A central theme in distributed network algorithms concerns understanding and coping with the issue of locality. Inspired by sequential complexity theory, we focus on a complexity theory for distributed decision problems. In the context of locality, solving a decision problem requires the processors to independently inspect their local neighborhoods and then collectively decide whether a given global input instance belongs to some specified language. This paper introduces several classes of distributed decision problems, proves separation among them and presents some complete problems. More specifically, we consider the standard LOCAL model of computation and define LD (for local decision) as the class of decision problems that can be solved in constant number of communication rounds. We first study the intriguing question of whether randomization helps in local distributed computing, and to what extent. Specifically, we define the corresponding randomized class BPLD, and ask whether LD=BPLD. We provide a partial answer to this question by showing that in many cases, randomization does not help for deciding hereditary languages. In addition, we define the notion of local many-one reductions, and introduce the (nondeterministic) class NLD of decision problems for which there exists a certificate that can be verified in constant number of communication rounds. We prove that there exists an NLD-complete problem. We also show that there exist problems not in NLD. On the other hand, we prove that the class NLD#n, which is NLD assuming that each processor can access an oracle that provides the number of nodes in the network, contains all (decidable) languages. For this class we provide a natural complete problem as well.
The question of what can be computed in a constant number of communication rounds was investigated in the seminal work of Naor and Stockmeyer @cite_16 . In particular, that paper considers a subclass of @math , called LCL, which is essentially @math restricted to languages involving graphs of constant maximum degree, and involving processor inputs taken from a set of constant size, and studies the question of how to compute in @math rounds the constructive versions of decision problems in LCL. The paper provides some beautiful general results. In particular, the authors show that if there exists a randomized algorithm that constructs a solution for a problem in LCL in @math rounds, then there is also a deterministic algorithm constructing a solution for this problem in @math rounds. Unfortunately, the proof of this result relies heavily on the definition of LCL. Indeed, the constant bound constraints on the degrees and input sizes allow the authors to cleverly use Ramsey theory. It is thus not clear whether it is possible to extend this result to all languages in @math .
@cite_16
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We show that any randomised Monte Carlo distributed algorithm for the Lov 'asz local lemma requires @math communication rounds, assuming that it finds a correct assignment with high probability. Our result holds even in the special case of @math , where @math is the maximum degree of the dependency graph. By prior work, there are distributed algorithms for the Lov 'asz local lemma with a running time of @math rounds in bounded-degree graphs, and the best lower bound before our work was @math rounds [ 2014]. The celebrated Time Hierarchy Theorem for Turing machines states, informally, that more problems can be solved given more time. The extent to which a time hierarchy-type theorem holds in the distributed LOCAL model has been open for many years. It is consistent with previous results that all natural problems in the LOCAL model can be classified according to a small constant number of complexities, such as @math , etc. In this paper we establish the first time hierarchy theorem for the LOCAL model and prove that several gaps exist in the LOCAL time hierarchy. 1. We define an infinite set of simple coloring problems called Hierarchical @math -Coloring . A correctly colored graph can be confirmed by simply checking the neighborhood of each vertex, so this problem fits into the class of locally checkable labeling (LCL) problems. However, the complexity of the @math -level Hierarchical @math -Coloring problem is @math , for @math . The upper and lower bounds hold for both general graphs and trees, and for both randomized and deterministic algorithms. 2. Consider any LCL problem on bounded degree trees. We prove an automatic-speedup theorem that states that any randomized @math -time algorithm solving the LCL can be transformed into a deterministic @math -time algorithm. Together with a previous result, this establishes that on trees, there are no natural deterministic complexities in the ranges @math --- @math or @math --- @math . 3. We expose a gap in the randomized time hierarchy on general graphs. Any randomized algorithm that solves an LCL problem in sublogarithmic time can be sped up to run in @math time, which is the complexity of the distributed Lovasz local lemma problem, currently known to be @math and @math . This paper addresses the cornerstone family of in distributed computing, and investigates the curious gap between randomized and deterministic solutions under bandwidth restrictions. Our main contribution is in providing tools for derandomizing solutions to local problems, when the @math nodes can only send @math -bit messages in each round of communication. We combine bounded independence, which we show to be sufficient for some algorithms, with the method of conditional expectations and with additional machinery, to obtain the following results. Our techniques give a deterministic maximal independent set (MIS) algorithm in the CONGEST model, where the communication graph is identical to the input graph, in @math rounds, where @math is the diameter of the graph. The best known running time in terms of @math alone is @math , which is super-polylogarithmic, and requires large messages. For the CONGEST model, the only known previous solution is a coloring-based @math -round algorithm, where @math is the maximal degree in the graph. On the way to obtaining the above, we show that in the model, which allows all-to-all communication, there is a deterministic MIS algorithm that runs in @math rounds. , where @math is the maximum degree. When @math , the bound improves to @math and holds also for @math -coloring. In addition, we deterministically construct a @math -spanner with @math edges in @math rounds. For comparison, in the more stringent CONGEST model, the best deterministic algorithm for constructing a @math -spanner with @math edges runs in @math rounds. A central theme in distributed network algorithms concerns understanding and coping with the issue of locality. Inspired by sequential complexity theory, we focus on a complexity theory for distributed decision problems. In the context of locality, solving a decision problem requires the processors to independently inspect their local neighborhoods and then collectively decide whether a given global input instance belongs to some specified language. This paper introduces several classes of distributed decision problems, proves separation among them and presents some complete problems. More specifically, we consider the standard LOCAL model of computation and define LD (for local decision) as the class of decision problems that can be solved in constant number of communication rounds. We first study the intriguing question of whether randomization helps in local distributed computing, and to what extent. Specifically, we define the corresponding randomized class BPLD, and ask whether LD=BPLD. We provide a partial answer to this question by showing that in many cases, randomization does not help for deciding hereditary languages. In addition, we define the notion of local many-one reductions, and introduce the (nondeterministic) class NLD of decision problems for which there exists a certificate that can be verified in constant number of communication rounds. We prove that there exists an NLD-complete problem. We also show that there exist problems not in NLD. On the other hand, we prove that the class NLD#n, which is NLD assuming that each processor can access an oracle that provides the number of nodes in the network, contains all (decidable) languages. For this class we provide a natural complete problem as well.