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Arbitration-free synchronization

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Abstract.

Implementing traditional forms of multiprocess synchronization requires a hardware arbiter. Here, we consider what kind of synchronization is achievable without arbitration. Several kinds of simple arbiter-free registers are defined and shown to have equal power, and the class of synchronization problems solvable with such registers is characterized. More powerful forms of arbiter-free communication primitives are described. However, the problem of characterizing the most general form of arbiter-free synchronization remains unsolved.

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Received: November 2001, Accepted: July 2002,

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Lamport, L. Arbitration-free synchronization. Distrib. Comput. 16, 219–237 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00446-002-0076-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00446-002-0076-2

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