SRM VALLIAMMAI ENGINEERING COLLEGE

(An Autonomous Institution)

SRM Nagar, Kattankulathur – 603 203

DEPARTMENT OF

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

QUESTION BANK

VI SEMESTER

CS 8603- DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS

Regulation – 2017

Academic Year 2020– 2021

(Even Semester)

Prepared by

Ms. G.SANGEETHA, Assistant Professor/CSE

Ms.V.PREMA, Assistant Professor /CSE

 SRM VALLIAMMAI ENGINEERING COLLEGE
SRM Nagar, Kattankulathur – 603 203.

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

QUESTION BANK

SUBJECT : CS8603-DistributedSystems
SEM / YEAR: VI / III

UNIT I - INTRODUCTION
Introduction: Definition –Relation to computer system components –Motivation –Relation to parallel systems
– 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 – Cuts –Past and future cones of an event –Models of process communications. Logical Time: A
framework for a system of logical clocks –Scalar time –Vector time – Physical clock synchronization: NTP.

PART – A
Q. No Questions BT Level Competence

1. Define distributed systems. BTL 1 Remember

2. What is middleware? BTL 1 Remember
3. Explain distributed execution/computation or run. BTL 5 Evaluate
4. List middleware standards in distributed systems. BTL 1 Remember
5 Develop hamming distance with example. BTL 3 Apply
6 Illustrate coupling. BTL 2 Understand
7 Describe parallelism/concurrency in distributed systems. BTL 2 Understand
8 Compare centralized and distributed system. BTL 4 Analyze
9 State the various classes of multiprocessor/multicomputer operating
BTL 2 Understand
systems.
10 Compare shared memory Vs distributed shared memory. BTL 2 Understand
11 Compose different forms of load balancing. BTL 6 Create
12 List the issues arise in determining the performance of DS. BTL 1 Remember
13 Analyze briefly on ubiquitous computing. BTL 4 Analyze
14 What is happened before or causal precedence? BTL 3 Apply
15 Illustrate five reasons why to build distributed System. BTL 3 Apply
16 Define granularity. BTL 1 Remember
17 Discuss about peer-to-peer computing. BTL 6 Create
18 Measure some examples of problems requiring synchronization. BTL5 Evaluate
19 Classify the security challenges faced by the distributed systems. BTL 4 Analyze
20 What is distributed data mining? BTL 1 Remember
PART – B
Design in detail about application domains where distributed system
1. is applied. (13)
BTL 6 Create
 i) Explain the characteristics of distributed systems. (7)
2. ii)List the features of distributed systems(6)
BTL 4 Analyze

i) Summarize the distributed computer system components (7)

3. ii) Explain the requirements of distributed systems (6)
BTL 5 Evaluate

Write a brief note on the key algorithmic challenges in distributed

4. computing. (13)
BTL 1 Remember

i)Draw the omega and butterfly networks for n = 16 inputs and

outputs. (7)
5. ii) Elaborate the functions need to address while designing a
BTL 2 Understand
distributed computing system. (6)
6. Discuss the primitives for distributed communication.(13) BTL 3 Apply
i) What are the processing modes of flynn taxonomy? (7) Remember
7. ii) Examine various MIMD architectures in terms of coupling.(6)
BTL 1

Explain about the synchronous versus asynchronous executions in a

8. message-passing system with examples. (13)
BTL 2 Understand

i) Describe the capabilities and rules for implementation of logical

9. clocks. (7) BTL 1 Remember
ii) Define lamport scalar time (6)
BTL 3 Apply
10. Identify and explain the basic properties of scalar time.(13)
List and explain the basic properties of vector time.(13)
11. BTL 1
Remember
i) Point out in detail the recent trends in distributed Systems. (6)
BTL 4
12. ii) What are the design issues to be considered in designing Analyze
distributed system? Explain in detail about each of them. (7)
Discuss about load balancing.(7)
13. Describe Performance metrics in DS. (6) BTL 2 Understand

