Abstract

The Power of Simplicity on Dependable Distributed Systems

Alysson Bessani ORCID LASIGE, Faculdade de Ciências Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
Abstract

Contrary to a (somewhat) common belief, the most important property of a practical distributed algorithm is not its efficiency or performance but its simplicity. This fact is even more evident when considering dependable distributed systems. In this talk, I will present some cases in which simple protocols and elegant abstractions – which were not the most efficient for the problem at hand – enabled the deployment of dependable solutions that changed the practice of distributed computing. I will also discuss how the quest for simplicity influenced my work on BFT and multi-cloud storage. Ultimately, I aim to convince the audience that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” in distributed computing.

Keywords and phrases:
Abstractions, Simplicity, Byzantine Fault Tolerance, Cloud Storage
Category:
Invited Talk
Copyright and License:
[Uncaptioned image] © Alysson Bessani; licensed under Creative Commons License CC-BY 4.0
2012 ACM Subject Classification:
Computing methodologies → Distributed algorithms ; Computer systems organization → Dependable and fault-tolerant systems and networks
Funding:
The author is supported by FCT through the SMaRtChain project (2022.08431.PTDC) and the LASIGE Research Unit (UIDB/00408/2020 and UIDP/00408/2020).
DOI:
10.4230/LIPIcs.OPODIS.2024.1
Event:
28th International Conference on Principles of Distributed Systems (OPODIS 2024)
Editors:
Silvia Bonomi, Letterio Galletta, Etienne Rivière, and Valerio Schiavoni
Series and Publisher:
LIPIcs Logo Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik