Distributed Systems Analogies

I get-go my distributed systems bird each semester alongside a video of a murmuration of starlings. I tell the students that this yet qualifies for a distributed system, because the Definition fits: A collection of autonomous nodes communicating to address a occupation collectively, alongside no shared retentiveness together with no mutual physical clock.

Just from uncomplicated local actions of each starling (i.e., that of readjusting seat alongside honour to neighbors) a global demeanour of the murmuration emerges inwards poetic beauty. I similar this analogy pedagogically because it is real visual. What I don't similar close the analogy is that the specification of the global demeanour is lax. The starlings don't crash into each other, fine, but in that place is no other constraint close the global demeanour of the murmuration. No constraints there. The murmuration tin laissez passer on the sack give-up the ghost to whatever direction, split, rejoin, etc.

What could endure a amend analogy for a distributed system?

To response this question, let's get-go past times considering an auxiliary question: What is the "action word" for distributed systems? For databases, the characteristic activity give-and-take is storing/retrieving. For machine learning, it is perception. How close distributed systems? What exercise y'all think?

I yell back the activity give-and-take for distributed systems is coordination. The fundamental challenge inwards distributed systems is to coordinate the demeanour of nodes which execute concurrently alongside express information close each other.

This brings me to my distributed systems analogy: a soccer team. The players endeavor to execute sure as shooting plays/tactics, but no thespian tin laissez passer on the sack read the other player's mind. There is no shared memory/state amidst players, together with timing of the players tin laissez passer on the sack too endure off. Each thespian has entirely a limited, incomplete sentiment of the scheme (e.g., an evolving attack). Yet, the global objective for the squad is well-defined: defend your finish post, together with eventually score a goal.

I similar this analogy because it is real visual, together with the global specification is nontrivial. It is slowly to encounter "a collection of autonomous nodes communicating to address a occupation collectively, alongside no shared retentiveness together with no mutual physical clock." One may fifty-fifty telephone band FC Barcelona's tiki taka every bit a finely tuned micro services deployment.

It may endure possible to stretch the analogy past times relating squad tactics to distributed algorithms, injuries to crash faults, etc. One role of the analogy  I dislike is the squad pits against an opposing team. We don't lay distributed systems inwards opposition to each other inwards deployment.

Well, in that place is the orchestra analogy, which too involves coordination. But I don't yell back an orchestra is a plumbing equipment analogy to a distributed system. The musicians play notes collectively, but the coordination is non alongside honour to each other or dynamic inputs to the system, but alongside honour to the musical composition, which is heavily prescripted. Maybe the orchestra analogy is to a greater extent than suitable for parallel computing. Jazz players jamming/improvising is to a greater extent than suitable every bit a distributed systems analogy.

A squad of structure workers too makes a proficient analogy for distributed systems. Something I noticed inwards the video is that these workers don't brand it each others' way; dissimilar many distributed systems they don't look to involve strict coordination/synchronization. Maybe this is a suitable analogy for a big information processing system, alongside map-reduce workers.

If y'all are non worried close the visual demonstration constituent of the analogy, coordination inside a company/corporation may too serve every bit a distributed scheme analogy. If y'all regard a companionship every bit a distributed system, y'all tin laissez passer on the sack yell back of several scheme tactics: centralized, decentralized, federated, tiered, or hierarchical. I yell back in that place should endure proficient synergy betwixt management-science together with distributed systems. But I don't know if this has been explored much. (Please allow me know if y'all select proficient leads on this.)

What are closely related or synergistic disciplines to distributed systems?

The other hateful solar daytime I was thinking if it would brand feel to twosome the describing word "distributed" alongside other disciplines. For example, distributed biology, distributed chemistry, distributed math, distributed economics, distributed medicine, distributed education, distributed civil engineering, distributed geology, etc.

Most of these don't brand sense. But around does. When in that place is way inwards the nodes, together with then distributed makes feel together with may acquire applicable. For example, distributed economics/finance may brand feel because of different markets together with players affecting economy/finance. Maybe fifty-fifty distributed medicine makes sense, if y'all yell back of fighting an epidemic every bit a coordination occupation starting the vaccinations/treatments from many different locations.

Distributed civil technology scientific discipline may brand feel because of the transportation problem, but perchance centralized algorithms are sufficient to address the static parts of transportation logistics. Distributed algorithms may endure to a greater extent than appropriate for real-time traffic technology scientific discipline solution, together with definitely for sub-second geographical coordination required inwards around distribution administration systems, such every bit electrical grids.

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