A distributed system is a collection of processors that run a single system, but may act independently. The processors on a distributed system can be on a single computer or multiple computers and can be spread across a local or wide area network. With this type of systems, potential problems can arise. The following will address some of these problems.
Network Failure
One problem that may arise in a distributed system is a failure within the network. The processors on a distributed system must communicate with each other over a network and failure to do so could cause problems with the function needing to be carried out. In order to fix this problem, you would need to find out which end the problem is originating from. This can be done by checking the data sent by all the processors and seeing if the data is being sent correctly. This will help to determine whether or not the problem is in the sending of the data or the receiving of the data within the network. After isolating the source of the problem, it can be addressed appropriately.
Timing Failure
A timing failure can occur when processors on the network are not synchronized. When processors are not synchronized, then processes that require two or more processors might become delayed or fail all together. For instance, if a process the uses multiple processors is schedule to occur at noon and one of the processors’ clock is a couple minutes fast, that processor will start the process too early which could result in a failed process. This can be rectified by monitoring the synchronization of the processors and periodically checking to see that the synchronization of all the processors is in place.
Omission Failure
An omission failure occurs when a message is sent and it either fails to send or is not received by the second party. When an omission failure happens, the message is usually lost and there is no