CS 201: Hybrid Message-Adversary, ELI GAFNI, UCLA – Computer Science Department

Speaker: Professor Eli Gafni
Affiliation: UCLA - Computer Science Department

GAFNI--PIC

ABSTRACT: The theory of distributed computing, lagging in its development behind practice, has been biased in its modeling by employing mechanisms within the model mimicking reality. Reality means, processors can fail. But theory is about predicting consequences of reality, hence if we capture reality by “artificial models,” but those nevertheless make analysis simpler, we should pursue the artificial models. Recently the idea was advocated to analyze distributed systems and view processors as infallible. It is the message delivery substrate that causes problems. This view not only can effectively emulate reality, but above all seems to allow to view any past models as \emph{synchronous} models. Synchronous models are easier to analyze than asynchronous ones. Furthermore, it gives rise to models we haven’t contemplated in the past. One such model, presented here, is the Hybrid Message-Adversary. We motivate this model through the need to analyze Byzantine faults. The Hybrid model exhibits a phenomenon not seen in the past. We believe and hope to subsequently prove, that the asynchronous Byzantine model exhibits this phenomenon too. Joint work with Danny Dolev, HUJI. BIO: Eli Gafni received his first degree from the Technion, second from UIUC, and third from MIT, all in E.E. He was involved with the Internet in the early days when it consisted of only few nodes. Unlike his contemporaries in MIT, of which quite a few went on to become few hundred times Internet Millionaires, he joined UCLA computer-science department and abstracted the Internet to the point that he became even too theoretical for that discipline. He received the Presidential Young Investigator award when he was young and promising. He still promises but ain’t young any more. His claim to fame is for missing on the Godel award, for lack of Journal Version, leading one of the 3 teams which found the relationship between distributed computing and algebraic topology. Nevertheless, with tenure, he is still a Professor at UCLA, holding forth that intellectual fun or the ability to roam perhaps aimlessly through intellectually challenging roads is the reason to be in University rather than Industry. He does not envy the Millionaires, he is only partially responsible for the sorry financial-state of the UC system, and most of his publications are still missing a Journal Version.

REFRESHMENTS at 3:45 pm, SPEAKER at 4:15 pm

Date/Time:
Date(s) - Feb 23, 2016
4:15 pm - 5:45 pm

Location:
3400 Boelter Hall
420 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles California 90095