The message classification model
Christof W. Fetzer · 1998
We propose a new system model for asynchronous distributed systems that we call the message classification model.Motivation for this model is its ability 1) to support a restricted but useful form of "communication by time" by classifying messages as either "slow" or Lifast" but without incorporating neither real-time clocks nor "time-outs", and 2) to describe transient and permanent network partitions.The message classification model allows the definition of different classes of classification schemes.To show that the model is indeed useful, we show how one can solve the consensus and the election problem for a certain class of message classification schemes. IntroductionWe introduce a new model that we call the message classification model (MCM) to describe asynchronous distributed systems.The goal of this model is to achieve a similar generality as the FLP model [ll] (in the sense that almost all distributed computing systems running an appropriate software layer can be described by the MCM) while still allowing to solve interesting problems like the consensus or the election problem.Another goal of this model is to enable the description of permanent and transient network partitions.A distributed system consists of a set of processes that can communicate with each other by exchanging messages.An asynchronous (distributed) system is a distributed system in which it is not possible to place bounds on communication delays, clock drift, or relative speeds of processes.We use the phrase distributed computing system to refer to a set of computers connected by a network.A system model is an abstract description of the properties of a distributed system, e.g. it specifies if processes have access to real-time clocks *This research was supported