Tight Bounds For Distributed MST Verification

This paper establishes tight bounds for the Minimum-weight Spanning Tree (MST) verification problem in the distributed setting. Specifically, we provide an MST verification algorithm that achieves {\em simultaneously} $\tilde{O}(|E|)$ messages and $\tilde{O}(\sqrt{n} + D)$ time, where $|E|$ is the number of edges in the given graph $G$ and $D$ is $G$'s diameter. On the negative side, we show that any MST verification algorithm must send $\Omega(|E|)$ messages and incur $\tilde{\Omega}(\sqrt{n} + D)$ time in worst case. Our upper bound result appears to indicate that the verification of an MST may be easier than its construction, since for MST construction, both lower bounds of $\Omega(|E|)$ messages and $\Omega(\sqrt{n} + D)$ time hold, but at the moment there is no known distributed algorithm that constructs an MST and achieves {\em simultaneously} $\tilde{O}(|E|)$ messages and $\tilde{O}(\sqrt{n} + D)$ time. Specifically, the best known time-optimal algorithm (using \tO(\sqrt{n} + D) time) requires $O(|E|+n^{3/2})$ messages, and the best known message-optimal algorithm (using \tO(|E|) messages) requires $O(n)$ time. On the other hand, our lower bound results indicate that the verification of an MST is not significantly easier than its construction

Distributed Maximum Matching Verification in CONGEST

We study the maximum cardinality matching problem in a standard distributed setting, where the nodes V of a given n-node network graph G = (V,E) communicate over the edges E in synchronous rounds. More specifically, we consider the distributed CONGEST model, where in each round, each node of G can send an O(log n)-bit message to each of its neighbors. We show that for every graph G and a matching M of G, there is a randomized CONGEST algorithm to verify M being a maximum matching of G in time O(|M|) and disprove it in time O(D + ?), where D is the diameter of G and ? is the length of a shortest augmenting path. We hope that our algorithm constitutes a significant step towards developing a CONGEST algorithm to compute a maximum matching in time O?(s^*), where s^* is the size of a maximum matching

An Almost Singularly Optimal Asynchronous Distributed MST Algorithm

A singularly (near) optimal distributed algorithm is one that is (near) optimal in \emph{two} criteria, namely, its time and message complexities. For \emph{synchronous} CONGEST networks, such algorithms are known for fundamental distributed computing problems such as leader election [Kutten et al., JACM 2015] and Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) construction [Pandurangan et al., STOC 2017, Elkin, PODC 2017]. However, it is open whether a singularly (near) optimal bound can be obtained for the MST construction problem in general \emph{asynchronous} CONGEST networks. We present a randomized distributed MST algorithm that, with high probability, computes an MST in \emph{asynchronous} CONGEST networks and takes $\tilde{O}(D^{1+\epsilon} + \sqrt{n})$ time and $\tilde{O}(m)$ messages, where $n$ is the number of nodes, $m$ the number of edges, $D$ is the diameter of the network, and $\epsilon >0$ is an arbitrarily small constant (both time and message bounds hold with high probability). Our algorithm is message optimal (up to a polylog$(n)$ factor) and almost time optimal (except for a $D^{\epsilon}$ factor). Our result answers an open question raised in Mashregi and King [DISC 2019] by giving the first known asynchronous MST algorithm that has sublinear time (for all $D = O(n^{1-\epsilon})$) and uses $\tilde{O}(m)$ messages. Using a result of Mashregi and King [DISC 2019], this also yields the first asynchronous MST algorithm that is sublinear in both time and messages in the $KT_1$ CONGEST model. A key tool in our algorithm is the construction of a low diameter rooted spanning tree in asynchronous CONGEST that has depth $\tilde{O}(D^{1+\epsilon})$ (for an arbitrarily small constant $\epsilon > 0$) in $\tilde{O}(D^{1+\epsilon})$ time and $\tilde{O}(m)$ messages. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such construction that is almost singularly optimal in the asynchronous setting.Comment: 27 pages, accepted to DISC 202

Fast and compact self-stabilizing verification, computation, and fault detection of an MST

This paper demonstrates the usefulness of distributed local verification of proofs, as a tool for the design of self-stabilizing algorithms.In particular, it introduces a somewhat generalized notion of distributed local proofs, and utilizes it for improving the time complexity significantly, while maintaining space optimality. As a result, we show that optimizing the memory size carries at most a small cost in terms of time, in the context of Minimum Spanning Tree (MST). That is, we present algorithms that are both time and space efficient for both constructing an MST and for verifying it.This involves several parts that may be considered contributions in themselves.First, we generalize the notion of local proofs, trading off the time complexity for memory efficiency. This adds a dimension to the study of distributed local proofs, which has been gaining attention recently. Specifically, we design a (self-stabilizing) proof labeling scheme which is memory optimal (i.e., $O(\log n)$ bits per node), and whose time complexity is $O(\log ^2 n)$ in synchronous networks, or $O(\Delta \log ^3 n)$ time in asynchronous ones, where $\Delta$ is the maximum degree of nodes. This answers an open problem posed by Awerbuch and Varghese (FOCS 1991). We also show that $\Omega(\log n)$ time is necessary, even in synchronous networks. Another property is that if $f$ faults occurred, then, within the requireddetection time above, they are detected by some node in the $O(f\log n)$ locality of each of the faults.Second, we show how to enhance a known transformer that makes input/output algorithms self-stabilizing. It now takes as input an efficient construction algorithm and an efficient self-stabilizing proof labeling scheme, and produces an efficient self-stabilizing algorithm. When used for MST, the transformer produces a memory optimal self-stabilizing algorithm, whose time complexity, namely, $O(n)$, is significantly better even than that of previous algorithms. (The time complexity of previous MST algorithms that used $\Omega(\log^2 n)$ memory bits per node was $O(n^2)$, and the time for optimal space algorithms was $O(n|E|)$.) Inherited from our proof labelling scheme, our self-stabilising MST construction algorithm also has the following two properties: (1) if faults occur after the construction ended, then they are detected by some nodes within $O(\log ^2 n)$ time in synchronous networks, or within $O(\Delta \log ^3 n)$ time in asynchronous ones, and (2) if $f$ faults occurred, then, within the required detection time above, they are detected within the $O(f\log n)$ locality of each of the faults. We also show how to improve the above two properties, at the expense of some increase in the memory