arXiv subjects

Andrzej Pelc

Publications and source records attributed to Andrzej Pelc.

62 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Election vs. Selection: Two Ways of Finding the Largest Node in a Graph

Finding the node with the largest label in a network, modeled as an undirected connected graph, is one of the fundamental problems in distributed computing. This is the way in which $\textit{leader election}$ is usually solved. We consider two distinct tasks in which the largest-labeled node is found deterministically. In $\textit{selection}$, this node must output 1 and all other nodes must output 0. In $\textit{election}$, the other nodes must additionally learn the largest label. Our aim is to compare the difficulty of these two tasks executed under stringent running time constraints. The measure of difficulty is the amount of information that nodes of the network must initially possess in order to solve the given task in an imposed amount of time. Following the standard framework of $\textit{algorithms with advice}$, this information (a single binary string) is provided to all nodes at the start by an oracle knowing the entire graph. The length of this string is called the $\textit{size of advice}$. Consider the class of $n$-node graphs with any diameter $diam \leq D$. If time is larger than $diam$, then both tasks can be solved without advice. For the task of $\textit{election}$, we show that if time is smaller than $diam$, then the optimal size of advice is $Θ(\log n)$, and if time is exactly $diam$, then the optimal size of advice is $Θ(\log D)$. For the task of $\textit{selection}$, the situation changes dramatically, even within the class of rings. Indeed, for the class of rings, we show that, if time is $O(diam^ε)$, for any $ε<1$, then the optimal size of advice is $Θ(\log D)$, and, if time is $Θ(diam)$ (and at most $diam$) then this optimal size is $Θ(\log \log D)$.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2014

Fast Rendezvous with Advice

Two mobile agents, starting from different nodes of an $n$-node network at possibly different times, have to meet at the same node. This problem is known as rendezvous. Agents move in synchronous rounds using a deterministic algorithm. In each round, an agent decides to either remain idle or to move to one of the adjacent nodes. Each agent has a distinct integer label from the set $\{1,...,L\}$, which it can use in the execution of the algorithm, but it does not know the label of the other agent. If $D$ is the distance between the initial positions of the agents, then $Ω(D)$ is an obvious lower bound on the time of rendezvous. However, if each agent has no initial knowledge other than its label, time $O(D)$ is usually impossible to achieve. We study the minimum amount of information that has to be available a priori to the agents to achieve rendezvous in optimal time $Θ(D)$. This information is provided to the agents at the start by an oracle knowing the entire instance of the problem, i.e., the network, the starting positions of the agents, their wake-up rounds, and both of their labels. The oracle helps the agents by providing them with the same binary string called advice, which can be used by the agents during their navigation. The length of this string is called the size of advice. Our goal is to find the smallest size of advice which enables the agents to meet in time $Θ(D)$. We show that this optimal size of advice is $Θ(D\log(n/D)+\log\log L)$. The upper bound is proved by constructing an advice string of this size, and providing a natural rendezvous algorithm using this advice that works in time $Θ(D)$ for all networks. The matching lower bound, which is the main contribution of this paper, is proved by exhibiting classes of networks for which it is impossible to achieve rendezvous in time $Θ(D)$ with smaller advice.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2012

Leader Election for Anonymous Asynchronous Agents in Arbitrary Networks

We study the problem of leader election among mobile agents operating in an arbitrary network modeled as an undirected graph. Nodes of the network are unlabeled and all agents are identical. Hence the only way to elect a leader among agents is by exploiting asymmetries in their initial positions in the graph. Agents do not know the graph or their positions in it, hence they must gain this knowledge by navigating in the graph and share it with other agents to accomplish leader election. This can be done using meetings of agents, which is difficult because of their asynchronous nature: an adversary has total control over the speed of agents. When can a leader be elected in this adversarial scenario and how to do it? We give a complete answer to this question by characterizing all initial configurations for which leader election is possible and by constructing an algorithm that accomplishes leader election for all configurations for which this can be done.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2011

Delays Induce an Exponential Memory Gap for Rendezvous in Trees

The aim of rendezvous in a graph is meeting of two mobile agents at some node of an unknown anonymous connected graph. In this paper, we focus on rendezvous in trees, and, analogously to the efforts that have been made for solving the exploration problem with compact automata, we study the size of memory of mobile agents that permits to solve the rendezvous problem deterministically. We assume that the agents are identical, and move in synchronous rounds. We first show that if the delay between the starting times of the agents is arbitrary, then the lower bound on memory required for rendezvous is Omega(log n) bits, even for the line of length n. This lower bound meets a previously known upper bound of O(log n) bits for rendezvous in arbitrary graphs of size at most n. Our main result is a proof that the amount of memory needed for rendezvous with simultaneous start depends essentially on the number L of leaves of the tree, and is exponentially less impacted by the number n of nodes. Indeed, we present two identical agents with O(log L + loglog n) bits of memory that solve the rendezvous problem in all trees with at most n nodes and at most L leaves. Hence, for the class of trees with polylogarithmically many leaves, there is an exponential gap in minimum memory size needed for rendezvous between the scenario with arbitrary delay and the scenario with delay zero. Moreover, we show that our upper bound is optimal by proving that Omega(log L + loglog n)$ bits of memory are required for rendezvous, even in the class of trees with degrees bounded by 3.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2010

