Distributed Systems, 2nd Edition

Chapter 6

Time in a Distributed System

6.1 Introduction

Time is an important parameter in a distributed system. Consistency maintenance among replicated data relies on which update is the most recent one. Real-time systems like air-traffic control must have accurate knowledge of time to provide useful service and avoid catastrophe. Important authentication services (like Kerberos) rely on synchronized clocks. Wireless sensor networks rely on accurately synchronized clocks to compute the trajectory of fast-moving objects. High-frequency trading [D09], where fast computers scan millions of accounts in a second and run complex algorithms for implementing various trading strategies in a matter of milliseconds, relies heavily on the accuracy of time ...