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Time-lapse snapshots

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Theory of Computing and Systems (ISTCS 1992)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 601))

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Abstract

A snapshot scan algorithm takes an “instantaneous” picture of a region of shared memory that may be updated by concurrent processes. Many complex shared memory algorithms can be greatly simplified by structuring them around the snapshot scan abstraction. Unfortunately, the substantial decrease in conceptual complexity is quite often counterbalanced by an increase in computational complexity.

In this paper, we introduce the notion of a weak snapshot scan, a slightly weaker primitive that has a more efficient implementation. We propose the following methodology for using this abstraction: first, design and verify an algorithm using the more powerful snapshot scan, and second, replace the more powerful but less efficient snapshot with the weaker but more efficient snapshot, and show that the weaker abstraction nevertheless suffices to ensure the correctness of the enclosing algorithm.

We give two examples of algorithms whose performance can be enhanced while retaining a simple modular structure: bounded concurrent timestamping, and bounded randomized consensus. The resulting timestamping protocol is the fastest known bounded concurrent timestamping protocol. The resulting randomized consensus protocol matches the computational complexity of the best known protocol that uses only bounded values.

Research supported by NSF Research Initiation Award CCR-900-8226, by U.S. Army Research Office Grant DAAL-03-91-G-0102, by ONR Contract N00014-88-K-0166, and by a grant from Mitsubishi Electric Laboratories.

Research supported by NSF grant CCR-8814921, U.S. Army Research Office Grant DAAL-03-91-G-0102, ONR contract N00014-88-K-0166, and IBM fellowship.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM Almaden Research Center, USA

    Cynthia Dwork

  2. DEC Cambridge Research Lab., USA

    Maurice Herlihy

  3. Stanford University, USA

    Serge A. Plotkin & Orli Waarts

Authors
  1. Cynthia Dwork
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  2. Maurice Herlihy
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  3. Serge A. Plotkin
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  4. Orli Waarts
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Editor information

D. Dolev Z. Galil M. Rodeh

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© 1992 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Dwork, C., Herlihy, M., Plotkin, S.A., Waarts, O. (1992). Time-lapse snapshots. In: Dolev, D., Galil, Z., Rodeh, M. (eds) Theory of Computing and Systems. ISTCS 1992. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 601. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0035175

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0035175

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-55553-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47214-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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