arXiv subjects

Shay Kutten

Publications and source records attributed to Shay Kutten.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Bayesian Generalized Network Design

We study network coordination problems, as captured by the setting of generalized network design (Emek et al., STOC 2018), in the face of uncertainty resulting from partial information that the network users hold regarding the actions of their peers. This uncertainty is formalized using Alon et al.'s Bayesian ignorance framework (TCS 2012). While the approach of Alon et al. is purely combinatorial, the current paper takes into account computational considerations: Our main technical contribution is the development of (strongly) polynomial time algorithms for local decision making in the face of Bayesian uncertainty.

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arXiv2019

Deterministic Leader Election in Programmable Matter

Addressing a fundamental problem in programmable matter, we present the first deterministic algorithm to elect a unique leader in a system of connected amoebots assuming only that amoebots are initially contracted. Previous algorithms either used randomization, made various assumptions (shapes with no holes, or known shared chirality), or elected several co-leaders in some cases. Some of the building blocks we introduce in constructing the algorithm are of interest by themselves, especially the procedure we present for reaching common chirality among the amoebots. Given the leader election and the chirality agreement building block, it is known that various tasks in programmable matter can be performed or improved. The main idea of the new algorithm is the usage of the ability of the amoebots to move, which previous leader election algorithms have not used.

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arXiv2019

Hierarchical b-Matching

A matching of a graph is a subset of edges no two of which share a common vertex, and a maximum matching is a matching of maximum cardinality. In a $b$-matching every vertex $v$ has an associated bound $b_v$, and a maximum $b$-matching is a maximum set of edges, such that every vertex $v$ appears in at most $b_v$ of them. We study an extension of this problem, termed {\em Hierarchical b-Matching}. In this extension, the vertices are arranged in a hierarchical manner. At the first level the vertices are partitioned into disjoint subsets, with a given bound for each subset. At the second level the set of these subsets is again partitioned into disjoint subsets, with a given bound for each subset, and so on. In an {\em Hierarchical b-matching} we look for a maximum set of edges, that will obey all bounds (that is, no vertex $v$ participates in more than $b_v$ edges, then all the vertices in one subset do not participate in more that that subset's bound of edges, and so on hierarchically). We propose a polynomial-time algorithm for this new problem, that works for any number of levels of this hierarchical structure.

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arXiv2018

The Communication Cost of Information Spreading in Dynamic Networks

This paper investigates the message complexity of distributed information spreading (a.k.a gossip or token dissemination) in adversarial dynamic networks, where the goal is to spread $k$ tokens of information to every node on an $n$-node network. We consider the amortized (average) message complexity of spreading a token, assuming that the number of tokens is large. Our focus is on token-forwarding algorithms, which do not manipulate tokens in any way other than storing, copying, and forwarding them. We consider two types of adversaries that arbitrarily rewire the network while keeping it connected: the adaptive adversary that is aware of the status of all the nodes and the algorithm (including the current random choices), and the oblivious adversary that is oblivious to the random choices made by the algorithm. The central question that motivates our work is whether one can achieve subquadratic amortized message complexity for information spreading. We present two sets of results depending on how nodes send messages to their neighbors: (1) Local broadcast: We show a tight lower bound of $Ω(n^2)$ on the number of amortized local broadcasts, which is matched by the naive flooding algorithm, (2) Unicast: We study the message complexity as a function of the number of dynamic changes in the network. To facilitate this, we introduce a natural complexity measure for analyzing dynamic networks called adversary-competitive message complexity where the adversary pays a unit cost for every topological change. Under this model, it is shown that if $k$ is sufficiently large, we can obtain an optimal amortized message complexity of $O(n)$. We also present a randomized algorithm that achieves subquadratic amortized message complexity when the number of tokens is not large under an oblivious adversary.