Summarize NTP for synchronizing system of physical clocks in

14. BTL 4 Analyze
distributed systems.(13)
PART – C (15 MARKS)
A user arrives at a railway station that she has never visited before,
carrying a PDA that is capable of wireless networking. Suggest how
1 the user could be provided with information about the local services BTL 4 Analyze
and amenities at that station, without entering the station’s name or
attributes. What technical challenges must be overcome? Discuss in
detail. (15)
Explain the practical applicability of the load –balancing approach as
a scheduling scheme for the following types of distributed systems:
a) A LAN-based distributed system
2 b) A WAN-based distributed system BTL 4 Analyze
c) A distributed system based on the processor-pool model.
d) A distributed system based on the workstation-server
model.(15)
3 Design the requirements and aspects needed for reliable and fault- BTL 6 Create
tolerant distributed systems.(15)
Show that all events on the surface of the past cone of an event are
4 message send events. Likewise, show that all events on the surface of BTL 5 Evaluate
the future cone of an event are message receive events.(15)
 UNIT II - MESSAGE ORDERING & SNAPSHOTS
SYLLABUS- Message ordering and group communication: Message ordering paradigms –Asynchronous
execution with synchronous communication –Synchronous program order on an asynchronous system –Group
communication – Causal order (CO) - Total order. Global state and snapshot recording algorithms:
Introduction –System model and definitions –Snapshot algorithms for FIFO channels.
PART –A
Q.No Questions BT Level Competence
1. What are the message ordering paradigms? BTL 1 Remember
2. Compare closed group Vs open group algorithm. BTL 4 Analyze
3. State crown criterion theorem. BTL 4 Analyze
4. Explain message broadcast. BTL 5 Evaluate
5. Define time stamp. BTL 1 Remember
6. Discuss multiway rendezvous and binary rendezvous. BTL 2 Understand
7. Design the roles and responsibilities of distributed systems. BTL 6 Create
8. What are the characteristics of multicast communication? BTL 1 Remember
9. Differentiate multicasting Vs unicasting. BTL 2 Understand
10. Identify the two popular orders for the delivery of messages in group
BTL 3 Apply
communication.
11. Identify consistent snapshot. BTL 3 Apply
12. Evaluate the criteria that must be met by a causal ordering protocol. BTL 5 Evaluate
13. What are the necessary conditions to satisfy the consistent global state? BTL 6 Create
14. State the property for causal delivery of messages. BTL 4 Analyze
15. Sketch an interpretation in terms of a cut. BTL 2 Understand
16. What is consistent cut? BTL 1 Remember
17. Outline marker sending rule. BTL 2 Understand
18. What is marker receiving rule? BTL 1 Remember
19. What is complexity? BTL 1 Remember
20. Show how to prove the correctness of the algorithm. BTL 3 Apply
PART - B
i)Design FIFO and non-FIFO executions.(7)
1. ii)Discuss on causally ordered executions (6) BTL 6 Create

Show with an equivalent timing diagram of a synchronous execution on an BTL 1

2. asynchronous system.(13)
Remember

Show with an equivalent timing diagram of a asynchronous execution on a BTL 2

3. synchronous system.(13) Understand
Illustrate realizable with synchronous communication (RSC) BTL 3
4. Apply
execution.(13)
i) Explain the hierarchy of execution classes. (7)
5. ii) Examine the crown test to determine the existence of cyclic BTL 1 Remember
dependencies among messages.(6)
Explain the channels to simulate an execution using asynchronous BTL 4
6. primitives on a synchronous system.(13)
Analyze
 Analyse the channels to simulate an execution using synchronous primitives
7. on an asynchronous system.(13) BTL 5 Evaluate
BTL 2
8. Explain a simple algorithm defined by Bagrodia.13) Understand
9. Explain chandy and lamport algorithm (13) BTL 1 Remember
Examine the two possible executions of the snapshot algorithm for money BTL 3
10. transfer.(13) Apply

11. Examine the necessary and sufficient conditions for causal ordering. (13) BTL 4 Analyze
Analyze in detail about the centralized algorithm to implement total order BTL 4
12. and causal order of messages. (13)
Analyze
Discuss in detail about the distributed algorithm to implement total order
13. and causal order of messages. (13) BTL 2
Understand
14. i) Describe any two issues need to be addressed in recording of a BTL 1
consistent global snapshot of a distributed system.(7)
Remember
ii) How to record a consistent global state of a distributed system with a
banking example.(6)
PART-C
Create a simplified implementation of synchronous order. Develop the for
1 BTL 6 Create
the process Pi ,1 ≤ i≤ n.(15)
Illustrate the asynchronous executions and of crowns.
(a) Crown of size 2.
2 BTL 4 Analyze
(b) Another crown of size 2.
(c) Crown of size 3. (15)
Consider a distributed system where every node has its physical clock and
3 all physical clocks are perfectly synchronized. Develop an algorithm to BTL 5 Evaluate
record global state assuming the communication network is reliable.(15)
What good is a distributed snapshot when the system was never in the state
4 represented by the distributed snapshot? Give an application of BTL 5 Evaluate
distributed snapshots.(15)

