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Documents authored by Gilbert, Seth

Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2024.14
Efficient Signature-Free Validated Agreement

Authors: Pierre Civit, Muhammad Ayaz Dzulfikar, Seth Gilbert, Rachid Guerraoui, Jovan Komatovic, Manuel Vidigueira, and Igor Zablotchi

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 319, 38th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2024)

Abstract
Byzantine agreement enables n processes to agree on a common L-bit value, despite up to t > 0 arbitrary failures. A long line of work has been dedicated to improving the bit complexity of Byzantine agreement in synchrony. This has culminated in COOL, an error-free (deterministically secure against a computationally unbounded adversary) solution that achieves O(nL + n² log n) worst-case bit complexity (which is optimal for L ≥ n log n according to the Dolev-Reischuk lower bound). COOL satisfies strong unanimity: if all correct processes propose the same value, only that value can be decided. Whenever correct processes do not agree a priori (there is no unanimity), they may decide a default value ⊥ from COOL. Strong unanimity is, however, not sufficient for today’s state machine replication (SMR) and blockchain protocols. These systems value progress and require a decided value to always be valid (according to a predetermined predicate), excluding default decisions (such as ⊥) even in cases where there is no unanimity a priori. Validated Byzantine agreement satisfies this property (called external validity). Yet, the best error-free (or even signature-free) validated agreement solutions achieve only O(n²L) bit complexity, a far cry from the Ω(nL+n²) Dolev-Reischuk lower bound. Is it possible to bridge this complexity gap? We answer the question affirmatively. Namely, we present two new synchronous algorithms for validated Byzantine agreement, HashExt and ErrorFreeExt, with different trade-offs. Both algorithms are (1) signature-free, (2) optimally resilient (tolerate up to t < n / 3 failures), and (3) early-stopping (terminate in O(f+1) rounds, where f ≤ t denotes the actual number of failures). On the one hand, HashExt uses only hashes and achieves O(nL + n³κ) bit complexity, which is optimal for L ≥ n²κ (where κ is the size of a hash). On the other hand, ErrorFreeExt is error-free, using no cryptography whatsoever, and achieves O((nL + n²)log n) bit complexity, which is near-optimal for any L.
Cite as

Pierre Civit, Muhammad Ayaz Dzulfikar, Seth Gilbert, Rachid Guerraoui, Jovan Komatovic, Manuel Vidigueira, and Igor Zablotchi. Efficient Signature-Free Validated Agreement. In 38th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 319, pp. 14:1-14:23, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

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@InProceedings{civit_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2024.14,
  author =	{Civit, Pierre and Dzulfikar, Muhammad Ayaz and Gilbert, Seth and Guerraoui, Rachid and Komatovic, Jovan and Vidigueira, Manuel and Zablotchi, Igor},
  title =	{{Efficient Signature-Free Validated Agreement}},
  booktitle =	{38th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2024)},
  pages =	{14:1--14:23},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-352-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{319},
  editor =	{Alistarh, Dan},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2024.14},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-212408},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2024.14},
  annote =	{Keywords: Validated Byzantine agreement, Bit complexity, Round complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2023.13
Every Bit Counts in Consensus

Authors: Pierre Civit, Seth Gilbert, Rachid Guerraoui, Jovan Komatovic, Matteo Monti, and Manuel Vidigueira

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 281, 37th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2023)

Abstract
Consensus enables n processes to agree on a common valid L-bit value, despite t < n/3 processes being faulty and acting arbitrarily. A long line of work has been dedicated to improving the worst-case communication complexity of consensus in partial synchrony. This has recently culminated in the worst-case word complexity of O(n²). However, the worst-case bit complexity of the best solution is still O(n²L + n²κ) (where κ is the security parameter), far from the Ω(nL + n²) lower bound. The gap is significant given the practical use of consensus primitives, where values typically consist of batches of large size (L > n). This paper shows how to narrow the aforementioned gap. Namely, we present a new algorithm, DARE (Disperse, Agree, REtrieve), that improves upon the O(n²L) term via a novel dispersal primitive. DARE achieves O(n^{1.5}L + n^{2.5}κ) bit complexity, an effective √n-factor improvement over the state-of-the-art (when L > nκ). Moreover, we show that employing heavier cryptographic primitives, namely STARK proofs, allows us to devise DARE-Stark, a version of DARE which achieves the near-optimal bit complexity of O(nL + n²poly(κ)). Both DARE and DARE-Stark achieve optimal O(n) worst-case latency.
Cite as

