Keeping Time in Distributed Systems

In this course, we discuss how to maintain accurate synchronization in distributed systems. Essentially, this encompasses any system in which keeping a well-synchronized common notion of time is crucial, as clock synchronization is an inherently distributed task. For instance, the presented techniques are suitable for clocking computer chips or larger networks on chips, but may equally well be employed on a larger scale, like data centers or a global network. The focus of the lecture lies on a conceptual understanding of algorithmic techniques and proving worst-case guarantees mathematically. Particular emphasis is given to strong, possibly surprising, fault-tolerance properties and how they can be achieved.

No prerequisites beyond basic familiarity with mathematical reasoning are assumed or required for this course. This course is a good starting point for getting involved with the current research topics of the group.