Shlomi Dolev presents the fundamentals of self-stabilization and demonstrates the process of designing self-stabilizing distributed systems.

This book aims at being a comprehensive and pedagogical introduction to the concept of self-stabilization, introduced by Edsger Wybe Dijkstra in 1973. Self-stabilization characterizes the ability of a distributed algorithm to converge within finite time to a configuration from which its behavior is correct (i.e., satisfies a given specification), regardless the arbitrary initial configuration of the system. This arbitrary initial configuration may be the result of the occurrence of a finite number of transient faults. Hence, self-stabilization is actually considered as a versatile non-masking fault tolerance approach, since it recovers from the effect of any finite number of such faults in an unified manner. Another major interest of such an automatic recovery method comes from the difficulty of resetting malfunctioning devices in a large-scale (and so, geographically spread) distributed system (the Internet, Pair-to-Pair networks, and Delay Tolerant Networks are examples of such distributed systems). Furthermore, self-stabilization is usually recognized as a lightweight property to achieve fault tolerance as compared to other classical fault tolerance approaches. Indeed, the overhead, both in terms of time and space, of state-of-the-art self-stabilizing algorithms is commonly small. This makes self-stabilization very attractive for distributed systems equipped of processes with low computational and memory capabilities, such as wireless sensor networks. After more than 40 years of existence, self-stabilization is now sufficiently established as an important field of research in theoretical distributed computing to justify its teaching in advanced research-oriented graduate courses. This book is an initiation course, which consists of the formal definition of self-stabilization and its related concepts, followed by a deep review and study of classical (simple) algorithms, commonly used proof schemes and design patterns, as well as premium results issued from the self-stabilizing community. As often happens in the self-stabilizing area, in this book we focus on the proof of correctness and the analytical complexity of the studied distributed self-stabilizing algorithms. Finally, we underline that most of the algorithms studied in this book are actually dedicated to the high-level atomic-state model, which is the most commonly used computational model in the self-stabilizing area. However, in the last chapter, we present general techniques to achieve self-stabilization in the low-level message passing model, as well as example algorithms.

Self- governing control is a defining characteristic of autonomous computing machinery. Autonomy implies some degree of independence, and when a system's ability to achieve its mission is independent of how it is initialized, the system is self-stabilizing. Application of self-stabilization to system and network components is motivated by core concerns of fault-tolerance in distributed systems. Self-stabilization is a solution to problems of transient memory faults and systems with dynamic reconfigurations. Research in self-stabilization explores many of the classic themes of distributed computing (distributed graph algorithms, mutual exclusion, distributed agreement). Recent papers combine self-stabilization with traditional forms of fault-tolerance, consider methodological issues for the design of self-stabilizing systems, investigate randomized techniques, and apply stabilization to new networking models. The workshop brings together concerns from theory and practice of self-stabilization.

Distributed algorithms have been the subject of intense development over the last twenty years. The second edition of this successful textbook provides an up-to-date introduction both to the topic, and to the theory behind the algorithms. The clear presentation makes the book suitable for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses, whilst the coverage is sufficiently deep to make it useful for practising engineers and researchers. The author concentrates on algorithms for the point-to-point message passing model, and includes algorithms for the implementation of computer communication networks. Other key areas discussed are algorithms for the control of distributed applications (wave, broadcast, election, termination detection, randomized algorithms for anonymous networks, snapshots, deadlock detection, synchronous systems), and fault-tolerance achievable by distributed algorithms. The two new chapters on sense of direction and failure detectors are state-of-the-art and will provide an entry to research in these still-developing topics.

For more than a decade, Foundations of Software Technology and Theoretical Computer Science Conferences have been providing an annual forum for the presentation of new research results in India and abroad. This year, 119 papers from 20 countries were submitted. Each paper was reviewed by at least three reviewers, and 33 papers were selected for presentation and included in this volume, grouped into parts on type theory, parallel algorithms, term rewriting, logic and constraint logic programming, computational geometry and complexity, software technology, concurrency, distributed algorithms, and algorithms and learning theory. Also included in the volume are the five invited papers presented at theconference.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Distributed Computing, DISC 2000, held in Toledo, Spain in October 2000. The 23 revised full papers presented together with one invited contribution were carefully reviewed and selected from more than 100 submissions. The papers address a variety of current issues in distributed computing including mutual exclusion, distributed algorithms, protocols, approximation algorithms, distributed cooperation, electronic commerce, self-stabilizing algorithms, lower bounds, networking, broadcasting, Internet services, interconnection networks, distributed objects, CORBA, etc.

Distributed Systems: An Algorithmic Approach, Second Edition provides a balanced and straightforward treatment of the underlying theory and practical applications of distributed computing. As in the previous version, the language is kept as unobscured as possible—clarity is given priority over mathematical formalism. This easily digestible text: Features significant updates that mirror the phenomenal growth of distributed systems Explores new topics related to peer-to-peer and social networks Includes fresh exercises, examples, and case studies Supplying a solid understanding of the key principles of distributed computing and their relationship to real-world applications, Distributed Systems: An Algorithmic Approach, Second Edition makes both an ideal textbook and a handy professional reference.