Weighted voting for replicated data

  • Authors:
  • David K. Gifford

  • Affiliations:
  • -

  • Venue:
  • SOSP '79 Proceedings of the seventh ACM symposium on Operating systems principles
  • Year:
  • 1979

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.07

Visualization

Abstract

In a new algorithm for maintaining replicated data, every copy of a replicated file is assigned some number of votes. Every transaction collects a read quorum of rvotes to read a file, and a write quorum of wvotes to write a file, such that r+w is greater than the total number of votes assigned to the file. This ensures that there is a non-null intersection between every read quorum and every write quorum. Version numbers make it possible to determine which copies are current. The reliability and performance characteristics of a replicated file can be controlled by appropriately choosing r, w, and the file's voting configuration. The algorithm guarantees serial consistency, admits temporary copies in a natural way by the introduction of copies with no votes, and has been implemented in the context of an application system called Violet.