A quorum-based algorithm for parameterized semaphore operations

Abstract

In a centralized operating system, semaphores are commonly used to coordinate processes. To solve more complex problems, several extensions of semaphore operations have been proposed. One extension allows the semaphore operations to be parameterized with test and decrement/increment parameters. Using parameterized semaphore operations, complex problems, such as coordination of prioritized processes and various reader/writer problems, may be easily solved. Many distributed mutual exclusion algorithms and their extensions have been proposed. However, none of these algorithms is as powerful as parameterized semaphore operations. In this article, we present an efficient algorithm to implement parameterized semaphore operations in a distributed system.