CST 402 -DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING

QUESTION BANK

MODULE 1

Important Areas To Cover:

• Distributed computing definition,characteristics,applications,limitations,challenges
• Primitives for distributed communication
• Global state in a distributed system
• Cuts in a computation along with past and future cones of an event with example
Questions
1. What is a distributed system? Why do we need a distributed system? (3)
2. Explain in detail about application domains where distributed system is applied? (6)
3. Summarize the characteristics/features of a distributed system? (3)
4. What are the design issues to be considered in designing a distributed system? (6)
5. Discuss the primitives for distributed communication. (8)
6. Differentiate logical concurrency and physical concurrency. (3)
7. “The occurrence of an event changes the states of both processes and channels.” Justify the
statement. (3)
8. What is a distributed program? (3)
9. With an example explain the space-time diagram of a distributed execution.(3)
10. Explain the three models of services provided by communication network? (6)
11. With an example explain what is a cut, consistent cut and inconsistent cut in a distributed
computation.(6)
12. Explain global state in a distributed system? When can we call global state “A consistent
global state”? (6)
13. What is a causal precedence relation? Give examples using a space time diagram? (6)
14. What are the different versions of send and receive primitives for distributed communication?
Explain.(8)
15. Give 3 distributed applications and for each application determine which all motivating
factors are important for building an application over a distributed system.(3)
16. Assume that the surface of the past cone form a consistent cut. Does it mean all events on
the surface of the past cone are always concurrent? Demonstrate with the help of an
example. (3)
17. Explain “surface of the past cone” and “surface of the future cone” of an event with an
example? (7)
18. What are the key algorithmic challenges in distributed computing? (7)

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MODULE 2

Important Areas To Cover:

• Scalar and vector time with their properties. Understand the concept of logical clock
• Bully and Ring Based election algorithms with examples. Also their safety and liveness
conditions.
• Chandy-Lamport algorithm and Spanning tree based termination detection algorithm
• Termination detection using weight throwing
Questions
1. Explain the rules used to update clocks in scalar and vector time representation? (6)
2. Identify and explain the basic properties of scalar and vector time? (7)
3. What is meant by “Clock Consistency Condition”? When can a system of clock(s) said to be
strongly consistent? (3)
4. Distinguish between physical and logical clocks? (3)
5. Write the happened before relation with an example. (3)
6. What is the goal of election algorithm? Name 2 election based algorithms? (3)
7. In ring based election algorithm, is it possible to have 2 ELECTION messages circulating
simultaneously? Justify your answer. (3)
8. Explain how the bully algorithm works to select a coordinator process from among the
currently running processes? (8)
9. In bully algorithm if the highest node is assigned as coordinator and that site is unreachable
then an election is conducted and a new coordinator is assigned. What happens when that
highest node comes back online? (3)
10. In a ring topology 7 processes are connected with different ID’s as shown
P20 → P5 → P10 → P18 → P3 → P16 → P9

If process P10 initiates election, after how many message passes will coordinator be elected
and known to all the processes. What modification will take place to the election message as
it passes through all the processes? (8)
11. In the ring topology shown below if process with identifier 7 initiates election, explain the
election process and show the modifications happening to the election message as it passes
through all the processes. How many election and elected messages will be passed so that
the coordinator be elected and known to all the processes? (8)

3 7

12 5

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 12. Give the liveness and safety requirements for election algorithm? Does ring and bully
algorithm satisfy the safety and liveness conditions? (6)
13. State the issues in recording a global state. (3)
14. Sketch an interpretation in terms of a cut. (3)
15. In chandy-lamport algorithm for recording global snapshots, explain how the recorded local
snapshots can be put together to create the global snapshot. Can multiple processes initiate
the algorithm concurrently? (6)
16. Explain spanning tree based termination detection algorithm with an example? (8)
17. Illustrate the basic rules for termination detection using weight throwing method? Explain the
two invariants that are used in this method to detect termination? (7)
18. Explain the rules that are defined to detect termination using distributed snapshots? (6)
19. Apply spanning tree based termination detection algorithm in the following scenario. The
nodes are processes 0 to 6. Leaf nodes 3, 4, 5 and 6 are each given tokens T3, T4, T5 and T6
respectively. Leaf nodes 3, 4, 5 and 6 terminate in the order, but before terminating node 5, it
sends a message to node 1. (10)

MODULE 3

Important Areas To Cover

• Lamport’s algorithm, Ricart – Agrawala algorithm, Maekawa’s alhorithm, Suzuli kasam’s
algorithm
• Wait for graph, Issues in deadlock detection, Deadlock handling strategies
• Models of deadlock
Questions
1. Explain the three approaches used for implementing distributed mutual exclusion? (3)
2. State the difference between quorum - based algorithm and other types of algorithms. (3)
3. Differentiate token based and non token based approaches? (3)

