📡 Distributed Systems

MAKAUT B.Tech (PEC-IT601B) – Solved Paper

✅ Group-A (1 Mark) | Group-B (5 Marks) | Group-C (15 Marks) | Exam-ready answers
📌 Group-A (Very Short Answer – 1 Mark Each)
(i) The node where distributed transaction originates

Answer: Coordinator Site / Originating Site

(ii) One advantage of DDBMS

Answer: High availability and reliability

(iii) View management in distributed database design

Answer: Process of defining and maintaining global and local user views of distributed data

(iv) Factors governing query optimization

Answer: Communication cost, CPU cost, I/O cost, data location, response time

(v) Distributed concurrency control algorithms

Answer: Lock-based, Timestamp-based, Optimistic protocol

(vi) Shared-memory architecture

Answer: Multiple processors share a common memory and disk

(vii) Purpose of mobile database replication

Answer: To maintain availability and synchronization of data

(viii) Protocol for transactions across databases

Answer: Two Phase Commit (2PC)

(ix) Fragmentation in distributed DB design

Answer: Dividing database into smaller fragments distributed across sites

(x) Goals of transaction management

Answer: Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability (ACID)

(xi) Parallel architectures in parallel DB

Answer: Shared Memory, Shared Disk, Shared Nothing

(xii) Distributed object management

Answer: Managing distributed objects and providing transparent access

✍️ Group-B (Short Answer – 5 Marks)
2. What is Concurrency Control? What is Lock-Based Protocol?

Concurrency control ensures multiple transactions execute simultaneously without inconsistency. Lock-Based Protocol: transactions lock data before access (Shared/Exclusive locks). Example: T1 locks A, updates, unlocks; T2 waits. Prevents lost updates but may cause deadlock.

3. Distributed Transparency and Levels

Location Transparency: user unaware of physical location. Replication Transparency: multiple copies appear as one. Fragmentation Transparency: user sees complete relation despite fragmentation.

4. Short Note on Mobile Database

Database supporting wireless access, replication, synchronization. Applications: banking, healthcare, e-commerce. Advantages: anywhere access; disadvantages: security concerns.

5. Advantages and Disadvantages of Replication + Auxiliary Program

Advantages: high availability, faster access, fault tolerance. Disadvantages: storage overhead, sync complexity. Auxiliary Program: coordinates replicas, monitors updates, maintains consistency.

6. Short Note on MDBS Architecture

MDBS (Multi-Database System): integrates autonomous databases. Architecture: Users → Global Schema → MDBMS → Local Databases. Advantages: autonomy, scalability; disadvantage: integration complexity.

📘 Group-C (Long Answer – 15 Marks) – Detailed Solutions
7(a) Discuss Various Transaction Models (15 Marks)

Flat Transaction: single atomic unit (BEGIN → COMMIT/ABORT). Nested Transaction: parent with child sub-transactions, supports parallelism. Distributed Transaction: runs across multiple sites (e.g., bank transfer). Chained Transaction: sequence of independent commits. Workflow Transaction: business-process oriented. Advantages: reliability, parallelism.

8(a) Why is Commit Protocol Necessary? (15 Marks)

Ensures all sites either commit or abort → atomicity in distributed transactions. Needed for consistency, failure handling, recovery. Example: bank transfer (debit success, credit failure) would cause inconsistency without protocol. Protocols: Two-Phase Commit (2PC), Three-Phase Commit (3PC).

9(a) Explain Parallel Database Architecture (15 Marks)

Shared Memory: multiple CPUs share memory/disk → fast but limited scalability. Shared Disk: each CPU private memory, shared disk → high availability, disk contention. Shared Nothing: each node has CPU+memory+disk → highly scalable, complex communication.

ArchitectureScalabilityFault Tolerance
Shared MemoryLowMedium
Shared DiskMediumHigh
Shared NothingHighVery High
10(b) Algorithm of Coordinator and Participants in 2PC (15 Marks)

Coordinator: START → Send PREPARE → Receive VOTES → COMMIT/ABORT → Send decision. Participant: Receive PREPARE → Vote YES/NO → Wait → COMMIT/ABORT.

Coordinator → PREPARE → Participants → VOTE → Coordinator → COMMIT/ABORT
10(c) Communication Structure of 2PC (15 Marks)

Phases: Voting Phase (Coordinator sends PREPARE, participants vote) and Decision Phase (Coordinator sends COMMIT/ABORT). Ensures atomic distributed commit.

11(a) Discuss Multidatabase Architecture (15 Marks)

Components: Global Schema, Local Schema, MDBMS. Architecture: Users → MDBMS → Local Databases. Advantages: data sharing, autonomy, scalability. Disadvantages: integration complexity, query optimization overhead.

11(b) What is Mobile Database? (15 Marks)

Database accessible via mobile devices with wireless access, replication, synchronization. Features: portability, intermittent connectivity, data caching. Applications: GPS, banking, navigation, e-commerce.

11(c) Concurrency Control in Distributed DBMS (15 Marks)

Methods: Locking (2PL), Timestamp-based (older transaction priority), Optimistic validation, Distributed 2PL. Benefits: isolation, consistency, deadlock handling.

📖 Exam-focused Summary – Distributed Systems

✔ Complete coverage of MAKAUT Distributed Systems (PEC-IT601B) – Groups A, B, and C.
✔ Includes transaction models, concurrency control, 2PC, parallel architectures, transparency, replication, mobile databases, multidatabase architecture, and concurrency algorithms.
✔ Answers structured for 1, 5, and 15-mark questions with definitions, tables, diagrams, and exam-style presentation.