Snapshot for Time: The One-Shot Case

Abstract: We show that for one-shot problems - problems where a processor executes a single operation-execution - timing constraints can be captured by conditions on the relation between original outputs and supplementary snapshots. In addition to the dictionary definition of the word snapshot, in distributed computing snapshots also stand for a task that imposes relation among sets which are output of processors. Hence, constrains relating the timing between operation-executions of processors can be captured by the sets relation representing a task. This allows to bring to bear techniques developed for tasks, to one-shot objects. In particular, for the one-shot case the question of linearizability is moot. Nevertheless, current proof techniques of object implementation require the prover to provide linearization-points even in the one shot case. Transforming the object into a task relieves the prover of an implementation from the burden of finding the "linearization-points," since if the task is solvable, linearization points are guaranteed to exist. We exhibit this advantage with a new algorithm to implement MWMR register in a SWMR system.