Modeling Buffer Occupancy in bittide Systems
<|reference_start|>Modeling Buffer Occupancy in bittide Systems: The bittide mechanism enables logically synchronous computation across distributed systems by leveraging the continuous frame transmission inherent to wired networks such as Ethernet. Instead of relying on a global clock, bittide uses a decentralized control system to adjust local clock frequencies, ensuring all nodes operate with a consistent notion of time by utilizing elastic buffers at each node to absorb frequency variations. This paper presents an analysis of the steady-state occupancy of these elastic buffers, a critical factor influencing system latency. Using a fluid model of the bittide system, we prove that buffer occupancy converges and derive an explicit formula for the steady-state value in terms of system parameters, including network topology, physical latencies, and controller gains. This analysis provides valuable insights for optimizing buffer sizes and minimizing latency in bittide-based distributed systems.<|reference_end|>
@article{lall2024modeling,
    title={Modeling Buffer Occupancy in bittide Systems},
    author={Sanjay Lall and Tammo Spalink},
    journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.05432},
    year={2024},
    archivePrefix={arXiv},
    eprint={2410.05432},
    primaryClass={eess.SY cs.SY}
}