Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Distributed Termination Detection

  • Chapter
Distributed Algorithms for Message-Passing Systems

Abstract

This chapter is on the detection of the termination of a distributed computation. This problem was posed and solved for the first time in the early 1980s independently by E.W. Dijkstra and C.S. Scholten (1980) and N. Francez (1980). This is a non-trivial problem. While, in sequential computing, the termination of the only process indicates that the computation has terminated, this is no longer true in distributed computing. Even if we were able to observe simultaneously all the processes, observing all of them passive could not allow us to conclude that the distributed execution has terminated. This is because some messages can still be in transit, which will reactivate their destination processes when they arrive, and these re-activations will, in turn, entail the sending of new messages, etc.

This chapter presents several models of asynchronous computations and observation/detection algorithms suited to termination detection in each of them. As in other chapters, the underlying channels are not required to be FIFO. Moreover, while channels are bidirectional, the term “output” channels (resp., “input” channels) is used when considering message send (resp., message reception).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. J. Brzezinski, J.-M. Hélary, M. Raynal, Termination detection in a very general distributed computing model, in Proc. 13th IEEE Int’l Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS’93) (IEEE Press, New York, 1993), pp. 374–381

    Google Scholar 

  2. S. Chandrasekaran, S. Venkatesan, A message-optimal algorithm for distributed termination detection. J. Parallel Distrib. Comput. 8(3), 245–252 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. K.M. Chandy, J. Misra, An example of stepwise refinement of distributed programs: quiescence detection. ACM Trans. Program. Lang. Syst. 8(3), 326–343 (1986)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. E.J.H. Chang, Echo algorithms: depth-first algorithms on graphs. IEEE Trans. Softw. Eng. SE-8(4), 391–402 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. B. Charron-Bost, G. Tel, Calcul approché de la borne inférieure de valeurs réparties. Inform. Théor. Appl. 31(4), 305–330 (1997)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. E.W. Dijkstra, W.H.J. Feijen, A.J.M. van Gasteren, Derivation of a termination detection algorithm for distributed computations. Inf. Process. Lett. 16(5), 217–219 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. E.W.D. Dijkstra, C.S. Scholten, Termination detection for diffusing computations. Inf. Process. Lett. 11(1), 1–4 (1980)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. N. Francez, Distributed termination. ACM Trans. Program. Lang. Syst. 2(1), 42–55 (1980)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. N. Francez, M. Rodeh, Achieving distributed termination without freezing. IEEE Trans. Softw. Eng. 8(3), 287–292 (1982)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. R. Fujimoto, Parallel discrete event simulation. Commun. ACM 33(10), 31–53 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. J.-M. Hélary, M. Hurfin, A. Mostéfaoui, M. Raynal, F. Tronel, Computing global functions in asynchronous distributed systems with perfect failure detectors. IEEE Trans. Parallel Distrib. Syst. 11(9), 897–909 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. J.-M. Hélary, C. Jard, N. Plouzeau, M. Raynal, Detection of stable properties in distributed systems, in Proc. 6th ACM Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing (PODC’87) (ACM Press, New York, 1987), pp. 125–136

    Google Scholar 

  13. J.-M. Hélary, M. Raynal, Vers la construction raisonnée d’algorithmes répartis: le cas de la terminaison. TSI. Tech. Sci. Inform. 10(3), 203–209 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  14. J.-M. Hélary, M. Raynal, Synchronization and Control of Distributed Systems and Programs (Wiley, New York, 1991), 160 pages

    Google Scholar 

  15. J.-M. Hélary, M. Raynal, Towards the construction of distributed detection programs with an application to distributed termination. Distrib. Comput. 7(3), 137–147 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. S.-T. Huang, Termination detection by using distributed snapshots. Inf. Process. Lett. 32(3), 113–119 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. S.-T. Huang, Detecting termination of distributed computations by external agents, in Proc. 9th IEEE Int’l Conference on Distributed Computing Systems (ICDCS’89) (IEEE Press, New York, 1989), pp. 79–84

    Google Scholar 

  18. T.-H. Lai, Termination detection for dynamically distributed systems with non-first-in-first-out communication. J. Parallel Distrib. Comput. 3(4), 577–599 (1986)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. F. Mattern, Algorithms for distributed termination detection. Distrib. Comput. 2(3), 161–175 (1987)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. F. Mattern, Global quiescence detection based on credit distribution and recovery. Inf. Process. Lett. 30(4), 195–200 (1989)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  21. F. Mattern, An efficient distributed termination test. Inf. Process. Lett. 31(4), 203–208 (1989)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. J. Mayo, Ph. Kearns, Efficient distributed termination detection with roughly synchronized clocks. Inf. Process. Lett. 52(2), 105–108 (1994)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. J. Misra, Detecting termination of distributed computations using markers, in Proc. 2nd ACM Symposium on Principles of Distributed Computing (PODC’83) (ACM Press, New York, 1983), pp. 290–294

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  24. J. Misra, Distributed discrete event simulation. ACM Comput. Surv. 18(1), 39–65 (1986)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. J. Misra, K.M. Chandy, Termination detection of diffusing computations in communicating sequential processes. ACM Trans. Program. Lang. Syst. 4(1), 37–43 (1982)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  26. S.P. Rana, A distributed solution of the distributed termination problem. Inf. Process. Lett. 17(1), 43–46 (1983)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  27. M. Raynal, Networks and Distributed Computation: Concepts, Tools and Algorithms (The MIT Press, Cambridge, 1987), 168 pages. ISBN 0-262-18130-4

    Google Scholar 

  28. M. Raynal, Prime numbers as a tool to design distributed algorithms. Inf. Process. Lett. 33, 53–58 (1989)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  29. M. Raynal, J.-M. Hélary, Synchronization and Control of Distributed Systems and Programs. Wiley Series in Parallel Computing (1991), 126 pages. ISBN 0-471-92453-9

    Google Scholar 

  30. S. Ronn, H. Saikkonen, Distributed termination detection with counters. Inf. Process. Lett. 34(5), 223–227 (1990)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  31. N. Shavit, N. Francez, A new approach to detection of locally indicative stability, in 13th Int’l Colloquium on Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP’86). LNCS, vol. 226 (Springer, Berlin, 1986), pp. 344–358

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  32. G. Tel, Introduction to Distributed Algorithms, 2nd edn. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000), 596 pages. ISBN 0-521-79483-8

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  33. G. Tel, F. Mattern, The derivation of distributed termination detection algorithms from garbage collection schemes. ACM Trans. Program. Lang. Syst. 15(1), 1–35 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. G. Tel, R.B. Tan, J. van Leeuwen, The derivation of graph-marking algorithms from distributed termination detection protocols. Sci. Comput. Program. 10(1), 107–137 (1988)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Universitaire de France IRISA-ISTIC, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes Cedex, France

    Michel Raynal

Authors
  1. Michel Raynal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Raynal, M. (2013). Distributed Termination Detection. In: Distributed Algorithms for Message-Passing Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38123-2_14

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38123-2_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-38122-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-38123-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation