The ECHO method: concurrency control method for a large-scale distributed database

Abstract

When constructing a large-scale database system, data replication is useful to give users efficient access to that data. However for databases with a very large number of replica sites, using traditional networking concurrency control protocols makes communication too costly for practical use. In this paper we propose a new protocol called ECHO for concurrency control of replica data distributed on a large scale. Using broadcasting, such as satellite broadcasting, terrestrial broadcasting, and cable television, the ECHO method can keep communication costs constant, regardless of the number of sites. The ECHO method also has a backup mechanism for failed broadcast reception using the communication network.