Pierre Civit, Seth Gilbert, Rachid Guerraoui, Jovan Komatovic, Matteo Monti, and Manuel Vidigueira. Every Bit Counts in Consensus. In 37th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2023). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 281, pp. 13:1-13:26, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2023)

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@InProceedings{civit_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2023.13,
  author =	{Civit, Pierre and Gilbert, Seth and Guerraoui, Rachid and Komatovic, Jovan and Monti, Matteo and Vidigueira, Manuel},
  title =	{{Every Bit Counts in Consensus}},
  booktitle =	{37th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2023)},
  pages =	{13:1--13:26},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-301-0},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2023},
  volume =	{281},
  editor =	{Oshman, Rotem},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2023.13},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-191399},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2023.13},
  annote =	{Keywords: Byzantine consensus, Bit complexity, Latency}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2022.14
Byzantine Consensus Is Θ(n²): The Dolev-Reischuk Bound Is Tight Even in Partial Synchrony!

Authors: Pierre Civit, Muhammad Ayaz Dzulfikar, Seth Gilbert, Vincent Gramoli, Rachid Guerraoui, Jovan Komatovic, and Manuel Vidigueira

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 246, 36th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2022)

Abstract
The Dolev-Reischuk bound says that any deterministic Byzantine consensus protocol has (at least) quadratic communication complexity in the worst case. While it has been shown that the bound is tight in synchronous environments, it is still unknown whether a consensus protocol with quadratic communication complexity can be obtained in partial synchrony. Until now, the most efficient known solutions for Byzantine consensus in partially synchronous settings had cubic communication complexity (e.g., HotStuff, binary DBFT). This paper closes the existing gap by introducing SQuad, a partially synchronous Byzantine consensus protocol with quadratic worst-case communication complexity. In addition, SQuad is optimally-resilient and achieves linear worst-case latency complexity. The key technical contribution underlying SQuad lies in the way we solve view synchronization, the problem of bringing all correct processes to the same view with a correct leader for sufficiently long. Concretely, we present RareSync, a view synchronization protocol with quadratic communication complexity and linear latency complexity, which we utilize in order to obtain SQuad.
Cite as

Pierre Civit, Muhammad Ayaz Dzulfikar, Seth Gilbert, Vincent Gramoli, Rachid Guerraoui, Jovan Komatovic, and Manuel Vidigueira. Byzantine Consensus Is Θ(n²): The Dolev-Reischuk Bound Is Tight Even in Partial Synchrony!. In 36th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 246, pp. 14:1-14:21, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{civit_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2022.14,
  author =	{Civit, Pierre and Dzulfikar, Muhammad Ayaz and Gilbert, Seth and Gramoli, Vincent and Guerraoui, Rachid and Komatovic, Jovan and Vidigueira, Manuel},
  title =	{{Byzantine Consensus Is \Theta(n²): The Dolev-Reischuk Bound Is Tight Even in Partial Synchrony!}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2022)},
  pages =	{14:1--14:21},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-255-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{246},
  editor =	{Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2022.14},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-172059},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2022.14},
  annote =	{Keywords: Optimal Byzantine consensus, Communication complexity, Latency complexity}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2022.18
Smoothed Analysis of Information Spreading in Dynamic Networks

Authors: Michael Dinitz, Jeremy Fineman, Seth Gilbert, and Calvin Newport

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 246, 36th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2022)

