Communication in
Distributed
Systems
Distributed systems consist of multiple components that interact
and communicate with each other. Effective communication is
essential for seamless operation and data exchange.
sv
by DARWIN VARGAS
Models of Communication: Message Passing
Message passing is a fundamental communication model in distributed systems. It involves sending and receiving messages
between processes or nodes.
Flexibility Scalability Asynchronous Nature
Message passing offers high It's well-suited for large-scale Message passing enables
flexibility, allowing for diverse systems, facilitating communication asynchronous communication,
communication patterns and between numerous nodes. allowing processes to operate
asynchronous interactions. independently.
Models of Communication: Remote
Procedure Calls
Remote procedure calls (RPC) provide a more structured approach to communication,
allowing a process to call a procedure on a remote machine.
1 Simplified Communication 2 Synchronization
RPC abstracts the complexities of RPC typically involves synchronous
message passing, offering a communication, requiring the caller
simplified interface for inter-process to wait for the remote procedure to
communication. complete.
3 Procedural Paradigm 4 Data Serialization
RPC aligns with procedural RPC frameworks handle data
programming paradigms, making it serialization and deserialization,
familiar to developers used to converting data structures to a
function calls. format suitable for transmission.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Message
Passing
Message passing offers advantages in flexibility, scalability, and asynchronous communication, but also presents
challenges in complexity and error handling.
Advantages Disadvantages
• Flexibility • Complexity
• Scalability • Error Handling
• Asynchronous Nature • Synchronization
Advantages and Disadvantages of Remote Procedure
Calls
RPC simplifies communication but introduces limitations in flexibility and introduces potential performance overhead.
Advantages Disadvantages
Simplified Communication Less Flexible
Synchronization Performance Overhead
Procedural Paradigm Error Handling
Introduction to RPC Frameworks
RPC frameworks facilitate the development of distributed applications by
abstracting away the intricacies of communication.
Interoperability Abstraction
RPC frameworks enable communication RPC frameworks provide a higher-level
between applications written in different interface, hiding the complexities of
programming languages. message passing and serialization.
Ease of Use Performance
RPC frameworks simplify the process of RPC frameworks optimize
making remote procedure calls, communication, reducing latency and
reducing development time and effort. improving overall application
performance.
Key Components of an RPC Framework
RPC frameworks typically consist of several key components, including client stubs, server stubs, and communication protocols.
Client Stubs 1
Client stubs act as intermediaries, facilitating
communication between the client and the RPC framework.
2 Server Stubs
Server stubs are responsible for receiving and processing
requests from the client.
Communication Protocols 3
RPC frameworks rely on communication protocols, such as
TCP or UDP, for exchanging messages.
4 Data Serialization
RPC frameworks handle data serialization and
deserialization, converting data structures to a format
Error Handling 5 suitable for transmission.
RPC frameworks provide mechanisms for handling errors,
such as network failures or invalid requests.
Implementing RPC in Distributed Systems
Implementing RPC involves defining interfaces, generating stubs, and configuring the framework.
Interface Definition
Define the interface for the remote procedures, specifying the data types and parameters.
Stub Generation
Use the RPC framework to generate client and server stubs based on the defined interface.
Framework Configuration
Configure the RPC framework, specifying communication protocols, addresses, and other settings.
Server Implementation
Implement the server-side logic for the remote procedures, handling requests and returning responses.
Client Integration
Integrate the client stub into the client application, enabling remote procedure calls.
Best Practices for Communication in Distributed
Systems
Following best practices for communication in distributed systems ensures efficient, reliable, and secure interactions.
Scalability Security Performance
Design for scalability to accommodate Implement robust security measures, Optimize communication for
increasing workloads and network size. including authentication, encryption, performance, minimizing latency and
and authorization, to protect sensitive ensuring efficient data transfer.
data.
Conclusion and Summary
Effective communication is crucial for successful distributed
systems. Choosing the right communication model, leveraging
RPC frameworks, and adhering to best practices are essential for
reliable, secure, and scalable applications.