UNIT III DISTRIBUTED MUTEX & DEADLOCK

SYLLABUS- Distributed mutual exclusion algorithms: Introduction – Preliminaries – Lamport‘s
algorithm – Ricart-Agrawala algorithm – Maekawa‘s algorithm – Suzuki–Kasami‘s broadcast algorithm.
Deadlock detection in distributed systems: Introduction – System model – Preliminaries – Models of
deadlocks – Knapp‘s classification – Algorithms for the single resource model, the AND model and the OR
model.
PART - A
Q.No Questions BT Level Competence
What are the three basic approaches for implementing
1. BTL 1 Remember
distributed mutual exclusion?
2 Explain idle token. BTL 4 Analyze
3 Discuss the conditions for maekawa’s algorithm. BTL 2 Understand
4 List the three types of messages for Deadlock handling. BTL 4 Analyze
5 What is deadlock? BTL 3 Apply
6 Define the two design issues for suzuki–kasami’s. BTL 1 Remember
7 How ricart–agrawala algorithm achieves mutual exclusion. BTL 2 Understand
8 Explain maekawa’s algorithm achieves mutual exclusion. BTL 4 Analyze
9 Express in diagram the wait for graph (WFG). BTL 2 Understand
10 What are the states in a process.? BTL 1 Remember
11 Explain the three strategies for handling deadlocks. BTL 5 Evaluate
12 What is broadcast algorithm? BTL 1 Remember
13 Give the conditions to satisfy deadlock detection algorithm. BTL 2 Understand
14 What is deadlock resolution? BTL 1 Remember
Develop the facts of global state detection-based deadlock
15 BTL 6 Create
detection?
16 Define the features of Mitchell and Merritt’s algorithm. BTL 1 Remember
17 Apply how maekawa’s algorithm handles deadlocks? BTL 3 Apply
18 Formulate the advantage of edge-chasing algorithms? BTL 6 Create
List the four classes of knapp’s classification of distributed BTL 5
19 Evaluate
deadlock detection algorithms.
20 Demonstrate the basic idea for Chandy–Misra–Haas algorithm. BTL 3 Apply
PART – B
i) List and Explain the following properties to satisfy a mutual
exclusion algorithm. (7)
1. BTL 1 Remember
ii) What are the performance metrics of mutual exclusion
algorithms? (6)
Explain about the lamport distributed mutual exclusion
2 BTL 5 Evaluate
algorithm.(13)
Illustrate with a case study explain ricart–agrawala algorithm.
3 (13) BTL 3 Apply
Analyze in detail about maekawa’s quorum-based mutual
4 BTL 4 Analyze
exclusion algorithm. (13)
i) State the Example of a WFG. (7)
5 ii)Discuss the Issues in deadlock detection.(6) BTL 2 Understand

6 Examine suzuki–kasami’s broadcast algorithm.(13) BTL 1 Remember

7 What is deadlock? Explain the models of deadlocks.(13) BTL 4 Analyze

Formulate the mitchell and merritt’s algorithm for the single-

8 resource model. (13) BTL 6 Create

Describe the distributed deadlock detection algorithms in detail.

9 BTL 2 Apply
(13)
Conclude in brief about knapp’s classification of distributed
10 BTL 4 Analyze
deadlock detection algorithms.(13)
Briefly describe about the chandy–misra–haas algorithm for the
11 AND model (13) BTL 1 Remember

Define and explain the following:

i) AND Model(3)
12 ii) OR Model(3) BTL 1 Remember
iii) AND – OR Model(3)
iv) (p/q) Model(4)
Express with neat sketch and explain chandy–misra–haas
13 BTL 2 Understand
algorithm for the OR model.(13)
i) Discuss on unrestricted model with necessary examples.(10)
14 BTL 3 Understand
ii) Discuss the single resource model.(3)
PART-C
 Show that in the ricart–agrawala algorithm the critical section is
1 accessed in increasing order of timestamp. Does the same hold in BTL 4 Analyze
maekawa’s algorithm?(15)
What is the purpose of a REPLY message in lamport’s algorithm?
Note that it is not necessary that a site must always return a
REPLY message in response to a REQUEST message. State the
2 BTL 5 Evaluate
condition under which a site does not have to return REPLY
message. Also, give the new message complexity per critical
section execution in this case.(15)
Suppose all the processes in the system are assigned priorities
which can be used to totally order the processes. Modify chand
3 yet al.’s algorithm for the AND model so that when a process BTL 4 Analyze
detects a deadlock, it also knows the lowest priority deadlocked
process.(15)
Consider the following simple approach to handle deadlocks in
distributed systems by using “time-outs”: a process that has waited
4 for a specified period for a resource declares that it is deadlocked BTL 5 Evaluate
and aborts to resolve the deadlock. Explain what are the
shortcomings of using this method?(15)

