Master Synchronization and Communication Mechanisms in Parallel Systems

Question 1

What is the purpose of a distributed lock manager?

Accepted Answer

To guarantee that only one process can access a shared resource at a time

Answer

To prevent deadlocks within a distributed system

Answer

To enhance the performance of a distributed system

Answer

To facilitate recovery from failures within a distributed system

Question 2

What benefit do distributed consensus algorithms provide?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring agreement on a common value among all nodes within a distributed system

Answer

Enhancing the performance of a distributed system

Answer

Simplifying the design of distributed systems

Answer

Reducing the implementation cost of distributed systems

Question 3

Distinguish between a distributed and a local transaction:

Accepted Answer

A distributed transaction involves multiple databases, whereas a local transaction involves only one.

Answer

A local transaction involves multiple databases, whereas a distributed transaction involves only one.

Answer

A distributed transaction is more reliable than a local transaction.

Answer

A local transaction is more reliable than a distributed transaction.

Question 4

What is the primary purpose of a distributed hash table?

Accepted Answer

To provide efficient storage and retrieval of key-value pairs in a distributed system

Answer

To maintain a consistent view of shared data across multiple nodes

Answer

To route messages between processes in a distributed system

Answer

To implement a distributed file system

Question 5

Which of the following algorithms prevents deadlocks by ensuring that resources are allocated in a safe order?

Accepted Answer

Banker's Algorithm

Answer

Dining Philosophers Problem

Answer

Peterson's Solution

Answer

Lamport's Timestamp Algorithm

Question 6

How does a spinlock differ from a blocking lock in terms of thread behavior when accessing a shared resource?

Accepted Answer

A spinlock causes the thread to continuously check the lock status, while a blocking lock causes the thread to wait until the lock is released.

Answer

A blocking lock causes the thread to continuously check the lock status, while a spinlock causes the thread to wait until the lock is released.

Answer

Spinlocks are more efficient than blocking locks, especially for short lock durations.

Answer

Blocking locks are always more efficient than spinlocks, regardless of lock duration.

Question 7

What is the primary goal of a distributed transaction?

Accepted Answer

To ensure that a set of database operations are executed atomically across multiple systems, preserving data integrity.

Answer

To improve system performance by dividing large transactions into smaller, concurrent units.

Answer

To automatically handle system failures by rolling back incomplete transactions.

Answer

To facilitate communication and data exchange between different database management systems.

Question 8

What is the main purpose of a distributed file system (DFS)?

Accepted Answer

To enable access to files stored across multiple computers, providing a unified view of data.

Answer

To enhance file access performance by distributing data across multiple storage devices.

Answer

To protect data from unauthorized access by implementing encryption and access control mechanisms.

Answer

To provide a backup solution by replicating data across multiple locations, ensuring data redundancy.

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a type of semaphore?

Accepted Answer

Mutex

Answer

Binary semaphore

Answer

Counting semaphore

Answer

Turnstile semaphore

Question 10

What is the primary purpose of a monitor in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To enforce mutual exclusion and provide synchronization

Answer

To manage memory allocation

Answer

To handle I/O operations

Question 11

What is the fundamental distinction between blocking and non-blocking synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Blocking synchronization waits for a resource, while non-blocking synchronization does not

Answer

Blocking synchronization is always faster than non-blocking synchronization

Question 12

What is the primary role of a barrier in synchronization?

Accepted Answer

To prevent threads from proceeding until all have reached a certain point

Answer

To enforce mutual exclusion

Answer

To manage resource allocation

Question 13

What is the essential difference between coarse-grained and fine-grained synchronization?

Accepted Answer

Coarse-grained synchronization locks larger sections of code, while fine-grained synchronization locks smaller sections

Answer

Coarse-grained synchronization is always more efficient

Question 14

What is the primary purpose of a semaphore?

Accepted Answer

To control access to shared resources by limiting access

Answer

To protect critical sections

Answer

To implement message passing

Answer

To signal events

Question 15

What is a deadlock in the context of concurrency?

Accepted Answer

A situation where multiple threads block each other's progress, waiting for each other to release locks

Answer

A situation where a thread is waiting for a resource that is not available

Answer

A situation where a thread is executing indefinitely

Question 16

What is the purpose of a condition variable?

Accepted Answer

To allow threads to wait for a specific condition to be met before continuing

Answer

To signal events

Answer

To protect shared data

Question 17

Which communication mechanism is based on the producer-consumer model?

Accepted Answer

Message queue

Answer

Shared memory

Answer

Socket

Answer

Remote procedure call

Question 18

What is an advantage of using shared memory for inter-process communication?

Accepted Answer

High performance due to direct access to shared memory

Answer

Security

Answer

Ease of implementation

Answer

Reliability

Question 19

Which technique can improve the performance of message passing?

Accepted Answer

Buffering

Answer

Authentication

Answer

Error correction

Answer

Encryption

Question 20

What is the role of a socket in network communication?

Accepted Answer

Provides an endpoint for sending and receiving data over a network

Answer

Interface for network devices

Answer

Protocol for data transfer

Answer

Address for identifying nodes