CAREER: Development and Control of Distributed Computations in a Global Time Frame

Michigan Technological University, Houghton MI

Investigators

Abstract

The proposed research focuses on the application of a global time base toward development and control of widely geographically dispersed applications. Recently available hardware, base on the Global Positioning System, is able to track the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) scale within a few microseconds. The clocks of processors worldwide can then be kept within tens of microseconds of each other via their mutual synchronization to UTC. Time-based protocols for the monitoring and control of distributed computations will be developed, including protocols for the detection and resolution of distributed deadlock, detection of the occurrence of certain unstable predicates at a point in time during a computation, and techniques for the monitoring and control of dynamic systems. Additionally, the project will seek out new applications facilitated by this technology, as tight synchronization of widely dispersed processor clocks was not feasible prior to the appearance of this hardware. Development protocols will be experimentally evaluated within a GPS-synchronized wide area network. The project will result in techniques that enhance the development and control of widely dispersed computations, including distributed databases and multimedia applications. These time-based techniques will be incorporated as part of an undergraduate course in the design of secure and reliable networked applications.