UNIT IV RECOVERY & CONSENSUS

SYLLABUS- Check pointing and rollback recovery: Introduction – Background and definitions – Issues in
failure recovery – Checkpoint-based recovery – Log-based rollback recovery – Coordinated check pointing
algorithm – Algorithm for asynchronous check pointing and recovery. Consensus and agreement algorithms:
Problem definition – Overview of results – Agreement in a failure –free system – Agreement in synchronous
systems with failures.
PART – A
Q.No Questions BT Level Competence
1. Define the terms: rollback propagation. BTL 1 Remember
2 Describe local check pointing? BTL 2 Understand
3 What is meant by “outside world process (OWP).”? BTL 1 Remember
4 Point out the phases of min-process check pointing algorithms. BTL 4 Analyze
5 Define rollback recovery. BTL 1 Remember
Compare coordinated check pointing versus uncoordinated
6 BTL 2 Understand
check pointing.
List the categories of checkpoint-based rollback-recovery
7 BTL 5 Evaluate
techniques.
8 Give the use of piggybacking. BTL 2 Understand
9 Formulate the different types of messages. BTL 6 Create
10 Illustrate what is concurrency control? Give its use. BTL 3 Apply
11 Point out the phases of min-process check pointing algorithms BTL 4 Analyze
12 Define Z-dependency. BTL 1 Remember
13 Discuss the two types of log storage? BTL 2 Understand

14 What are the two kinds of checkpoints for checkpoint algorithm? BTL 1 Remember
Explain the two types of communication-induced check
15 BTL 4 Analyze
pointing?
16 State the notation and data structure for recovery algorithm. BTL 1 Remember
Relate between the agreement problem and the consensus
17 BTL 3 Apply
problem.
18 State the conditions for byzantine agreement problem. BTL 6 Create
19 Explain agreement. BTL 5 Evaluate
20 Illustrate authenticated vs. non-authenticated messages. BTL 3 Apply
PART - B
What is rollback? and explain the several types of messages for
1. BTL 1 Remember
rollback. (13)

2 Examine briefly about global states with examples. (13) BTL 4 Analyze

Describe the issues involved in a failure recovery with the help

3 BTL 2 Understand
of a distributed computation. (13)
Elaborate the various checkpoint-based rollback-recovery
4 BTL 6 Create
techniques.(13)
Describe the pessimistic logging , optimistic logging and casual BTL 4
5 Analyze
logging.(13)
i) What are min-process check pointing algorithms? Explain it
6 detail.(7) BTL 1 Remember
ii) Examine Deterministic and non-deterministic events. (6)
i) Summarize the koo–toueg coordinated check pointing
7 algorithm.(7) BTL 2 Understand
ii) Explain the rollback recovery algorithm. (6)

Demonstrate in detail about the juang–venkatesan algorithm for

8 BTL 3 Apply
asynchronous check pointing and recovery.(13)

Discuss in detail about some assumptions underlying the study of

9 BTL 1 Remember
agreement algorithms. (13)

What is byzantine agreement problem? Explain the two popular

10 BTL 2 Understand
flavours of the byzantine agreement problem.

Develop an overview of the results and lower bounds on solving

11 BTL 3 Apply
the consensus problem under different assumptions.
Explain agreement in (message-passing) synchronous systems
12 with failures.(13) BTL 5 Evaluate