Abstract
The best known solutions for k-message broadcast in dynamic networks of size n require Ω(nk) rounds. In this paper, we see if these bounds can be improved by smoothed analysis. To do so, we study perhaps the most natural randomized algorithm for disseminating tokens in this setting: at every time step, choose a token to broadcast randomly from the set of tokens you know. We show that with even a small amount of smoothing (i.e., one random edge added per round), this natural strategy solves k-message broadcast in Õ(n+k³) rounds, with high probability, beating the best known bounds for k = o(√n) and matching the Ω(n+k) lower bound for static networks for k = O(n^{1/3}) (ignoring logarithmic factors). In fact, the main result we show is even stronger and more general: given 𝓁-smoothing (i.e., 𝓁 random edges added per round), this simple strategy terminates in O(kn^{2/3}log^{1/3}(n)𝓁^{-1/3}) rounds. We then prove this analysis close to tight with an almost-matching lower bound. To better understand the impact of smoothing on information spreading, we next turn our attention to static networks, proving a tight bound of Õ(k√n) rounds to solve k-message broadcast, which is better than what our strategy can achieve in the dynamic setting. This confirms the intuition that although smoothed analysis reduces the difficulties induced by changing graph structures, it does not eliminate them altogether. Finally, we apply tools developed to support our smoothed analysis to prove an optimal result for k-message broadcast in so-called well-mixed networks in the absence of smoothing. By comparing this result to an existing lower bound for well-mixed networks, we establish a formal separation between oblivious and strongly adaptive adversaries with respect to well-mixed token spreading, partially resolving an open question on the impact of adversary strength on the k-message broadcast problem.
Cite as

Michael Dinitz, Jeremy Fineman, Seth Gilbert, and Calvin Newport. Smoothed Analysis of Information Spreading in Dynamic Networks. In 36th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2022). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 246, pp. 18:1-18:22, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2022)

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@InProceedings{dinitz_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2022.18,
  author =	{Dinitz, Michael and Fineman, Jeremy and Gilbert, Seth and Newport, Calvin},
  title =	{{Smoothed Analysis of Information Spreading in Dynamic Networks}},
  booktitle =	{36th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2022)},
  pages =	{18:1--18:22},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-255-6},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2022},
  volume =	{246},
  editor =	{Scheideler, Christian},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2022.18},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-172094},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2022.18},
  annote =	{Keywords: Smoothed Analysis, Dynamic networks, Gossip}
}
Document
Complete Volume
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2021
LIPIcs, Volume 209, DISC 2021, Complete Volume

Authors: Seth Gilbert

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 209, 35th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2021)

Abstract
LIPIcs, Volume 209, DISC 2021, Complete Volume
Cite as

35th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 209, pp. 1-860, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@Proceedings{gilbert:LIPIcs.DISC.2021,
  title =	{{LIPIcs, Volume 209, DISC 2021, Complete Volume}},
  booktitle =	{35th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2021)},
  pages =	{1--860},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-210-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{209},
  editor =	{Gilbert, Seth},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2021},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-148015},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2021},
  annote =	{Keywords: LIPIcs, Volume 209, DISC 2021, Complete Volume}
}
Document
Front Matter
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2021.0
Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization

Authors: Seth Gilbert

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 209, 35th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2021)

Abstract
Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization
Cite as

35th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2021). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 209, pp. 0:i-0:xxii, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2021)

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@InProceedings{gilbert:LIPIcs.DISC.2021.0,
  author =	{Gilbert, Seth},
  title =	{{Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}},
  booktitle =	{35th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2021)},
  pages =	{0:i--0:xxii},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-210-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2021},
  volume =	{209},
  editor =	{Gilbert, Seth},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2021.0},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-148028},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2021.0},
  annote =	{Keywords: Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}
}
Document
Brief Announcement
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2020.45
Brief Announcement: Polygraph: Accountable Byzantine Agreement

Authors: Pierre Civit, Seth Gilbert, and Vincent Gramoli

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 179, 34th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2020)

