Schneider, Fred B.2007-04-232007-04-231987-08http://techreports.library.cornell.edu:8081/Dienst/UI/1.0/Display/cul.cs/TR87-859https://hdl.handle.net/1813/6699All published fault-tolerant clock synchronization protocols are shown to result from refining a single paradigm. This allows the different clock synchronization protocols to be compared and permits presentation of a single correctness analysis that holds for all. The paradigm is based on a reliable time source that periodically causes events; detection of such an event causes a processor to reset its clock. In a distributed system, the reliable time source can be approximated by combining the values of processor clocks using a generalization of a "fault-tolerant average", called a convergence function. The performance of a clock synchronization protocol based on our paradigm can be quantified in terms of the two parameters that characterize the behavior of the convergence function used: accuracy and precision.3029478 bytes735995 bytesapplication/pdfapplication/postscripten-UScomputer sciencetechnical reporttechnical report