Practical Livelock Analysis in Parameterized Unidirectional Rings

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Farahat, Aly
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Farahat, Aly
author_facet Farahat, Aly
contents We develop a practical framework for livelock analysis in self-disabling unidirectional ring protocols. Klinkhamer and Ebnenasir established that livelock detection for parameterized rings is $Σ^0_1$-complete and livelock-freedom verification is $Π^0_1$-complete, via reduction from the periodic domino problem. We observe that lifting the analysis from the transition space to an \emph{equivariant product space} -- the space of transition-witness pairs -- reveals structure that supports effective verification. We construct a \emph{product transition graph} (at most $|T|^2$ nodes) that captures all livelocks: every livelock maps into this graph as a witness-closed subgraph. The maximal such subgraph $G^*(T)$ is computable in polynomial time ($O(|T|^8)$ worst case) via monotone fixed-point iteration. When $G^*(T) = \emptyset$, the protocol is \emph{provably livelock-free} for all ring sizes -- a sound and complete livelock-freedom verifier. When $G^*(T) \neq \emptyset$, we apply a backtracking search that backward-propagates each simple cycle through $G^*$ until the chain either closes into a torus (confirming a livelock) or dies (no livelock from that cycle). This two-phase algorithm -- polynomial-time pruning followed by finite combinatorial verification -- produces three outcomes: Free, Livelock, or Inconclusive. Across 4{,}349 protocols tested (including an adversarial protocol derived from Klinkhamer and Ebnenasir's tiling construction and Kari's 14-tile aperiodic set converted via their SE gadget), the algorithm is conclusive in every case with zero errors. We further demonstrate that the algorithm extends to non-self-disabling protocols via a protocol transformation. This extends the algorithm's applicability to all parameterized unidirectional ring protocols. Python implementation and usage instructions are at URL: https://github.com/cosmoparadox/mathematical-tools.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_21443
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Practical Livelock Analysis in Parameterized Unidirectional Rings
Farahat, Aly
Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
Discrete Mathematics
Formal Languages and Automata Theory
Logic in Computer Science
68Q85 (Primary), 68W15 (Secondary)
We develop a practical framework for livelock analysis in self-disabling unidirectional ring protocols. Klinkhamer and Ebnenasir established that livelock detection for parameterized rings is $Σ^0_1$-complete and livelock-freedom verification is $Π^0_1$-complete, via reduction from the periodic domino problem. We observe that lifting the analysis from the transition space to an \emph{equivariant product space} -- the space of transition-witness pairs -- reveals structure that supports effective verification. We construct a \emph{product transition graph} (at most $|T|^2$ nodes) that captures all livelocks: every livelock maps into this graph as a witness-closed subgraph. The maximal such subgraph $G^*(T)$ is computable in polynomial time ($O(|T|^8)$ worst case) via monotone fixed-point iteration. When $G^*(T) = \emptyset$, the protocol is \emph{provably livelock-free} for all ring sizes -- a sound and complete livelock-freedom verifier. When $G^*(T) \neq \emptyset$, we apply a backtracking search that backward-propagates each simple cycle through $G^*$ until the chain either closes into a torus (confirming a livelock) or dies (no livelock from that cycle). This two-phase algorithm -- polynomial-time pruning followed by finite combinatorial verification -- produces three outcomes: Free, Livelock, or Inconclusive. Across 4{,}349 protocols tested (including an adversarial protocol derived from Klinkhamer and Ebnenasir's tiling construction and Kari's 14-tile aperiodic set converted via their SE gadget), the algorithm is conclusive in every case with zero errors. We further demonstrate that the algorithm extends to non-self-disabling protocols via a protocol transformation. This extends the algorithm's applicability to all parameterized unidirectional ring protocols. Python implementation and usage instructions are at URL: https://github.com/cosmoparadox/mathematical-tools.
title Practical Livelock Analysis in Parameterized Unidirectional Rings
topic Distributed, Parallel, and Cluster Computing
Discrete Mathematics
Formal Languages and Automata Theory
Logic in Computer Science
68Q85 (Primary), 68W15 (Secondary)
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.21443