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 4. What are the three requirements of a mutual exclusion algorithm? (3)
5. The performance of a mutual exclusion algorithm is generally measured using four metrics.
State Define each of them. (4)
6. Explain and illustrate Lamport’s mutual exclusion algorithm. (8)
7. What is the purpose of “REPLY message” in lamport’s algorithm? (3)
8. Which algorithm was developed to implement mutual exclusion between N peer processes
which is based on multicast. Illustrate the concept with a diagram using three processes P1,
P2, P3. (8)
9. Explain how Ricart-Agrawala algorithm achieves mutual exclusion ? (3)
10. Evaluate the performance of Maekawa’s algorithm? (3)
11. Discuss the three types of messages required for deadlock handling in Maekawa’s algorithm.
Explain how Maekawa’s algorithm handles deadlocks. (6)
12. Define the two design issues for Suzuki-kasami’s broadcast algorithm. (3)
13. What is a deadlock? Explain the three strategies that are used to handle deadlock ? (3)
14. Illustrate and explain the concept of Wait-for graph (WFG). (6)
15. What is deadlock resolution? (3)
16. What are the two issues that arise during deadlock detection? (6)
17. Explain any 5 models of deadlock in detail? (10)
18. In Ricart-Agrawala algorithm the critical section is handled in increasing order of their
timestamp. Does the same hold in Maekawa’s algorithm? Justify your answer? (3)

MODULE 4

Important Areas To Cover

• Distributed shared memory advantages , disadvantages, issues
• Check pointing based recovery and its types
• Log based recovery and its types
• Different types of messages and Issues that arise in failure recovery
Questions
1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of distributed shared memory. (6)
2. What are the main issues that arise in designing a DSM system? (3)
3. Show that Lamport’s Bakery algorithm for shared memory mutual exclusion, satisfy the three
requirements of critical section problem. (7)
4. Explain the terms (a) Rollback Recovery (b) Rollback Propagation (c) Outside World Process
(6)
5. What is meant by Domino Effect? List some techniques to avoid Domino Effect. (4)
6. Differentiate consistent and inconsistent states with an example. (4)
7. Describe local check pointing. (3)

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 8. With the help of a suitable example explain the types of messages in a process failure and
recovery procedure. (7)
9. What are the main issues in failure recovery? Illustrate with suitable examples. (7)
10. Compare coordinated and uncoordinated check pointing. (4)
11. What is check pointing based rollback recovery? Explain in detail the three types of check
pointing based rollback recovery techniques? (10)
12. What is log based rollback recovery? Explain in detail the three types of log based rollback
recovery techniques? (10)
13. Explain the two phases of min-process check pointing algorithm? (3)
14. What are deterministic and non deterministic events? (6)
15. Explain the two types of communication induced check pointing? (4)
16. Explain the no-orphans consistency condition? (3)
17. Write a short note on direct dependency tracking technique? (6)
18. Name the two types of log storages? Give the use of piggybacking in check pointing? (3)
19. Compare pessimistic logging with optimistic logging. (3)
20. “DSM is transparent to the programmer.” Give reasons to prove that the statement is correct.
(3)

MODULE 5

Important Areas To Cover

• Assumptions in consensus algorithm, byzantine agreement vs consensus problem
• Consensus algorithm for crash failure
• Distributed file system requirements, file service architecture
• Andrew file system & Sun network file system – very important
Questions
1. Define Byzantine agreement problem. (3)
2. Explain the assumptions that are taken in a consensus algorithm? (6)
3. Define consensus problem. How is it different from agreement problem? (3)
4. Explain and illustrate the consensus algorithm for crash failures in a synchronous system? (6)
5. Explain the distributed file system requirements? (8)
6. What are the different types of file system modules? (3)
7. Explain with a diagram the File Service Architecture? (8)
8. What is a file group? How will you generate a unique identifier for a file group? (3)
9. Describe NFS architecture with diagram? (8)
10. Explain the role of virtual file system module (VFS) in NFS? (4)
11. Differentiate between server caching and client cashing in NFS? (6)
12. Explain the directory service and its interface operations in a file service architecture? (4)

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 13. Why should UFID be unique across all possible file systems? How is uniqueness of UFID
ensured? (6)
14. Distinguish between whole file serving and whole file caching in Andrew file system. (3)
15. What do you mean by Vice and Venus in AFS? What are their roles? (4)
16. Differentiate Andrew file system and NFS? (4)
17. With appropriate diagram explain the distribution of processes in the Andrew file system? (6)
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Savion Manuel@Edu Smash