Abstract
In this paper, we introduce Polygraph, the first accountable Byzantine consensus algorithm. If among n users f < n/3 are malicious then it ensures consensus, otherwise it eventually detects malicious users that cause disagreement. Polygraph is appealing for blockchains as it allows to totally order blocks in a chain whenever possible, hence avoiding double spending and, otherwise, to punish at least n/3 malicious users when a fork occurs. This problem is more difficult than it first appears. Blockchains typically run in open networks whose delays are hard to predict, hence one cannot build upon synchronous techniques [Andreas Haeberlen et al., 2007; Vitalik Buterin and Virgil Griffith, 2019]. One may exploit cryptographic evidence of PBFT-like consensus [Miguel Castro and Barbara Liskov, 2002], however detecting equivocation would be insufficient. We show that it is impossible without extra logs of at least Ω(n) rounds [Pierre Civit et al., 2019]. Each round of Polygraph exchanges O(n²) messages.
Cite as

Pierre Civit, Seth Gilbert, and Vincent Gramoli. Brief Announcement: Polygraph: Accountable Byzantine Agreement. In 34th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2020). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 179, pp. 45:1-45:3, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@InProceedings{civit_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2020.45,
  author =	{Civit, Pierre and Gilbert, Seth and Gramoli, Vincent},
  title =	{{Brief Announcement: Polygraph: Accountable Byzantine Agreement}},
  booktitle =	{34th International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2020)},
  pages =	{45:1--45:3},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-168-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{179},
  editor =	{Attiya, Hagit},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2020.45},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-131236},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2020.45},
  annote =	{Keywords: Fault detection, cryptography, equivocation, consensus}
}
Document
Complete Volume
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019
LIPIcs, Vol. 153, OPODIS 2019, Complete Volume

Authors: Pascal Felber, Roy Friedman, Seth Gilbert, and Avery Miller

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 153, 23rd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2019)

Abstract
LIPIcs, Vol. 153, OPODIS 2019, Complete Volume
Cite as

23rd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 153, pp. 1-564, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@Proceedings{felber_et_al:LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019,
  title =	{{LIPIcs, Vol. 153, OPODIS 2019, Complete Volume}},
  booktitle =	{23rd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2019)},
  pages =	{1--564},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-133-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{153},
  editor =	{Felber, Pascal and Friedman, Roy and Gilbert, Seth and Miller, Avery},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-119510},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019},
  annote =	{Keywords: LIPIcs, Vol. 153, OPODIS 2019, Complete Volume}
}
Document
Front Matter
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019.0
Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization

Authors: Pascal Felber, Roy Friedman, Seth Gilbert, and Avery Miller

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 153, 23rd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2019)

Abstract
Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization
Cite as

23rd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 153, pp. 0:i-0:xxii, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2020)

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@InProceedings{felber_et_al:LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019.0,
  author =	{Felber, Pascal and Friedman, Roy and Gilbert, Seth and Miller, Avery},
  title =	{{Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}},
  booktitle =	{23rd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2019)},
  pages =	{0:i--0:xxii},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-133-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2020},
  volume =	{153},
  editor =	{Felber, Pascal and Friedman, Roy and Gilbert, Seth and Miller, Avery},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019.0},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-117869},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2019.0},
  annote =	{Keywords: Front Matter, Table of Contents, Preface, Conference Organization}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2019.19
On Bioelectric Algorithms

Authors: Seth Gilbert, James Maguire, and Calvin Newport

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 146, 33rd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2019)

