Recursion in distributed computing

Abstract

The benefits of developing algorithms via recursion are well known. However, little use of recursion has been done in distributed algorithms, in spite of the fact that recursive structuring principles for distributed systems have been advocated since the beginning of the field. We present several distributed algorithms in a recursive form, which makes them easier to understand and analyze. Also, we expose several interesting issues arising in recursive distributed algorithms. Our goal is to promote the use and study of recursion in distributed algorithms. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.