Question Bank
Short Questions
Q1. Explain the concept of resource sharing in distributed systems.
Q2. What is client-server communication in distributed systems?
Q3. What are the differences between synchronous and asynchronous communication in distributed
systems?
Q4. What is a Remote Procedure Call (RPC)?
Q5. Explain vector clocks and their significance in distributed computing.
Q6. Explain Lamport’s logical clock.
Q7. Explain Vector clock.
Q8. What is distributed mutual exclusion?
Q9. What is the difference between token-based and non-token-based distributed mutual exclusion
algorithms?
Q10. What is distributed shared memory?
Q11. Define the concept of distributed file systems and their advantages.
Q12. What is the architecture of a distributed file system?
Q13. What are agreement protocols in distributed computing?
Q14. What is the access matrix model in distributed systems?
Q15. Explain Agreement Protocols .
Q16. Explain the concept of termination detection in distributed systems.
Q17. What are the challenges in resource sharing over the web?
Q18. Why mutual exclusion is important in the context of distributed systems?
Q19. If a distributed file system uses a block size of 64 KB and a file size is 1.5 GB, how many blocks are
needed to store the entire file?
Q20. Discuss Lamport's algorithm for non-token based mutual exclusion in distributed systems.
Long Questions
Q1. Explain different types of system models in distributed computing, including their characteristics
and use cases.
Q2. Explain the architectural models of distributed systems and compare their advantages and
disadvantages with real-world examples.
Q3. Discuss various transparency issues in distributed systems and their impact on system performance
and reliability.
Q4. Explain the key challenges in designing distributed systems and how they differ from centralized
systems.
Q5. What is the purpose of Distributed Operating Systems?
Q6. Discuss the trade-offs between transparency and performance in distributed shared memory
systems.
Q7. Discuss Maekawa’s algorithm for non-token based mutual exclusion in distributed systems.
Q8. Suppose you are designing a distributed messaging system for a social media platform. Users can
send messages to each other, and the system needs to handle message delivery efficiently. What
type of messaging architecture would you use, and why?
Q9. Describe the process of distributed deadlock detection and how it is implemented.
Q10. Explain the token based distributed deadlock detection techniques along with their advantages
and limitations.
Q11. Explain the non-token based centralized deadlock detection techniques along with their
advantages and limitations.
Q12. Explain the key challenges in designing distributed systems and how they differ from centralized
systems.
Q13. Describe the process of distributed deadlock detection and how it is implemented.
Q14. What are the major issues faced in distributed operating systems? Provide examples to illustrate
each issue.
Q15. Illustrate the architecture and mechanisms of distributed shared memory (DSM) and explain how
it supports consistency models.
Q16. Explain the design issues involved in implementing distributed shared memory systems, including
scalability, consistency, and fault tolerance.
Q17. A distributed system consists of 10 nodes, each with a cache of 512 KB. If the cache line size is 128
bytes, calculate the number of cache lines that can be stored in each cache and discuss the
significance of cache coherence in distributed shared memory systems.
Q18. Consider a distributed shared memory system with 8 nodes, where each node has a local cache of
size 256 KB. If the cache line size is 64 bytes, how many cache lines can be stored in each cache?
Q19. If the global state of a distributed system with 5 processes is represented by a vector clock
[3,5,2,4,1], what is the minimum number of processes that must be involved in a distributed
snapshot to capture this global state?
Q20. In a distributed file system with a block size of 512 KB, if a file size is 1 TB, calculate the number of
blocks needed for storage.
Q21. Consider a distributed shared memory system with 8 nodes, where each node has a local cache of
size 256 KB. If the cache line size is 64 bytes, how many cache lines can be stored in each cache?
Q22. Explain the Bully Algorithm for leader election in a distributed system with a synchronous network
model.
Q23. Implement the leader election algorithm in a synchronous ring network.
Q24. Discuss the role of access control mechanisms in distributed systems with reference to the access
matrix model. Provide a real-world example of how access control policies ensure security.
Q25. Explain how the access matrix model is implemented in a distributed system and give an example.
What are the challenges in implementing the access matrix model for resource security in
distributed systems?
Q26. Implement a simple resource allocation algorithm for a distributed system using a centralized
server approach. Your implementation should demonstrate resource request, allocation, and
release functionalities.
Q27. Imagine a scenario where multiple nodes in a distributed system simultaneously request exclusive
access to a critical resource. Describe a distributed algorithm that ensures fair resource allocation
while minimizing contention and wait times.
Q28. Consider a scenario where nodes in a distributed system need to agree on a common value despite
some nodes failing or sending conflicting information. Discuss the role of the "consensus problem"
in ensuring system integrity. What are the challenges faced in achieving consensus?
Q29. In a distributed system, multiple nodes need access to a critical section of code simultaneously.
Describe a scenario where improper synchronization leads to race conditions. Propose a
distributed mutual exclusion algorithm to prevent such race conditions.
Q30. In a distributed system handling financial transactions, what strategies would you employ to
ensure data consistency and integrity across multiple distributed databases? Discuss the trade-offs
involved in your chosen approach.
