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Linear-time snapshot protocols for unbalanced systems

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Distributed Algorithms (WDAG 1993)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 725))

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Abstract

The snapshot problem for shared memory systems is to enable a set of processes called scanners to obtain a consistent picture of the shared memory while other processes called updaters keep updating memory locations concurrently. One of the most intriguing open problems in wait-free distributed computing is the existence of a linear-time solution to this problem. In this paper we show that:

  • Consider a system of n processes that can perform update and scan operations. There exists a solution in which one of the operations (either update or scan) has linear time complexity, while the time complexity of the second operation is O(n log n).

  • If the number of either scanners or updaters is O(n /log n), where n is the total number of processes, then such a linear solution exists.

  • If one of the protocols (either scan or update) is executed significantly more often than the other protocol, then a solution with amortized linear time complexity exists.

Partially supported by NWO through NFI Project ALADDIN under Contract number NF 62-376.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Electrical Engineering, Technion, Israel

    Amos Israeli

  2. Dept. of Computer Science, Technion, Israel

    Amnon Shaham & Asaf Shirazi

Authors
  1. Amos Israeli
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  2. Amnon Shaham
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  3. Asaf Shirazi
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Editor information

André Schiper

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© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Israeli, A., Shaham, A., Shirazi, A. (1993). Linear-time snapshot protocols for unbalanced systems. In: Schiper, A. (eds) Distributed Algorithms. WDAG 1993. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 725. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-57271-6_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-57271-6_25

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-57271-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48029-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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