This book aims at being a comprehensive and pedagogical introduction to the concept of self-stabilization, introduced by Edsger Wybe Dijkstra in 1973. Self-stabilization characterizes the ability of a distributed algorithm to converge within finite time to a configuration from which its behavior is correct (i.e., satisfies a given specification), regardless the arbitrary initial configuration of the system. This arbitrary initial configuration may be the result of the occurrence of a finite number of transient faults. Hence, self-stabilization is actually considered as a versatile...

Theory is what remains true when technology is changing. So, it is important to know and master the basic concepts and the theoretical tools that underlie the design of the systems we are using today and the systems we will use tomorrow. This means that, given a computing model, we need to know what can be done and what cannot be done in that model. Considering systems built on top of an asynchronous read/write shared memory prone to process crashes, this monograph presents and develops the fundamental notions that are universal constructions, consensus numbers, distributed recursivity, power...

This book focuses on multi-party computation (MPC) protocols in the passive corruption model (also known as the semi-honest or honest-but-curious model). The authors present seminal possibility and feasibility results in this model and includes formal security proofs. Even though the passive corruption model may seem very weak, achieving security against such a benign form of adversary turns out to be non-trivial and demands sophisticated and highly advanced techniques. MPC is a fundamental concept, both in cryptography as well as distributed computing. On a very high...

This book discusses the recent research work on designing efficient fault-tolerant synchronization mechanisms for concurrent processes using the relatively new persistent memory technology that combines the low latency benefits of DRAM with the persistence of magnetic disks. The authors include all of the major contributions published to date, and also convey some perspective regarding how the problem itself is evolving. The results are described at a high level to enable readers to gain a quick and thorough understanding of the RME problem and its nuances, as well as various solutions that...