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Broadcasting on Networks of Workstations

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Abstract

Broadcasting and multicasting are fundamental operations. In this work we develop algorithms for performing broadcast and multicast in clusters of workstations. In this model, sending a message to a machine in the same cluster takes 1 time unit, and sending a message to a machine in a different cluster takes C(≥1) time units. The clusters may have arbitrary sizes. Lowekamp and Beguelin proposed heuristics for this model, but their algorithms may produce broadcast times that are arbitrarily worse than optimal. We develop the first constant factor approximation algorithms for this model. Algorithm LCF (Largest Cluster First) for the basic model is simple, efficient and has a worst case approximation guarantee of 2. We then extend these models to more complex models where we remove the assumption that an unbounded amount of communication may happen using the global network. The algorithms for these models build on the LCF method developed for the basic problem. Finally, we develop broadcasting algorithms for the postal model where the sending node does not block for C time units when the message is in transit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Samir Khuller & Yung-Chun Justin Wan

  2. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Yoo-Ah Kim

Authors
  1. Samir Khuller
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  2. Yoo-Ah Kim
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  3. Yung-Chun Justin Wan
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Correspondence to Yoo-Ah Kim.

Additional information

Research supported by NSF Award CCR-0113192.

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Khuller, S., Kim, YA. & Wan, YC.J. Broadcasting on Networks of Workstations. Algorithmica 57, 848–868 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-008-9249-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-008-9249-0

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