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arXiv2018

Approximating Generalized Network Design under (Dis)economies of Scale with Applications to Energy Efficiency

In a generalized network design (GND) problem, a set of resources are assigned to multiple communication requests. Each request contributes its weight to the resources it uses and the total load on a resource is then translated to the cost it incurs via a resource specific cost function. For example, a request may be to establish a virtual circuit, thus contributing to the load on each edge in the circuit. Motivated by energy efficiency applications, recently, there is a growing interest in GND using cost functions that exhibit (dis)economies of scale ((D)oS), namely, cost functions that appear subadditive for small loads and superadditive for larger loads. The current paper advances the existing literature on approximation algorithms for GND problems with (D)oS cost functions in various aspects: (1) we present a generic approximation framework that yields approximation results for a much wider family of requests in both directed and undirected graphs; (2) our framework allows for unrelated weights, thus providing the first non-trivial approximation for the problem of scheduling unrelated parallel machines with (D)oS cost functions; (3) our framework is fully combinatorial and runs in strongly polynomial time; (4) the family of (D)oS cost functions considered in the current paper is more general than the one considered in the existing literature, providing a more accurate abstraction for practical energy conservation scenarios; and (5) we obtain the first approximation ratio for GND with (D)oS cost functions that depends only on the parameters of the resources' technology and does not grow with the number of resources, the number of requests, or their weights. The design of our framework relies heavily on Roughgarden's smoothness toolbox (JACM 2015), thus demonstrating the possible usefulness of this toolbox in the area of approximation algorithms.

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arXiv2016

Online Matching: Haste makes Waste!

This paper studies a new online problem, referred to as \emph{min-cost perfect matching with delays (MPMD)}, defined over a finite metric space (i.e., a complete graph with positive edge weights obeying the triangle inequality) $\mathcal{M}$ that is known to the algorithm in advance. Requests arrive in a continuous time online fashion at the points of $\mathcal{M}$ and should be served by matching them to each other. The algorithm is allowed to delay its request matching commitments, but this does not come for free: the total cost of the algorithm is the sum of metric distances between matched requests \emph{plus} the sum of times each request waited since it arrived until it was matched. A randomized online MPMD algorithm is presented whose competitive ratio is $O (\log^{2} n + \log Δ)$, where $n$ is the number of points in $\mathcal{M}$ and $Δ$ is its aspect ratio. The analysis is based on a machinery developed in the context of a new stochastic process that can be viewed as two interleaved Poisson processes; surprisingly, this new process captures precisely the behavior of our algorithm. A related problem in which the algorithm is allowed to clear any unmatched request at a fixed penalty is also addressed. It is suggested that the MPMD problem is merely the tip of the iceberg for a general framework of online problems with delayed service that captures many more natural problems.

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arXiv2016

Notions of Connectivity in Overlay Networks

" How well connected is the network? " This is one of the most fundamental questions one would ask when facing the challenge of designing a communication network. Three major notions of connectivity have been considered in the literature, but in the context of traditional (single-layer) networks, they turn out to be equivalent. This paper introduces a model for studying the three notions of connectivity in multi-layer networks. Using this model, it is easy to demonstrate that in multi-layer networks the three notions may differ dramatically. Unfortunately, in contrast to the single-layer case, where the values of the three connectivity notions can be computed efficiently, it has been recently shown in the context of WDM networks (results that can be easily translated to our model) that the values of two of these notions of connectivity are hard to compute or even approximate in multi-layer networks. The current paper shed some positive light into the multi-layer connectivity topic: we show that the value of the third connectivity notion can be computed in polynomial time and develop an approximation for the construction of well connected overlay networks.

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arXiv2015

Fast and compact self-stabilizing verification, computation, and fault detection of an MST

