2011/02/27 by Arnaud Casteigts, Casteigts, Arnaud, Serge Chaumette +3
Computer Science · #C.2.4 #Caching and Content Delivery #Distributed #Distributed systems and fault tolerance #Error Correcting Code Techniques #F.3.1 #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Networking and Internet Architecture (cs.NI) #Opportunistic and Delay-Tolerant Networks #Parallel #and Cluster Computing (cs.DC) #cs.DC #cs.NI
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1102.5529
18 pages, 12 figures, long version of a Sirocco'09 paper
openalex publication_date 2011/02/27 · arxiv created 2014/05/01 · arxiv updated 2014/05/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Besides the complexity in time or in number of messages, a common approach for analyzing distributed algorithms is to look at the assumptions they make on the underlying network. We investigate this question from the perspective of network dynamics. In particular, we ask how a given property on the evolution of the network can be rigorously proven as necessary or sufficient for a given algorithm. The main contribution of this paper is to propose the combination of two existing tools in this direction: local computations by means of graph relabelings, and evolving graphs. Such a combination makes it possible to express fine-grained properties on the network dynamics, then examine what impact those properties have on the execution at a precise, intertwined, level. We illustrate the use of this framework through the analysis of three simple algorithms, then discuss general implications of this work, which include (i) the possibility to compare distributed algorithms on the basis of their topological requirements, (ii) a formal hierarchy of dynamic networks based on these requirements, and (iii) the potential for mechanization induced by our framework, which we believe opens a door towards automated analysis and decision support in dynamic networks.