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Distributed Systems

Flexibility in distributed systems refers to the ability to adapt and support modifications without disrupting functionality. Key techniques for modification include modular design, dynamic configuration, backward compatibility, and hot swapping, while enhancement techniques involve scalability enhancements, API extension, plug-in architecture, and adaptive load balancing. These strategies ensure that systems can evolve and improve over time with minimal impact on existing operations.

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Sujit Parte
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20 views3 pages

Distributed Systems

Flexibility in distributed systems refers to the ability to adapt and support modifications without disrupting functionality. Key techniques for modification include modular design, dynamic configuration, backward compatibility, and hot swapping, while enhancement techniques involve scalability enhancements, API extension, plug-in architecture, and adaptive load balancing. These strategies ensure that systems can evolve and improve over time with minimal impact on existing operations.

Uploaded by

Sujit Parte
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Flexibility in Distributed Systems

Flexibility refers to the system's ability to adapt to changes and


support modifications and enhancements without disrupting
overall functionality.

✅ 1. Modification
Ability to change existing components or add new ones with
minimal impact on the system.​
Techniques:

🔹 Modular Design
●​ Break down the system into independent, loosely coupled
modules.
●​ Each module should have a well-defined interface to allow
independent updates.

Example: Microservices architecture allows modifying


individual services without affecting others.

🔹 Dynamic Configuration
●​ Allow system behavior to be modified through configuration
files or environment variables without changing the code.

Example: Docker containers use environment variables for


dynamic configurations.

🔹 Backward Compatibility
●​ Ensure new updates or changes are compatible with existing
components and interfaces.

Example: RESTful APIs maintain compatibility by using


versioning (e.g., /v1/resource).
🔹 Hot Swapping
●​ Replace or upgrade components without shutting down the
system.

Example: Kubernetes supports rolling updates without


downtime.

✅ 2. Enhancement
Ability to add new features or improve system performance without
restructuring the entire system.​
Techniques:

🔹 Scalability Enhancements
●​ Add new nodes or instances dynamically based on workload.

Example: Auto-scaling in AWS.

🔹 API Extension
●​ Extend existing APIs without breaking existing functionality.
●​ Use feature toggles to control which clients see new features.

Example: GitHub’s GraphQL API allows adding fields


without breaking existing queries.

🔹 Plug-In Architecture
●​ Design the system to accept new modules or plugins
dynamically.

Example: WordPress allows installing plugins to add new


features.

🔹 Adaptive Load Balancing


●​ Adjust load balancing strategies based on real-time traffic
patterns.

Example: NGINX automatically adjusts load balancing


using active health checks.

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