DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

CS3551-DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING
QUESTION BANK

UNIT I- INTRODUCTION
Introduction: Definition-Relation to Computer System Components – Motivation – Message -Passing
Systems versus Shared Memory Systems – Primitives for Distributed Communication – Synchronous
versus Asynchronous Executions – Design Issues and Challenges; A Model of Distributed Computations:
A Distributed Program – A Model of Distributed Executions – Models of Communication Networks –
Global State of a Distributed System.
PART A (2 MARKS)
1 Define distributed system. (R)
2 What is middleware? (R)
3 Enlist middleware standards in distributed system. (R)
4 Compare centralized and distributed system. (AN)
5 Distinguish shared memory with distributed shared memory. (AN)
6 List out the features of distributed system. (U)
7 Discuss challenges arises in distributed system. (U)
8 Write down the principles of distributed system. (R)
9 State the objectives of resource sharing model (R)
10 Define Transparency. What are its types? (U)
11 What are the issues and challenges in distributed system (U)
12 Define the roles and responsibilities of distributed system. (U)
13 State blocking and non-blocking primitives. (R)
14 What do you mean by message passing? (U)
15 Describe snap short recording algorithm (R)
16 Illustrate about the synchronous and asynchronous execution. (AN)
17 Name some primitives for distributed system. (AN)
18 Why do we need distributed system? (R)
19 Enlist some services and standards of distributed communication (U)
20 Discuss about peer to peer computing (C)
PART B (12 MARKS)
1 Discuss about the design issues in distributed system. (U)
2 Differentiate between client-server architecture and peer-to-peer architecture. (AN)
3 Illustrate the differences between message passing and shared memory process (AN)
communication model.
4 Explain briefly about the functions must be addressed while designing & building a distributed (U)
system.
5 Explain how to implement a basic synchronization mechanism in distributed system. (E)
6 State and explain the challenges of distributed systems (U)
 UNIT II- LOGICAL TIME AND GLOBAL STATE
Logical Time: Physical Clock Synchronization: NTP – A Framework for a System of Logical Clocks
Scalar Time – Vector Time; Message Ordering and Group Communication: Message Ordering
Paradigms – Asynchronous Execution with Synchronous Communication – Synchronous Program Order
on Asynchronous System – Group Communication – Causal Order – Total Order; Global State and
Snapshot Recording Algorithms: Introduction – System Model and Definitions – Snapshot Algorithms
for FIFO Channels.
PART–A (2 MARKS)
1 What are the message ordering paradigms? (R)
2 What is vector clock? (E)
3 Define time stamp. (R)
4 What are the characteristics of multicast communication? (R)
5 Differentiate multicasting Vs unicasting. (U)
6 Write the happen before relation?.
(A)
7 Identify consistent snapshot. (AP)
8 Define Scalar Time? (E)
9 What are the necessary conditions to satisfy the consistent global state? (C)
10 What is clock drift rate? (A)
11 What is consistent cut? (R)
12 Point out the principle of logical time. (U)
13 What is meant by group communication in distributed system? (U)
14 State the principle of message ordering with example. (R)
15 Define casual ordering execution. (R)
16 List out the various message ordering paradigms used in distributed systems (U)
17 What is meant by asynchronous programming? (U)
18 Write application of casual order? (R)
19 What is synchronous order? (U)
20 What is logical Clock? (U)
PART-B (15 MARKS)
1. Design FIFO and non-FIFO executions (C)
2 Discuss on causally ordered executions (C)
3 Describe shortly about the message ordering paradigms. (U)
4 Explain the types of Group communication used in distributed system (U)
5 Elucidate on the total and casual order in distributed system with a neat diagram (AN)
6 Explain about Chandy Lamport Snapshot algorithms for FIFO channels (U)
 UNIT III-DISTRIBUTED MUTEX AND DEADLOCK
Distributed Mutual exclusion Algorithms: Introduction – Preliminaries – Lamport’s algorithm – Ricart-
Agrawala’s Algorithm –– Token-Based Algorithms – Suzuki-Kasami’s Broadcast Algorithm; Deadlock
Detection in Distributed Systems: Introduction – System Model – Preliminaries – Models of Deadlocks –
Chandy-Misra-Haas Algorithm for the AND model and OR Model.

PART–A (2 MARKS)
1 What is clock synchronization?
2 Explain the term mutual exclusion
3 What is deadlock?
4 Name the two types of messages used in Ricart-Agrawala's algorithm
5 What are the conditions for deadlock?
6 Which are the three basic approaches for implementing distributed mutual exclusion?

7 What are the requirements of mutual exclusion algorithms?

8 What is response time?
9 What is wait for graph?
10 What do you mean by deadlock avoidance?
11 Define deadlock detection in distributed system?
PART B (15 MARKS)
1 Explain about Ricart Agrawala's Algorithm with an example.
2 Analyse suzuki kasami's broadcast algorithm for mutual exclusion in distributed system.
3 Discuss with suitable example, how the absence of any one of the four necessary conditions for
deadlock prevents its occurrence.
4 Name and explain the different types of deadlock models in distributed system with the
commonly used strategies to handle deadlocks with a neat diagram
 UNIT IV-CONSENSUS AND RECOVERY
Consensus and Agreement Algorithms: Problem Definition – Overview of Results – Agreement in a
Failure-Free System(Synchronous and Asynchronous) – Agreement in Synchronous Systems with
Failures; Checkpointing and Rollback Recovery: Introduction – Background and Definitions – Issues in
Failure Recovery – Checkpoint-based Recovery – Coordinated Checkpointing Algorithm -
Algorithm for Asynchronous Check pointing and Recovery

PART–A (2 MARKS)
1 What are the uses of rollback recovery?
2 Figure out the categories of check pointing based roll back recovery techniques.
3 Describe about the local check pointing.
4 Illustrate about the concurrency control.
5 Define Z-dependency.
6 List the requirements of consensus algorithm to hold for execution.

7 Differentiate fault and failure.

8 What is a useless checkpoint?
9 Discuss about the drawbacks of checkpoint based rollback recovery approach.
10 Analyze about the benefits of recovery.
11 Describe local check pointing.
12 Illustrate what is orphan message?
13 Define the terms : rollback propagation.
14 Compare coordinated check pointing versus uncoordinated check pointing.
15 List the categories of checkpoint-based rollback-recovery techniques.
16 Formulate the different types of messages.
17 What are the two kinds of checkpoints for checkpoint algorithm?
18 Relate between the agreement problem and the consensus problem.
19 State the conditions for byzantine agreement problem.
20 What are the two kinds of checkpoints for checkpoint algorithm?
PART–B (15 MARKS)
1 List the agreement statement that should be followed in synchronous system with failure.
2 Illustrate briefly the two kinds of checkpoints for checkpoint algorithm.
3 Describe in detail about the different issued involved in failure recovery of distributed
system
4 Illustrate the different types of failure in distributed systems.
5 Summarize the Koo–Toueg coordinated check pointing algorithm.
6 Explain about the rollback recovery algorithm.
7 Give byzantine agreement tree algorithm and illustrate with an example
 UNIT V - CLOUD COMPUTING
Definition of Cloud Computing – Characteristics of Cloud – Cloud Deployment Models – Cloud Service
Models – Driving Factors and Challenges of Cloud – Virtualization – Load Balancing – Scalability and
Elasticity – Replication – Monitoring – Cloud Services and Platforms: Compute Services – Storage
Services – Application Services

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PART–B (15 MARKS)
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