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SKR 5302: Advanced Distributed Computing

4. Chapter 4: Inter-process Communication

4.4. IP as a basis for a communication channel

Performance

  • Depends on the underlying networks used

Reliability

  • No validity guarantees
    • Where an incoming message buffer is full (at the destination computer or any intermediate router), the packet will be dropped
  • No integrity guarantees
    • Packets may be corrupted as they travel through the network; any packet may arrive more than once at the destination

Ordering

  • No ordering guarantees – a sequence of packets may take different routes, incurring different transmission times

Synchronicity

  • Over a public network (e.g. the Internet) , asynchronous
  • For a closed network, synchronous is possible