This paper demonstrates the usefulness of distributed local verification of proofs, as a tool for the design of self-stabilizing algorithms.In particular, it introduces a somewhat generalized notion of distributed local proofs, and utilizes it for improving the time complexity significantly, while maintaining space optimality. As a result, we show that optimizing the memory size carries at most a small cost in terms of time, in the context of Minimum Spanning Tree (MST). That is, we present algorithms that are both time and space efficient for both constructing an MST and for verifying it.This involves several parts that may be considered contributions in themselves.First, we generalize the notion of local proofs, trading off the time complexity for memory efficiency. This adds a dimension to the study of distributed local proofs, which has been gaining attention recently. Specifically, we design a (self-stabilizing) proof labeling scheme which is memory optimal (i.e., $O(\log n)$ bits per node), and whose time complexity is $O(\log ^2 n)$ in synchronous networks, or $O(Δ\log ^3 n)$ time in asynchronous ones, where $Δ$ is the maximum degree of nodes. This answers an open problem posed by Awerbuch and Varghese (FOCS 1991). We also show that $Ω(\log n)$ time is necessary, even in synchronous networks. Another property is that if $f$ faults occurred, then, within the requireddetection time above, they are detected by some node in the $O(f\log n)$ locality of each of the faults.Second, we show how to enhance a known transformer that makes input/output algorithms self-stabilizing. It now takes as input an efficient construction algorithm and an efficient self-stabilizing proof labeling scheme, and produces an efficient self-stabilizing algorithm. When used for MST, the transformer produces a memory optimal self-stabilizing algorithm, whose time complexity, namely, $O(n)$, is significantly better even than that of previous algorithms. (The time complexity of previous MST algorithms that used $Ω(\log^2 n)$ memory bits per node was $O(n^2)$, and the time for optimal space algorithms was $O(n|E|)$.) Inherited from our proof labelling scheme, our self-stabilising MST construction algorithm also has the following two properties: (1) if faults occur after the construction ended, then they are detected by some nodes within $O(\log ^2 n)$ time in synchronous networks, or within $O(Δ\log ^3 n)$ time in asynchronous ones, and (2) if $f$ faults occurred, then, within the required detection time above, they are detected within the $O(f\log n)$ locality of each of the faults. We also show how to improve the above two properties, at the expense of some increase in the memory.

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arXiv2015

Fast Rendezvous on a Cycle by Agents with Different Speeds

The difference between the speed of the actions of different processes is typically considered as an obstacle that makes the achievement of cooperative goals more difficult. In this work, we aim to highlight potential benefits of such asynchrony phenomena to tasks involving symmetry breaking. Specifically, in this paper, identical (except for their speeds) mobile agents are placed at arbitrary locations on a cycle of length $n$ and use their speed difference in order to rendezvous fast. We normalize the speed of the slower agent to be 1, and fix the speed of the faster agent to be some $c>1$. (An agent does not know whether it is the slower agent or the faster one.) The straightforward distributed-race DR algorithm is the one in which both agents simply start walking until rendezvous is achieved. It is easy to show that, in the worst case, the rendezvous time of DR is $n/(c-1)$. Note that in the interesting case, where $c$ is very close to 1 this bound becomes huge. Our first result is a lower bound showing that, up to a multiplicative factor of 2, this bound is unavoidable, even in a model that allows agents to leave arbitrary marks, even assuming sense of direction, and even assuming $n$ and $c$ are known to agents. That is, we show that under such assumptions, the rendezvous time of any algorithm is at least $\frac{n}{2(c-1)}$ if $c\leq 3$ and slightly larger if $c>3$. We then construct an algorithm that precisely matches the lower bound for the case $c\leq 2$, and almost matches it when $c>2$. Moreover, our algorithm performs under weaker assumptions than those stated above, as it does not assume sense of direction, and it allows agents to leave only a single mark (a pebble) and only at the place where they start the execution. Finally, we investigate the setting in which no marks can be used at all, and show tight bounds for $c\leq 2$, and almost tight bounds for $c>2$.

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arXiv2015

Optimal competitiveness for the Rectilinear Steiner Arborescence problem

We present optimal online algorithms for two related known problems involving Steiner Arborescence, improving both the lower and the upper bounds. One of them is the well studied continuous problem of the {\em Rectilinear Steiner Arborescence} ($RSA$). We improve the lower bound and the upper bound on the competitive ratio for $RSA$ from $O(\log N)$ and $Ω(\sqrt{\log N})$ to $Θ(\frac{\log N}{\log \log N})$, where $N$ is the number of Steiner points. This separates the competitive ratios of $RSA$ and the Symetric-$RSA$, two problems for which the bounds of Berman and Coulston is STOC 1997 were identical. The second problem is one of the Multimedia Content Distribution problems presented by Papadimitriou et al. in several papers and Charikar et al. SODA 1998. It can be viewed as the discrete counterparts (or a network counterpart) of $RSA$. For this second problem we present tight bounds also in terms of the network size, in addition to presenting tight bounds in terms of the number of Steiner points (the latter are similar to those we derived for $RSA$).

