Arnaiz Mod. Mid Exam Parallel Distributed Systems

According to the document, which of the following is a key characteristic of a distributed system?

• A single, coherent computing element.

• A collection of autonomous computing elements that appears as a single coherent system to users.

• A single, powerful mainframe computer.

• A system with a single global clock.

What two technological advances, starting in the mid-1980s, began to change the situation of large, independent computers?

• Development of powerful mainframes and wireless networks.

• Development of powerful microprocessors and high-speed computer networks.

• Miniaturization of computer systems and faster CPUs.

• The invention of the Internet and the World Wide Web.

What is the main challenge related to the "collection of autonomous computing elements" characteristic of a distributed system?

• Ensuring all nodes have the same operating system.

• The lack of a common reference of time (global clock).

• The high cost of microprocessors.

• The inability to communicate between nodes.

In the context of distributed systems, what is an "open group"?

• A group where only members can communicate with each other.

• A group that is only accessible to authenticated users.

• A group where any node is allowed to join the system and send messages to any other node.

• A group with a predefined, fixed membership.

What is the purpose of an "overlay network" in a distributed system?

• To provide a high-speed wired connection.

• To manage the membership and organization of the collection of nodes.

• To ensure all nodes are geographically close.

• To guarantee a single global clock.

A peer-to-peer (P2P) network is a well-known class of what type of network?

• Local-area network (LAN).

• Wide-area network (WAN).

• Overlay network.

• Multiprocessor system.

What is the primary goal of "distribution transparency"?

• To make the distributed system highly visible to users.

• To ensure all resources are physically located in the same place.

• To hide the fact that processes and resources are physically distributed across multiple computers.

• To explicitly expose the distribution of the system to users.

Which type of transparency hides the differences in data representation and how an object is accessed?

• Location transparency.

• Replication transparency.

• Concurrency transparency.

• Access transparency.

Which transparency refers to hiding where an object is physically located in the system?

• Access transparency.

• Location transparency.

• Migration transparency.

• Failure transparency.

When a distributed system supports the mobility of processes and resources without affecting ongoing communication, it is offering which type of transparency?

• Relocation transparency.

• Migration transparency.

• Concurrency transparency.

• Replication transparency.