Integration: Reaching consensus in low-diameter wireless networks

Stephan Olariu, Jeffrey Nickerson

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

In a centrally controlled system consensus is often reached by decree: the central entity in charge of the system dictates the "consensus" to the rank-and-file. The situation is vastly different in a truly decentralized distributed system where the various entities in the system must agree on a common view the consensus. Consensus is, in this regard, an exercise in integration, for it is the local, often parochial, views of the various participants that are being integrated in the process. We study the consensus problem in an eminently decentralized distributed system populated by anonymous participants communicating by radio. Our main contribution is to show that consensus can be reached in four deterministic communication steps in systems whose underlying graph has diameter two, even if the topology of the network is completely unknown to the participants. This result is relevant to all situations where a consensus must be reached by anonymous participants (who perhaps do not wish to reveal their identities) provided that the underlying graph has low diameter.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMilitary Communications Conference 2006, MILCOM 2006
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006
EventMilitary Communications Conference 2006, MILCOM 2006 - Washington, D.C., United States
Duration: 23 Oct 200625 Oct 2006

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE Military Communications Conference MILCOM

Conference

ConferenceMilitary Communications Conference 2006, MILCOM 2006
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityWashington, D.C.
Period23/10/0625/10/06

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Integration: Reaching consensus in low-diameter wireless networks'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this