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arXiv2015

Construction and impromptu repair of an MST in a distributed network with o(m) communication

In the CONGEST model, a communications network is an undirected graph whose $n$ nodes are processors and whose $m$ edges are the communications links between processors. At any given time step, a message of size $O(\log n)$ may be sent by each node to each of its neighbors. We show for the synchronous model: If all nodes start in the same round, and each node knows its ID and the ID's of its neighbors, or in the case of MST, the distinct weights of its incident edges and knows $n$, then there are Monte Carlo algorithms which succeed w.h.p. to determine a minimum spanning forest (MST) and a spanning forest (ST) using $O(n \log^2 n/\log\log n)$ messages for MST and $O(n \log n )$ messages for ST, resp. These results contradict the "folk theorem" noted in Awerbuch, et.al., JACM 1990 that the distributed construction of a broadcast tree requires $Ω(m)$ messages. This lower bound has been shown there and in other papers for some CONGEST models; our protocol demonstrates the limits of these models. A dynamic distributed network is one which undergoes online edge insertions or deletions. We also show how to repair an MST or ST in a dynamic network with asynchronous communication. An edge deletion can be processed in $O(n\log n /\log \log n)$ expected messages in the MST, and $O(n)$ expected messages for the ST problem, while an edge insertion uses $O(n)$ messages in the worst case. We call this "impromptu" updating as we assume that between processing of edge updates there is no preprocessing or storage of additional information. Previous algorithms for this problem that use an amortized $o(m)$ messages per update require substantial preprocessing and additional local storage between updates.

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arXiv2014

Fast and Compact Distributed Verification and Self-Stabilization of a DFS Tree

We present algorithms for distributed verification and silent-stabilization of a DFS(Depth First Search) spanning tree of a connected network. Computing and maintaining such a DFS tree is an important task, e.g., for constructing efficient routing schemes. Our algorithm improves upon previous work in various ways. Comparable previous work has space and time complexities of $O(n\log Δ)$ bits per node and $O(nD)$ respectively, where $Δ$ is the highest degree of a node, $n$ is the number of nodes and $D$ is the diameter of the network. In contrast, our algorithm has a space complexity of $O(\log n)$ bits per node, which is optimal for silent-stabilizing spanning trees and runs in $O(n)$ time. In addition, our solution is modular since it utilizes the distributed verification algorithm as an independent subtask of the overall solution. It is possible to use the verification algorithm as a stand alone task or as a subtask in another algorithm. To demonstrate the simplicity of constructing efficient DFS algorithms using the modular approach, We also present a (non-sielnt) self-stabilizing DFS token circulation algorithm for general networks based on our silent-stabilizing DFS tree. The complexities of this token circulation algorithm are comparable to the known ones.

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arXiv2014

Distributed Symmetry Breaking in Hypergraphs

Fundamental local symmetry breaking problems such as Maximal Independent Set (MIS) and coloring have been recognized as important by the community, and studied extensively in (standard) graphs. In particular, fast (i.e., logarithmic run time) randomized algorithms are well-established for MIS and $Δ+1$-coloring in both the LOCAL and CONGEST distributed computing models. On the other hand, comparatively much less is known on the complexity of distributed symmetry breaking in {\em hypergraphs}. In particular, a key question is whether a fast (randomized) algorithm for MIS exists for hypergraphs. In this paper, we study the distributed complexity of symmetry breaking in hypergraphs by presenting distributed randomized algorithms for a variety of fundamental problems under a natural distributed computing model for hypergraphs. We first show that MIS in hypergraphs (of arbitrary dimension) can be solved in $O(\log^2 n)$ rounds ($n$ is the number of nodes of the hypergraph) in the LOCAL model. We then present a key result of this paper --- an $O(Δ^ε\text{polylog}(n))$-round hypergraph MIS algorithm in the CONGEST model where $Δ$ is the maximum node degree of the hypergraph and $ε> 0$ is any arbitrarily small constant. To demonstrate the usefulness of hypergraph MIS, we present applications of our hypergraph algorithm to solving problems in (standard) graphs. In particular, the hypergraph MIS yields fast distributed algorithms for the {\em balanced minimal dominating set} problem (left open in Harris et al. [ICALP 2013]) and the {\em minimal connected dominating set problem}. We also present distributed algorithms for coloring, maximal matching, and maximal clique in hypergraphs.

