Learning Close Distributed Systems: Where To Start?

This is definitely non a "learn distributed systems inward 21 days" post. I recommend a principled, from the foundations-up, studying of distributed systems, which volition accept a goodness 3 months inward the start pass, as well as many to a greater extent than months to build competence afterward that.

If y'all are practical as well as coding oriented y'all may non similar my advice much. You may object saying, "Shouldn't I larn distributed systems amongst coding as well as hands on? Why tin I non acquire started past times deploying a Hadoop cluster, or studying the Raft code." I intend that is the incorrect means to become almost learning distributed systems, because seeing similar code as well as programming linguistic communication constructs volition brand y'all intend this is familiar territory, as well as volition give y'all a imitation feel of security. But, naught tin hold upward farther from the truth.
Distributed systems demand radically unlike software than centralized systems do. 
--A. Tannenbaum
This quotation is literally the start judgement inward my distributed systems syllabus. Instead of trying to relate distributed systems constructs to centralized constructs, y'all should care for distributed systems equally a radical novelty. You should start dive into the inherent difficulties (reasoning almost concurrency as well as fault-tolerance) inward distributed system, rather than dipping your toe inward the accidental difficulties (implementation of a framework).

For a principled foundations-up studying of distributed systems, this is what I recommend.

Predicate logic, reasoning almost security as well as progress

To appreciate the challenges of reasoning amongst concurrency, it is of import to start amongst a quick crash course of written report on predicate logic, as well as reasoning almost security properties (next, stable, invariant), as well as liveness properties (transient, ensures, leads-to, variant functions).

Paolo Sivilotti, who was a educatee of ane of the creators of the UNITY pseudocode as well as reasoning framework, has a prissy pedagogical approach to instruct these concepts inward his book, which is available equally a gratuitous download. I usage this mass for the start calendar month of my classes. (Thank y'all Paul!)

This may hold back similar grunt piece of work to you, equally it does to many of my students. But allow me tell you, equally I tell them, this is what y'all demand to learn/internalize start hence y'all tin start to produce dist-sys kungfu. (To motivate students for this legwork, I demo students scenes from Karate Kid.)

TLA+ to play amongst algorithms

After this background on reasoning almost security as well as progress, y'all tin start using TLA+/Pluscal framework where y'all tin write distributed algorithms as well as the model checker tin tell y'all what a fool y'all are.

You tin expose information almost how TLA+ tin assist y'all when learning almost your distributed systems inward many posts inward my blog. 

Hillel's TLA+ introduction website is swell for getting y'all started. After that y'all tin read through many books as well as videos Lamport has made available for free.

Impossibility results

I as well as hence recommend studying the impossibility results inward distributed systems. There is naught meliorate than seeing how y'all can't produce fifty-fifty the most basic coordination tasks nether mutual failure employments to drive the indicate domicile that
  1. distributed systems are radically unlike than centralized systems, and
  2. fault-tolerance needs to hold upward treated equally a fantabulous citizen inward distributed systems. 
There are 2 big impossibility results, FLP impossibility results.

The coordinating assault trial says that if the communication channels tin drib messages y'all cannot solve distributed consensus using a deterministic protocol inward finite rounds. OK, let's assume reliable, or eventually for a sufficient menses  reliable channels. Pow! In your face. FLP shows that fifty-fifty amongst reliable channels, nether an asynchronous model, y'all cannot solve distributed consensus using a deterministic protocol inward finite rounds, inward the presence of a unmarried crash failure. CAP theorem considers the coordinating assault model for the atomic storage problem, an easier job than distributed consensus, as well as shows that amongst arbitrarily unreliable channels, y'all cannot solve the atomic storage job either.

To render a shine introduction to the impossibility results, I usage the two-phase commit equally a working example, as well as demo via TLA+ modeling how these impossibility results play out inward the context of the uncomplicated two-phase commit protocol.

After y'all larn these impossibility results, y'all tin as well as hence start to larn almost ways to circumvent (not to beat) these impossibility results. And that takes us to the consensus as well as fault-tolerance discussion.

I am unable to indicate to a goodness textbook for a goodness coverage of the impossibility results as well as distributed consensus as well as atomic storage protocols. Let me know if y'all know a textbook that provides a goodness coverage of these topics. A supplementary gratuitous pdf mass is Maarten van Steen Andrew S. Tanenbaum. Distributed Systems. Freely available from https://www.distributed-systems.net/index.php/books/ds3/

From right away on, y'all should endeavour to read the master copy question papers as well as competent weblog posts that explicate them. Some sources I tin recommend are:

Consensus as well as fault-tolerance

It is goodness to follow upward the impossibility results amongst the Paxos protocol as well as variants to demo how they skillfully circumvent these results.

It takes considerable fourth dimension to learn Paxos well. But one solar daytime y'all in conclusion sympathise Paxos as well as experience things autumn into place, as well as y'all volition celebrate your victory. But y'all should know that this is a premature celebration. You volition demand to hold upward confused as well as re-learn the algorithm several times earlier y'all properly internalize it. (I intend I withdraw keep to a greater extent than than a post almost Paxos jokes.)

You tin larn almost failure detectors as well as fault-tolerance inward a hands-on means during learning almost Paxos as well as distributed consensus. They tin become manus inward hand, hence your written report of failure detectors as well as fault-tolerance tin build on to a greater extent than or less concrete ground.

Along amongst these, y'all tin likewise written report almost many Paxos variants, Replicated State Machines (RSM), as well as chain replication type advanced atomic storage protocols.

Managing fourth dimension as well as state inward distributed systems 

We delayed studying almost fourth dimension as well as state, merely it is right away fourth dimension to hold back at this, otherwise nosotros volition hold upward inward a regretful state.

The "There is no now" article provides a coverage of difficulties as well as practical implications of dealing amongst fourth dimension as well as state inward distributed systems.

Logical clocks, vector clocks, hybrid logical clocks are fun to learn. (Paul's mass includes a goodness explanation of logical as well as vector clocks as well as snapshots.) They cast the footing on which CRDTs, version vectors inward NoSQL databases, as well as snapshot reads as well as commits inward distributed SQL databases build upon.

Now what?

Now start reading almost as well as hacking on cloud computing frameworks, NoSQL databases, as well as stream processing platforms. Martin Klepman's Designing Data Intensive Applications book is helpful for to a greater extent than or less of these topics.

Other than that, y'all are in ane trial again on your ain for gathering information from goodness weblog posts as well as relevant question papers. Going to the master copy question paper, as well as learning from start principles are invaluable. This post is almost where to start. I promise I tin write to a greater extent than or less other post to give a listing of of import papers for each topic I touched on this post.

These beingness said, I intend nosotros are over due for a mass on modern distributed systems, that distills all recent developments as well as presents them inward ane place. Distributed systems concepts are tricky, as well as a chip assist from an proficient instructor tin salve a lot of frustration as well as many hours for each concept/topic.

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