Abstract
Cellular bioelectricity describes the biological phenomenon in which cells in living tissue generate and maintain patterns of voltage gradients across their membranes induced by differing concentrations of charged ions. A growing body of research suggests that bioelectric patterns represent an ancient system that plays a key role in guiding many important developmental processes including tissue regeneration, tumor suppression, and embryogenesis. This paper applies techniques from distributed algorithm theory to help better understand how cells work together to form these patterns. To do so, we present the cellular bioelectric model (CBM), a new computational model that captures the primary capabilities and constraints of bioelectric interactions between cells and their environment. We use this model to investigate several important topics from the relevant biology research literature. We begin with symmetry breaking, analyzing a simple cell definition that when combined in single hop or multihop topologies, efficiently solves leader election and the maximal independent set problem, respectively - indicating that these classical symmetry breaking tasks are well-matched to bioelectric mechanisms. We then turn our attention to the information processing ability of bioelectric cells, exploring upper and lower bounds for approximate solutions to threshold and majority detection, and then proving that these systems are in fact Turing complete - resolving an open question about the computational power of bioelectric interactions.
Cite as

Seth Gilbert, James Maguire, and Calvin Newport. On Bioelectric Algorithms. In 33rd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 146, pp. 19:1-19:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{gilbert_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2019.19,
  author =	{Gilbert, Seth and Maguire, James and Newport, Calvin},
  title =	{{On Bioelectric Algorithms}},
  booktitle =	{33rd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2019)},
  pages =	{19:1--19:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-126-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{146},
  editor =	{Suomela, Jukka},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2019.19},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-113267},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2019.19},
  annote =	{Keywords: biological distributed algorithms, bioelectric networks, natural algorithms}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2019.20
Parallel Finger Search Structures

Authors: Seth Gilbert and Wei Quan Lim

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 146, 33rd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2019)

Abstract
In this paper we present two versions of a parallel finger structure FS on p processors that supports searches, insertions and deletions, and has a finger at each end. This is to our knowledge the first implementation of a parallel search structure that is work-optimal with respect to the finger bound and yet has very good parallelism (within a factor of O(log p)^2) of optimal). We utilize an extended implicit batching framework that transparently facilitates the use of FS by any parallel program P that is modelled by a dynamically generated DAG D where each node is either a unit-time instruction or a call to FS. The work done by FS is bounded by the finger bound F_L (for some linearization L of D), i.e. each operation on an item with distance r from a finger takes O(log r+1) amortized work. Running P using the simpler version takes O((T_1+F_L)/p + T_infty + d * ((log p)^2 + log n)) time on a greedy scheduler, where T_1, T_infty are the size and span of D respectively, and n is the maximum number of items in FS, and d is the maximum number of calls to FS along any path in D. Using the faster version, this is reduced to O((T_1+F_L)/p + T_infty + d *(log p)^2 + s_L) time, where s_L is the weighted span of D where each call to FS is weighted by its cost according to F_L. FS can be extended to a fixed number of movable fingers. The data structures in our paper fit into the dynamic multithreading paradigm, and their performance bounds are directly composable with other data structures given in the same paradigm. Also, the results can be translated to practical implementations using work-stealing schedulers.
Cite as

Seth Gilbert and Wei Quan Lim. Parallel Finger Search Structures. In 33rd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 146, pp. 20:1-20:18, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{gilbert_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2019.20,
  author =	{Gilbert, Seth and Lim, Wei Quan},
  title =	{{Parallel Finger Search Structures}},
  booktitle =	{33rd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2019)},
  pages =	{20:1--20:18},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-126-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{146},
  editor =	{Suomela, Jukka},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2019.20},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-113275},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2019.20},
  annote =	{Keywords: Parallel data structures, Multithreading, Dictionaries, Comparison-based Search, Distribution-sensitive algorithms}
}
Document
Track C: Foundations of Networks and Multi-Agent Systems: Models, Algorithms and Information Management
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.149
Periodic Bandits and Wireless Network Selection

Authors: Shunhao Oh, Anuja Meetoo Appavoo, and Seth Gilbert

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 132, 46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019)