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arXiv2013

Optimal competitiveness for Symmetric Rectilinear Steiner Arborescence and related problems

We present optimal competitive algorithms for two interrelated known problems involving Steiner Arborescence. One is the continuous problem of the Symmetric Rectilinear Steiner Arborescence (SRSA), studied by Berman and Coulston. A very related, but discrete problem (studied separately in the past) is the online Multimedia Content Delivery (MCD) problem on line networks, presented originally by Papadimitriu, Ramanathan, and Rangan. An efficient content delivery was modeled as a low cost Steiner arborescence in a grid of network*time they defined. We study here the version studied by Charikar, Halperin, and Motwani (who used the same problem definitions, but removed some constraints on the inputs). The bounds on the competitive ratios introduced separately in the above papers are similar for the two problems: O(log N) for the continuous problem and O(log n) for the network problem, where N was the number of terminals to serve, and n was the size of the network. The lower bounds were Omega(sqrt{log N}) and Omega(sqrt{log n}) correspondingly. Berman and Coulston conjectured that both the upper bound and the lower bound could be improved. We disprove this conjecture and close these quadratic gaps for both problems. We first present an O(sqrt{log n}) deterministic competitive algorithm for MCD on the line, matching the lower bound. We then translate this algorithm to become a competitive optimal algorithm O(sqrt{log N}) for SRSA. Finally, we translate the latter back to solve MCD problem, this time competitive optimally even in the case that the number of requests is small (that is, O(min{sqrt{log n},sqrt{log N}})). We also present a Omega(sqrt[3]{log n}) lower bound on the competitiveness of any randomized algorithm. Some of the techniques may be useful in other contexts.

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arXiv2013

Composition Games for Distributed Systems: the EU Grant games

We analyze ways by which people decompose into groups in distributed systems. We are interested in systems in which an agent can increase its utility by connecting to other agents, but must also pay a cost that increases with the size of the sys- tem. The right balance is achieved by the right size group of agents. We formulate and analyze three intuitive and realistic games and show how simple changes in the protocol can dras- tically improve the price of anarchy of these games. In partic- ular, we identify two important properties for a low price of anarchy: agreement in joining the system, and the possibil- ity of appealing a rejection from a system. We show that the latter property is especially important if there are some pre- existing constraints regarding who may collaborate (or com- municate) with whom.

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arXiv2013

Sublinear Bounds for Randomized Leader Election

This paper concerns {\em randomized} leader election in synchronous distributed networks. A distributed leader election algorithm is presented for complete $n$-node networks that runs in O(1) rounds and (with high probability) uses only $O(\sqrt{n}\log^{3/2} n)$ messages to elect a unique leader (with high probability). When considering the "explicit" variant of leader election where eventually every node knows the identity of the leader, our algorithm yields the asymptotically optimal bounds of O(1) rounds and O(n) messages. This algorithm is then extended to one solving leader election on any connected non-bipartite $n$-node graph $G$ in $O(τ(G))$ time and $O(τ(G)\sqrt{n}\log^{3/2} n)$ messages, where $τ(G)$ is the mixing time of a random walk on $G$. The above result implies highly efficient (sublinear running time and messages) leader election algorithms for networks with small mixing times, such as expanders and hypercubes. In contrast, previous leader election algorithms had at least linear message complexity even in complete graphs. Moreover, super-linear message lower bounds are known for time-efficient {\em deterministic} leader election algorithms. Finally, we present an almost matching lower bound for randomized leader election, showing that $Ω(\sqrt n)$ messages are needed for any leader election algorithm that succeeds with probability at least $1/e + \eps$, for any small constant $\eps > 0$. We view our results as a step towards understanding the randomized complexity ofleader election in distributed networks.

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arXiv2006

Labeling Schemes with Queries

We study the question of ``how robust are the known lower bounds of labeling schemes when one increases the number of consulted labels''. Let $f$ be a function on pairs of vertices. An $f$-labeling scheme for a family of graphs $\cF$ labels the vertices of all graphs in $\cF$ such that for every graph $G\in\cF$ and every two vertices $u,v\in G$, the value $f(u,v)$ can be inferred by merely inspecting the labels of $u$ and $v$. This paper introduces a natural generalization: the notion of $f$-labeling schemes with queries, in which the value $f(u,v)$ can be inferred by inspecting not only the labels of $u$ and $v$ but possibly the labels of some additional vertices. We show that inspecting the label of a single additional vertex (one {\em query}) enables us to reduce the label size of many labeling schemes significantly.

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