What is recorded here?
Ben-Or presents randomized binary-agreement protocols for fully asynchronous message-passing systems: crash tolerance with N>2t and a Byzantine construction with N>5t, with probability-one termination under the stated admissible scheduling model. If computers cannot distinguish a crashed peer from a slow one, a deterministic agreement algorithm may wait forever. Ben-Or changes one ingredient: unresolved participants can make random choices, while messages carry round information and quorum conditions protect agreement. The result is an early concrete route to eventual agreement without a shared timing bound. Randomness changes the termination guarantee; it does not make every possible sequence finish by a deadline. The Byzantine variant also requires participants to identify message senders. These are mathematical protocols, not a ready-made permissionless network or a mechanism for deciding which scientific claim is true.
Source-linked catalogue note. A detailed explanatory guide has not yet been prepared for this entry.
Scientific scope
The 1983 target is a four-page extended abstract, not a full proof article. N is a fixed process population and t a fault bound; fair admissible schedules eventually deliver messages to continuing correct receivers. Crash and Byzantine protocols have different sufficient thresholds, N>2 t and N>5 t. Byzantine senders must be identifiable; no Sybil/open-membership guarantee follows. The scheduler may use past/current state, not unspecified foreknowledge of future random choices. Probability-one termination does not mean every random tape terminates or impose a wall-clock deadline. The efficiency discussion allows exponential expected rounds; the introduction explicitly limits constant expected rounds for t=O(sqrt(N)) to synchronous execution. Source theorem wording sometimes says all processes in the crash case, but already crashed processes need not decide. The account does not certify a complete pseudocode transcription or reconstruct the omitted proof details. Its 1983 uncertainty about the 5 t bound is not a claim that this remains optimal or open today. No proof/model checking or live protocol replay was performed. FLP, prior randomized synchronization and later improved protocols retain separate ownership. Agreement does not establish scientific correctness.
Read the original work
- Ben-Or, Another Advantage of Free Choice: Completely Asynchronous Agreement Protocols, PODC1983 extended abstract
- Hebrew University research output: Ben-Or1983 original byline, year and pages
This English explanation is an editorial reading view. It does not replace the complete original work or certify its science.
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People and systems
Michael Ben-Or
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English catalogue narrative
Ben-Or: randomized agreement without a common clock
Ben-Or presents randomized binary-agreement protocols for fully asynchronous message-passing systems: crash tolerance with N>2t and a Byzantine construction with N>5t, with probability-one termination under the stated admissible scheduling model.
If computers cannot distinguish a crashed peer from a slow one, a deterministic agreement algorithm may wait forever. Ben-Or changes one ingredient: unresolved participants can make random choices, while messages carry round information and quorum conditions protect agreement. The result is an early concrete route to eventual agreement without a shared timing bound. Randomness changes the termination guarantee; it does not make every possible sequence finish by a deadline. The Byzantine variant also requires participants to identify message senders. These are mathematical protocols, not a ready-made permissionless network or a mechanism for deciding which scientific claim is true.
Scientific scope
The 1983 target is a four-page extended abstract, not a full proof article. N is a fixed process population and t a fault bound; fair admissible schedules eventually deliver messages to continuing correct receivers. Crash and Byzantine protocols have different sufficient thresholds, N>2 t and N>5 t. Byzantine senders must be identifiable; no Sybil/open-membership guarantee follows. The scheduler may use past/current state, not unspecified foreknowledge of future random choices. Probability-one termination does not mean every random tape terminates or impose a wall-clock deadline. The efficiency discussion allows exponential expected rounds; the introduction explicitly limits constant expected rounds for t=O(sqrt(N)) to synchronous execution. Source theorem wording sometimes says all processes in the crash case, but already crashed processes need not decide. The account does not certify a complete pseudocode transcription or reconstruct the omitted proof details. Its 1983 uncertainty about the 5 t bound is not a claim that this remains optimal or open today. No proof/model checking or live protocol replay was performed. FLP, prior randomized synchronization and later improved protocols retain separate ownership. Agreement does not establish scientific correctness.
People and systems
Michael Ben-Or