Subject: MASC

From: Ali Boudani <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 10:51:47 +0100

Hello,
What is the difference between the claim-collide and query response in
MASC??
I read the MASC protocl and I didnt understand it??
will any one please explain it to me.
thanx you

---

From: Pavlin Ivanov Radoslavov <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2001 11:45:59 -0800

[A better place to ask MASC-related questions is
[email-masked] (CC-ed above).
If someone replies to this email, please remove IDMR from the
CC list]

> What is the difference between the claim-collide and query response in

Just to clarify, MASC uses only the claim-collide mechanism.

> will any one please explain it to me.

The spec purpose is more or less to describe the protocol the way it
is, hence it doesn't go into details about alternative solutions.

The main difference between claim-collide and query-response (also
occasionally called request-response) is:

With query-response, if you want to get/use some resource (e.g.,
name or block of addresses), you must request it from a resource
manager. Only after you get a positive acknowledgment from the
manager, then you can go ahead and use the resource. If the manager
is down or not reachable, then the allocation system needs to
consider how to deal with robustness issues instead of keeping you
waiting.

With claim-collide, there is no explicit manager responsible for
the resource allocation. If you want to use some resource, you
shout loudly to everyone "I WANT THAT!". Then you politely wait for
long enough interval of time to make sure that everyone heard you
and that nobody else wanted the same resource. If you hear somebody
else asking for the same resource, then the collision is resolved
unambiguously (e.g. based on timestamp or whatever). If you are
the loser then you must repeat the process by claiming something
else.
After you have waited long enough time without a collision (or if
you are the winner of all collisions), then you pretty confidently
assume that you can use that resource.

Hope that helps,
Pavlin