Decidability Classes for Mobile Agents Computing

We establish a classification of decision problems that are to be solved by mobile agents operating in unlabeled graphs, using a deterministic protocol. The classification is with respect to the ability of a team of agents to solve the problem, possibly with the aid of additional information. In particular, our focus is on studying differences between the decidability of a decision problem by agents and its verifiability when a certificate for a positive answer is provided to the agents. We show that the class MAV of mobile agents verifiable problems is much wider than the class MAD of mobile agents decidable problems. Our main result shows that there exist natural MAV-complete problems: the most difficult problems in this class, to which all problems in MAV are reducible. Our construction of a MAV-complete problem involves two main ingredients in mobile agents computability: the topology of the quotient graph and the number of operating agents. Beyond the class MAV we show that, for a single agent, three natural oracles yield a strictly increasing chain of relative decidability classes.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2010

How to meet asynchronously (almost) everywhere

Two mobile agents (robots) with distinct labels have to meet in an arbitrary, possibly infinite, unknown connected graph or in an unknown connected terrain in the plane. Agents are modeled as points, and the route of each of them only depends on its label and on the unknown environment. The actual walk of each agent also depends on an asynchronous adversary that may arbitrarily vary the speed of the agent, stop it, or even move it back and forth, as long as the walk of the agent in each segment of its route is continuous, does not leave it and covers all of it. Meeting in a graph means that both agents must be at the same time in some node or in some point inside an edge of the graph, while meeting in a terrain means that both agents must be at the same time in some point of the terrain. Does there exist a deterministic algorithm that allows any two agents to meet in any unknown environment in spite of this very powerfull adversary? We give deterministic rendezvous algorithms for agents starting at arbitrary nodes of any anonymous connected graph (finite or infinite) and for agents starting at any interior points with rational coordinates in any closed region of the plane with path-connected interior. While our algorithms work in a very general setting ? agents can, indeed, meet almost everywhere ? we show that none of the above few limitations imposed on the environment can be removed. On the other hand, our algorithm also guarantees the following approximate rendezvous for agents starting at arbitrary interior points of a terrain as above: agents will eventually get at an arbitrarily small positive distance from each other.

cs.DS↗

arXiv2010

Asynchronous deterministic rendezvous in bounded terrains

Two mobile agents (robots) have to meet in an a priori unknown bounded terrain modeled as a polygon, possibly with polygonal obstacles. Agents are modeled as points, and each of them is equipped with a compass. Compasses of agents may be incoherent. Agents construct their routes, but the actual walk of each agent is decided by the adversary: the movement of the agent can be at arbitrary speed, the agent may sometimes stop or go back and forth, as long as the walk of the agent in each segment of its route is continuous, does not leave it and covers all of it. We consider several scenarios, depending on three factors: (1) obstacles in the terrain are present, or not, (2) compasses of both agents agree, or not, (3) agents have or do not have a map of the terrain with their positions marked. The cost of a rendezvous algorithm is the worst-case sum of lengths of the agents' trajectories until their meeting. For each scenario we design a deterministic rendezvous algorithm and analyze its cost. We also prove lower bounds on the cost of any deterministic rendezvous algorithm in each case. For all scenarios these bounds are tight.

cs.CG↗

arXiv2010

Optimal Exploration of Terrains with Obstacles

A mobile robot represented by a point moving in the plane has to explore an unknown terrain with obstacles. Both the terrain and the obstacles are modeled as arbitrary polygons. We consider two scenarios: the unlimited vision, when the robot situated at a point p of the terrain explores (sees) all points q of the terrain for which the segment pq belongs to the terrain, and the limited vision, when we require additionally that the distance between p and q be at most 1. All points of the terrain (except obstacles) have to be explored and the performance of an exploration algorithm is measured by the length of the trajectory of the robot. For unlimited vision we show an exploration algorithm with complexity O(P + D?k), where P is the total perimeter of the terrain (including perimeters of obstacles), D is the diameter of the convex hull of the terrain, and k is the number of obstacles. We do not assume knowledge of these parameters. We also prove a matching lower bound showing that the above complexity is optimal, even if the terrain is known to the robot. For limited vision we show exploration algorithms with complexity O(P + A + ?Ak), where A is the area of the terrain (excluding obstacles). Our algorithms work either for arbitrary terrains, if one of the parameters A or k is known, or for c-fat terrains, where c is any constant (unknown to the robot) and no additional knowledge is assumed. (A terrain T with obstacles is c-fat if R/r ? c, where R is the radius of the smallest disc containing T and r is the radius of the largest disc contained in T .) We also prove a matching lower bound ?(P + A + ?Ak) on the complexity of exploration for limited vision, even if the terrain is known to the robot.

cs.DS↗