Title
Diffusive clock synchronization in highly dynamic networks
Abstract
This paper studies the clock synchronization problem in highly dynamic networks. We show that diffusive synchronization algorithms are well adapted to environments in which the network topology may change unpredictably. In a diffusive algorithm, each node repeatedly (i) estimates the clock difference to its neighbors via broadcast of zero-bit messages, and (ii) updates its local clock according to a weighted average of the estimated differences. The system model allows for drifting local clocks, running at possibly different frequencies. We show that having a rooted spanning tree in the network at every time instance suffices to solve clock synchronization. We do not require any stability of the spanning tree, nor do we impose that the links of the spanning tree be known to the nodes. Explicit bounds on the convergence speed are obtained. In particular, our results settle an open question posed by Simeone and Spagnolini to reach clock synchronization in dynamic networks in the presence of nonzero clock drift. We also identify certain reasonable assumptions that allow for a significant higher convergence speed, e.g., bidirectional networks or random graph models.
Year
DOI
Venue
2015
10.1109/CISS.2015.7086841
CISS
Keywords
Field
DocType
real time systems,synchronization,stability,vehicle dynamics,network topology,synchronisation,convergence
Convergence (routing),Vector clock,Topology,Clock drift,Random graph,Computer science,Computer network,Matrix clock,Network topology,Clock synchronization,Spanning tree,Distributed computing
Conference
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.34
11
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Matthias Függer116721.14
Thomas Nowak2329.18
Bernadette Charron-bost378567.22