Abstract
Bandit-style algorithms have been studied extensively in stochastic and adversarial settings. Such algorithms have been shown to be useful in multiplayer settings, e.g. to solve the wireless network selection problem, which can be formulated as an adversarial bandit problem. A leading bandit algorithm for the adversarial setting is EXP3. However, network behavior is often repetitive, where user density and network behavior follow regular patterns. Bandit algorithms, like EXP3, fail to provide good guarantees for periodic behaviors. A major reason is that these algorithms compete against fixed-action policies, which is ineffective in a periodic setting. In this paper, we define a periodic bandit setting, and periodic regret as a better performance measure for this type of setting. Instead of comparing an algorithm’s performance to fixed-action policies, we aim to be competitive with policies that play arms under some set of possible periodic patterns F (for example, all possible periodic functions with periods 1,2,*s,P). We propose Periodic EXP4, a computationally efficient variant of the EXP4 algorithm for periodic settings. With K arms, T time steps, and where each periodic pattern in F is of length at most P, we show that the periodic regret obtained by Periodic EXP4 is at most O(sqrt{PKT log K + KT log |F|}). We also prove a lower bound of Omega (sqrt{PKT + KT {log |F|}/{log K}}) for the periodic setting, showing that this is optimal within log-factors. As an example, we focus on the wireless network selection problem. Through simulation, we show that Periodic EXP4 learns the periodic pattern over time, adapts to changes in a dynamic environment, and far outperforms EXP3.
Cite as

Shunhao Oh, Anuja Meetoo Appavoo, and Seth Gilbert. Periodic Bandits and Wireless Network Selection. In 46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 132, pp. 149:1-149:15, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{oh_et_al:LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.149,
  author =	{Oh, Shunhao and Appavoo, Anuja Meetoo and Gilbert, Seth},
  title =	{{Periodic Bandits and Wireless Network Selection}},
  booktitle =	{46th International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2019)},
  pages =	{149:1--149:15},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-109-2},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{132},
  editor =	{Baier, Christel and Chatzigiannakis, Ioannis and Flocchini, Paola and Leonardi, Stefano},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.149},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-107251},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.ICALP.2019.149},
  annote =	{Keywords: multi-armed bandits, wireless network selection, periodicity in environment}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2018.27
On Simple Back-Off in Unreliable Radio Networks

Authors: Seth Gilbert, Nancy Lynch, Calvin Newport, and Dominik Pajak

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 125, 22nd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2018)

Abstract
In this paper, we study local and global broadcast in the dual graph model, which describes communication in a radio network with both reliable and unreliable links. Existing work proved that efficient solutions to these problems are impossible in the dual graph model under standard assumptions. In real networks, however, simple back-off strategies tend to perform well for solving these basic communication tasks. We address this apparent paradox by introducing a new set of constraints to the dual graph model that better generalize the slow/fast fading behavior common in real networks. We prove that in the context of these new constraints, simple back-off strategies now provide efficient solutions to local and global broadcast in the dual graph model. We also precisely characterize how this efficiency degrades as the new constraints are reduced down to non-existent, and prove new lower bounds that establish this degradation as near optimal for a large class of natural algorithms. We conclude with an analysis of a more general model where we propose an enhanced back-off algorithm. These results provide theoretical foundations for the practical observation that simple back-off algorithms tend to work well even amid the complicated link dynamics of real radio networks.
Cite as

Seth Gilbert, Nancy Lynch, Calvin Newport, and Dominik Pajak. On Simple Back-Off in Unreliable Radio Networks. In 22nd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2018). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 125, pp. 27:1-27:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2019)

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@InProceedings{gilbert_et_al:LIPIcs.OPODIS.2018.27,
  author =	{Gilbert, Seth and Lynch, Nancy and Newport, Calvin and Pajak, Dominik},
  title =	{{On Simple Back-Off in Unreliable Radio Networks}},
  booktitle =	{22nd International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2018)},
  pages =	{27:1--27:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-098-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2019},
  volume =	{125},
  editor =	{Cao, Jiannong and Ellen, Faith and Rodrigues, Luis and Ferreira, Bernardo},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2018.27},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-100877},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2018.27},
  annote =	{Keywords: radio networks, broadcast, unreliable links, distributed algorithm, robustness}
}
Document
Brief Announcement
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2018.48
Brief Announcement: On Simple Back-Off in Unreliable Radio Networks

