restrictions regarding message traffic flow, passively give useful information about the location of the token. Effectively, the algorithm demonstrates a type of intelligent routing that identifies useful shortcuts to in the routing of the token. The result is a reduction in the total number of messages exchanged prior to the execution of the critical section as compared to the algorithm proposed by Fu and Tzeng (7). Furthermore, the algorithm allows for an increased degree of fairness in a lightly loaded system than that allowed by Fu and Tzeng\u27s algorithm

Distributed mutual exclusion algorithms

In this thesis we present three original algorithms which solve the distributed mutual exclusion problem. Two of the three solve the problem of allowing only one site at a time into the critical section. The third solves the more difficult problem of allowing a specific number of sites (k sites) into the critical section at a time; All three algorithms are Token Based . That is, they make use of a token and token queue in order to guarantee mutual exclusion. Only the site that currently has the token is allowed to enter its critical section in the 1 mutual exclusion algorithms. Only the sites that have seen the token, since they requested it, are allowed to enter their critical sections in the k mutual exclusion algorithm; The primary goal of our algorithms is efficiency. Both of our 1 mutual exclusion algorithms require between 2 and n messages per critical section (n being the number of sites) depending on the number of requests for the critical section. Our k mutual exclusion has similar requirements between 3 and n messages per critical section depending on the number of requests for the critical section. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Permission-based fault tolerant mutual exclusion algorithm for mobile Ad Hoc networks

This study focuses on resolving the problem of mutual exclusion in mobile ad hoc networks. A Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) is a wireless network without fixed infrastructure. Nodes are mobile and topology of MANET changes very frequently and unpredictably. Due to these limitations, conventional mutual exclusion algorithms presented for distributed systems (DS) are not applicable for MANETs unless they attach to a mechanism for dynamic changes in their topology. Algorithms for mutual exclusion in DS are categorized into two main classes including token-based and permission-based algorithms. Token-based algorithms depend on circulation of a specific message known as token. The owner of the token has priority for entering the critical section. Token may lose during communications, because of link failure or failure of token host. However, the processes for token-loss detection and token regeneration are very complicated and time-consuming. Token-based algorithms are generally non-fault-tolerant (although some mechanisms are utilized to increase their level of fault-tolerance) because of common problem of single token as a single point of failure. On the contrary, permission-based algorithms utilize the permission of multiple nodes to guarantee mutual exclusion. It yields to high traffic when number of nodes is high. Moreover, the number of message transmissions and energy consumption increase in MANET by increasing the number of mobile nodes accompanied in every decision making cycle. The purpose of this study is to introduce a method of managing the critical section,named as Ancestral, having higher fault-tolerance than token-based and fewer message transmissions and traffic rather that permission-based algorithms. This method makes a tradeoff between token-based and permission-based. It does not utilize any token, that is similar to permission-based, and the latest node having the critical section influences the entrance of the next node to the critical section, that is similar to token-based algorithms. The algorithm based on ancestral is named as DAD algorithms and increases the availability of fully connected network between 2.86 to 59.83% and decreases the number of message transmissions from 4j-2 to 3j messages (j as number of nodes in partition). This method is then utilized as the basis of dynamic ancestral mutual exclusion algorithm for MANET which is named as MDA. This algorithm is presented and evaluated for different scenarios of mobility of nodes, failure, load and number of nodes. The results of study show that MDA algorithm guarantees mutual exclusion,dead lock freedom and starvation freedom. It improves the availability of CS to minimum 154.94% and 113.36% for low load and high load of CS requests respectively compared to other permission-based lgorithm.Furthermore, it improves response time up to 90.69% for high load and 75.21% for low load of CS requests. It degrades the number of messages from n to 2 messages in the best case and from 3n/2 to n in the worst case. MDA algorithm is resilient to transient partitioning of network that is normally occurs due to failure of nodes or links

CafeOBJ: Logical Foundations and Methodologies

CafeOBJ is an executable industrial strength multi-logic algebraic specification language which is a modern successor of OBJ and incorporates several new algebraic specification paradigms. In this paper we survey its logical foundations and present some of its methodologies

Causal synchrony in the design of distributed programs

The outcome of any computation is determined by the order of the events in the computation and the state of the component variables of the computation at those events. The level of knowledge that can be obtained about event order and process state influences protocol design and operation. In a centralized system, the presence of a physical clock makes it easy to determine event order. It is a more difficult task in a distributed system because there is normally no global time. Hence, there is no common time reference to be used for ordering events. as a consequence, distributed protocols are often designed without explicit reference to event order. Instead they are based on some approximation of global state. Because global state is also difficult to identify in a distributed system, the resulting protocols are not as efficient or clear as they could be.;We subscribe to Lamport\u27s proposition that the relevant temporal ordering of any two events is determined by their causal relationship and that knowledge of the causal order can be a powerful tool in protocol design. Mattern\u27s vector time can be used to identify the causal order, thereby providing the common frame of reference needed to order events in a distributed computation. In this dissertation we present a consistent methodology for analysis and design of distributed protocols that is based on the causal order and vector time. Using it we can specify conditions which must be met for a protocol to be correct, we can define the axiomatic protocol specifications, and we can structure reasoning about the correctness of the specified protocol. Employing causality as a unifying concept clarifies protocol specifications and correctness arguments because it enables them to be defined purely in terms of local states and local events.;We have successfully applied this methodology to the problems of distributed termination detection, distributed deadlock detection and resolution, and optimistic recovery. In all cases, the causally synchronous protocols we have presented are efficient and demonstrably correct