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Brief Announcement: Synchronization in Anonymous Networks Under Arbitrary Dynamics

Authors Rida Bazzi , Anya Chaturvedi , Andréa W. Richa , Peter Vargas

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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Theory of computation → Distributed algorithms
Keywords
  • Synchronization
  • Anonymous Dynamic Networks
  • Arbitrary Dynamics

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Abstract

We present the δ-Synchronizer, which works in non-synchronous dynamic networks under minimal assumptions. Our model allows for arbitrary topological changes without any guarantee of eventual global or partial stabilization and assumes that nodes are anonymous. This deterministic synchronizer is the first that enables nodes to simulate a dynamic network synchronous algorithm for executions in a semi-synchronous dynamic environment under a weakly-fair node activation scheduler, despite the absence of a global clock, node ids, persistent connectivity or any assumptions about the edge dynamics (in both the synchronous and semi-synchronous environments). We make the following contributions: (1) we extend the definition of synchronizers to networks with arbitrary edge dynamics; (2) we present the first synchronizer from the semi-synchronous to the synchronous model in such networks; and (3) we present non-trivial applications of the proposed synchronizer to existing algorithms. We assume an extension of the Pull communication model by adding a single 1-bit multi-writer atomic register at each edge-port of a node. We show that this extension is needed and that synchronization in our setting is not possible without it. The δ-Synchronizer operates with memory overhead at the nodes that is asymptotically logarithmic on the runtime of the underlying synchronous algorithm being simulated - in particular, it is logarithmic for polynomial-time synchronous algorithms.

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Rida Bazzi, Anya Chaturvedi, Andréa W. Richa, and Peter Vargas. Brief Announcement: Synchronization in Anonymous Networks Under Arbitrary Dynamics. In 39th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 356, pp. 49:1-49:8, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2025.49

Author Details

Rida Bazzi
  • School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
Anya Chaturvedi
  • School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
Andréa W. Richa
  • School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
Peter Vargas
  • School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

Funding

  • Chaturvedi, Anya: NSF-CCF-2312537 and 2106917; U.S. ARO (MURI W911NF-19-1-0233).
  • Richa, Andréa W.: NSF-CCF-2312537 and 2106917; and U.S. ARO (MURI W911NF-19-1-0233).
  • Vargas, Peter: NSF-CCF-2312537 and 2106917; and U.S. ARO (MURI W911NF-19-1-0233).

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