Authors: Seth Gilbert, Nancy Lynch, Calvin Newport, and Dominik Pajak

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 121, 32nd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2018)

Abstract
In this paper, we study local broadcast in the dual graph model, which describes communication in a radio network with both reliable and unreliable links. Existing work proved that efficient solutions to these problems are impossible in the dual graph model under standard assumptions. In real networks, however, simple back-off strategies tend to perform well for solving these basic communication tasks. We address this apparent paradox by introducing a new set of constraints to the dual graph model that better generalize the slow/fast fading behavior common in real networks. We prove that in the context of these new constraints, simple back-off strategies now provide efficient solutions to local broadcast in the dual graph model. These results provide theoretical foundations for the practical observation that simple back-off algorithms tend to work well even amid the complicated link dynamics of real radio networks.
Cite as

Seth Gilbert, Nancy Lynch, Calvin Newport, and Dominik Pajak. Brief Announcement: On Simple Back-Off in Unreliable Radio Networks. In 32nd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2018). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 121, pp. 48:1-48:3, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2018)

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@InProceedings{gilbert_et_al:LIPIcs.DISC.2018.48,
  author =	{Gilbert, Seth and Lynch, Nancy and Newport, Calvin and Pajak, Dominik},
  title =	{{Brief Announcement: On Simple Back-Off in Unreliable Radio Networks}},
  booktitle =	{32nd International Symposium on Distributed Computing (DISC 2018)},
  pages =	{48:1--48:3},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-092-7},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2018},
  volume =	{121},
  editor =	{Schmid, Ulrich and Widder, Josef},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2018.48},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-98373},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.DISC.2018.48},
  annote =	{Keywords: radio networks, broadcast, unreliable links, distributed algorithm, robustness}
}
Document
DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2015.8
Bounds for Blind Rate Adaptation

Authors: Seth Gilbert, Calvin Newport, and Tonghe Wang

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 46, 19th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2015)

Abstract
A core challenge in wireless communication is choosing appropriate transmission rates for packets. This rate selection problem is well understood in the context of unicast communication from a sender to a known receiver that can reply with acknowledgments. The problem is more difficult, however, in the multicast scenario where a sender must communicate with a potentially large and changing group of receivers with varied link qualities. In such settings, it is inefficient to gather feedback, and achieving good performance for every receiver is complicated by the potential diversity of their link conditions. This paper tackles this problem from an algorithmic perspective: identifying near optimal strategies for selecting rates that guarantee every receiver achieves throughput within reasonable factors of the optimal capacity of its link to the sender. Our algorithms have the added benefit that they are blind: they assume the sender has no information about the network and receives no feedback on its transmissions. We then prove new lower bounds on the fundamental difficulty of achieving good performance in the presence of fast fading (rapid and frequent changes to link quality), and conclude by studying strategies for achieving good throughput over multiple hops. We argue that the implementation of our algorithms should be easy because of the feature of being blind (it is independent to the network structure and the quality of links, so it's robust to changes). Our theoretical framework yields many new open problems within this important general topic of distributed transmission rate selection.
Cite as

Seth Gilbert, Calvin Newport, and Tonghe Wang. Bounds for Blind Rate Adaptation. In 19th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2015). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 46, pp. 8:1-8:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2016)

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@InProceedings{gilbert_et_al:LIPIcs.OPODIS.2015.8,
  author =	{Gilbert, Seth and Newport, Calvin and Wang, Tonghe},
  title =	{{Bounds for Blind Rate Adaptation}},
  booktitle =	{19th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2015)},
  pages =	{8:1--8:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-939897-98-9},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2016},
  volume =	{46},
  editor =	{Anceaume, Emmanuelle and Cachin, Christian and Potop-Butucaru, Maria},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2015.8},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-65998},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2015.8},
  annote =	{Keywords: bitrate, multicast, packet transmission, latency, competitive ratio, lower bound, fading}
}
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