For the design and analysis of algorithms that process huge data sets, a machine model is needed that handles parallel disks. There seems to be a dilemma between simple and flexible use of such a model and accurate modelling of details of the hardware. This paper explains how many aspects of this problem can be resolved. The programming model implements one large logical disk allowing concurrent access to arbitrary sets of variable size blocks. This model can be implemented efficienctly on multiple independent disks even if zones with different speed, communication bottlenecks and failed disks are allowed. These results not only provide useful algorithmic tools but also imply a theoretical justification for studying external memory algorithms using simple abstract models.

Abstract. We investigate randomized processes underlying load balancing based on the multiple-choice paradigm: m balls have to be placed in n bins, and each ball can be placed into one out of 2 randomly selected bins. The aim is to distribute the balls as evenly as possible among the bins. Previously, it was known that a simple process that places the balls one by one in the least loaded bin can achieve a maximum load of m/n + Θ(log log n) with high probability. Furthermore, it was known that it is possible to achieve (with high probability) a maximum load of at most ⌈m/n ⌉ +1using maximum flow computations. In this paper, we extend these results in several aspects. First of all, we show that if m ≥ cn log n for some sufficiently large c, thenaperfect distribution of balls among the bins can be achieved (i.e., the maximum load is ⌈m/n⌉) with high probability. The bound for m is essentially optimal, because it is known that if m ≤ c ′ n log n for some sufficiently small constant c ′ , the best possible maximum load that can be achieved is ⌈m/n ⌉ +1with high probability. Next, we analyze a simple, randomized load balancing process based on a local search paradigm. Our first result here is that this process always converges to a best possible load distribution. Then, we study the convergence speed of the process. We show that if m is sufficiently large compared to n,thenno matter with which ball distribution the system starts, if the imbalance is ∆, then the process needs only ∆·n O(1) steps to reach a perfect distribution, with high probability. We also prove a similar result for m ≈ n, and show that if m = O(n log n / log log n), then an optimal load distribution (which has the maximum load of ⌈m/n ⌉ +1) is reached by the random process after a polynomial number of steps, with high probability.

We survey a set of algorithmic techniques that make it possible to build a high performance storage server from a network of cheap components. Such a storage server oers a very simple programming model. To the clients it looks like a single very large disk that can handle many requests in parallel with minimal interference between the requests.

We present briefly some results we obtained with known methods to solve minimum cost tension problems, comparing their performance on non-specific graphs and on series-parallel graphs. These graphs are shown to be of interest to approximate many tension problems, like synchronization in hypermedia documents. We propose a new aggregation method to solve the minimum convex piecewise linear cost tension problem on series-parallel graphs in O(m3) operations.

This article proposes an extension, combined with the out-of-kilter technique, of the aggregation method (that solves the minimum convex piecewise linear cost tension problem, or CPLCT, on series-parallel graphs) to solve CPLCT on quasi series-parallel graphs. To make this algorithm efficient, the key point is to find a "good " way of decomposing the graph into series-parallel subgraphs. Decomposition techniques, based on the recognition of series-parallel graphs, are thoroughly discussed.

The aggregation technique, dedicated to two-terminal series-parallel graphs (or TTSP-graphs) and introduced lately to solve the minimum piecewise linear cost tension problem, is adapted here to solve the minimum binary cost tension problem (or BCT problem). Even on TTSP-graphs, the BCT problem has been proved to be NP-complete. As far as we know, the aggregation is the only algorithm, with mixed integer programming, proposed to solve exactly the BCT problem on TTSP-graphs. A comparison of the efficiency of both methods is presented here.