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On the progress of communication between two machines

  • Part VI, Network Operating Systems
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Operating Systems Engineering (IBM 1980)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 143))

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Abstract

We consider the following problem concerning any two finite state machines M and N which exchange messages via two one-directional channels. "Is there a positive integer K such that M and N with K-capacity channels never reach a nonprogress state?" The problem is shown to be undecidable in general. For a reasonable class of communicating machines, the problem is shown to be decidable; and the decidability algorithm is polynomial. We also discuss some sufficient conditions for the problem to have a a positive answer; these sufficient conditions can be checked for the given M and N in polynomial time.

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Mamoru Maekawa Laszio A. Belady

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© 1982 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Gouda, M.G., Manning, E.G., Yu, Y.T. (1982). On the progress of communication between two machines. In: Maekawa, M., Belady, L.A. (eds) Operating Systems Engineering. IBM 1980. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 143. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-11604-4_62

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-11604-4_62

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-11604-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-39424-2

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