Give byzantine agreement tree algorithm and illustrate with an

13 BTL 1 Remember
example. (13)

14 Analyze on phase-king algorithm for consensus.(13) BTL 4 Analyze

PART-C
Design a system model of distributed system consisting of four
1 BTL 6 Create
processes and explain the interactions with the outside world.(15)
Explain with examples of consistent and inconsistent states of a
2 BTL 5 Evaluate
distributed system.(15)
 Consider the following simple check pointing algorithm. A
process takes a local checkpoint right after sending a message.
3 BTL 6 Create
Create that the last checkpoint at all processes will always be
consistent. What are the trade-offs with this method?(15)
Give and analyse a rigorous proof of the impossibility of a min-
4 BTL 4 Analyze
process, non blocking check pointing algorithm.(15)

UNIT V - P2P & DISTRIBUTED SHARED MEMORY

SYLLABUS- Peer-to-peer computing and overlay graphs: Introduction – Data indexing and overlays – Chord
– Content addressable networks – Tapestry. Distributed shared memory: Abstraction and advantages – Memory
consistency models –Shared memory Mutual Exclusion.
PART – A
Q.No Questions BT Level Competence
1. Define churn. BTL 1 Remember
2 Classify the characteristics of peer to peer system. BTL 3 Apply
3 What are the performance features of P2P systems? BTL 1 Remember
4 Draw the pictorial representation of distributed hash table scheme. BTL 1 Remember
5 List the P2P overlay and its types.. BTL 1 Remember
6 What are the two steps involved in chord protocol? BTL 1 Remember
7 Discuss content addressable networks (CAN)? BTL 6 Create
8 List the three core components of a CAN design. BTL 1 Remember
9 Analyze the three basic operations which supports CAN. BTL 4 Analyze
10 Examine the performance factors for CAN Optimizations? BTL 4 Analyze

11 Explain distributed shared memory. BTL 2 Understand

12 Measure the properties of weak consistency. BTL 5 Evaluate
13 Assess memory consistency model. BTL 5 Evaluate
14 Give memory coherence. BTL 2 Understand
15 Show the detailed abstract view of DSM BTL 3 Apply
Discuss the two instructions to perform hardware support for
16 BTL 2 Understand
mutual exclusion.
17 Point out the three requirements of the critical section problem. BTL 4 Analyze
Show how to provide barrier synchronization in release
18 BTL 3 Apply
consistency?
19 Discuss the three properties of weak consistency. BTL 2 Understand
20 What is entry consistency? BTL 6 Create
PART - B
1. i) What is meant by napster legacy? Explain.(7)
BTL 1 Remember
ii) Give a brief account on Indexing mechanisms. (6)
2 Explain the structured overlays and unstructured overlays in
BTL 5 Evaluate
distributed indexing. (13)
3 Examine the chord protocol with simple key lookup algorithm.(13) BTL 4 Analyze
4 Illustrate in detail about A scalable object location algorithm in
BTL 3 Apply
chord.(13)
5 Discuss on managing churn in chord.(13) Create
BTL 6
Describe briefly about the following:
6 i) Content-Addressable Network (CAN) initialization (6) BTL 2 Understand
ii) CAN routing (7).
7 Point out tapestry P2P overlay network and its routing with an BTL 4
Analyze
example. (13)
8 Discuss the CAN maintenance and CAN optimizations. (13) BTL 2 Understand

9 State about the consistency models: entry consistency, weak

BTL 1 Remember
consistency, and release consistency.(13)
10 Summarize in detail how node insertion and node deletion are
BTL 2 Understand
applied in tapestry. (13)

11 i)Illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of DSM.(6)

BTL 3 Apply
ii) Point out the main issues in designing a DSM system (7)

12 Examine how to implement linearizability (LIN) using total order

broadcasts.(13) BTL 1 Remember

13 Analyse how to implement Sequential consistency in a distributed

BTL 4 Analyze
system.(13)
14 Describe lamport’s bakery algorithm lamport’s WRWR mechanism
BTL 1 Remember
and fast mutual exclusion. (13)
PART C
User ‘A’ in delhi wishes to send a file for printing to user ‘B’ in
florida, whose system is connected to a printer; while user ‘C’ from
1 tokyo wants to save a video file in the hard disk of user ‘D’ in BTL 4 Analyze
london. Analyze and discuss the required peer-to-peer network
architecture.(15)
2 Evaluate a formal proof to justify the correctness of algorithm that BTL 5 Evaluate
implements sequential consistency using local read operations.(15)

3 Develop a detailed implementation of causal consistency, and BTL 6 Create

provide a correctness argument for your implementation.(15)
 Examine the steps for the query: lookup (K8) initiated at node 28,
are shown in Figure for simple key lookup algorithm.(15)

4 BTL 5 Evaluate