AWhat changed
Dwork, Lynch and Stockmeyer define partial synchrony and give deterministic consensus constructions and fault-tolerance bounds when timing bounds are unknown or start holding after an unknown stabilization time.
Scientific scope
Dwork, Lynch and Stockmeyer define partial synchrony and give deterministic consensus constructions and fault-tolerance bounds when timing bounds are unknown or start holding after an unknown stabilization time. Deterministic fixed-membership, fully connected message-passing models and specified process/delivery bounds are required. Unknown fixed bounds differ from known bounds after unknown GST; the combined processor/communication results use the corresponding declared timing cases. For partially synchronous communication, fail-stop/omission require N>=2 t+1 and Byzantine faults require N>=3 t+1, even with authentication. Synchronous communication with only partial processor synchrony has different thresholds and signed-initial-value/weak-versus-strong unanimity distinctions. In its synchronous-communication omission case, the paper leaves a one-processor gap; this is not a claim that it remains open today. Decide is not halt: with pre-GST message loss, some correct process may have to keep communicating. Polynomial time is relative to N, bounds and GST, not a known deadline from startup. Signatures and sender identity are assumed capabilities; arbitrary Sybil membership, crash recovery and permanently asynchronous termination are excluded. Some clock/protocol proofs are sketched or left to the reader; constants are not fully optimized. No full proof reconstruction, model checking or live-network implementation was certified. Agreement does not establish scientific truth.
Evidence
Source-linked, scoped account of the original work. The published scope states the scientific assumptions and remaining verification limits. WRS has not independently certified the full proof, experimental result or system benchmark.
Contributors
- Cynthia Dwork · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.
- Nancy A. Lynch · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.
- Larry Stockmeyer · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.
- Dwork, Lynch and Stockmeyer, Consensus in the Presence of Partial Synchrony, JACM 35(2),288-323, April 1988: original article
- Nancy A. Lynch: MIT primary homepage name identification
Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.
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