CSEP 552 Reading 1

Due Monday, October 26 at 11:59pm.

In this reading we explore the use of replication and linearizability. What are the benefits that make developers reach for replication? What are the costs associated with linearizability?

Choose one of the papers below, read it, and write a response. See the readings page for more details on your response.

• Scales et al. The Design of a Practical System for Fault-Tolerant Virtual Machines.

  • This paper describes a primary-backup system where the "state machine" is an entire virtual machine (VM).
  • Questions to consider while reading: what makes replicating a whole VM harder than Lab 2? How does this paper keep track of who the current primary and backup are? How do they handle failover?
  • Local copy (UW login required).

• Terry. Replicated Data Consistency Explained Through Baseball.

  • This paper explains six different consistency levels through an example "baseball" application.
  • How did this paper affect your thinking on linearizability? How should someone select an appropriate consistency level for their application?
  • Local copy (UW login required).

• Burrows. The Chubby Lock Service for Loosely-Coupled Distributed Systems.

  • This paper describes Google's Chubby system for strongly consistent locking and configuration management.
  • In a system similar to Lab 2, what role would Chubby play? What problems does Chubby solve that Lab 2 doesn't solve?
  • Local copy (UW login required).

Submit

Submit your response on Gradescope by Monday, October 26 at 11:59pm.