CS 598 CAL

Subject offerings of new and developing areas of knowledge in computer science intended to augment the existing curriculum. See Class Schedule or departmental course information for topics and prerequisites. Course Information: May be repeated in the same or separate terms if topics vary.

This course covers classic results and recent advances in consensus algorithms. The course studies different problem formulations of consensus including Byzantine agreement, broadcast primitives and state machine replication (a.k.a, blockchains); different models and assumptions regarding timing, fault pattern, cryptography, and setup; state-of-art algorithms and lower bounds under various combinations of settings; common algorithm design techniques including randomization, leader-based approach, and quorum systems; Nakamoto?s new permissionless model, longest-chain paradigm, the Bitcoin protocol, its mathematical analysis, proposals to improve Nakamoto consensus; longest-chain protocols with other resources or stake, and their connection to classic consensus algorithms; and recent advances in consensus algorithms inspired by Nakamoto's paradigm.