Master Distributed Transactions in Distributed Systems: Interactive Learning Quizzes

Question 1

Which ACID property guarantees that a transaction is either completed in its entirety or not executed at all, ensuring no partial execution occurs?

Accepted Answer

Atomicity

Answer

Consistency

Answer

Isolation

Answer

Durability

Question 2

What is the main purpose of a two-phase commit protocol in distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

To guarantee that all participating database servers agree on the outcome of the transaction.

Answer

To recover data from a failed database server.

Answer

To enhance transaction performance.

Answer

To reduce the number of network messages required for the transaction.

Question 3

What is the primary distinction between a distributed database and a centralized database?

Accepted Answer

A distributed database stores data across multiple servers, while a centralized database stores data on a single server.

Answer

A centralized database is inherently more scalable than a distributed database.

Answer

A distributed database offers better reliability compared to a centralized database.

Answer

A distributed database is simpler to manage than a centralized database.

Question 4

What is the primary purpose of a commit log in a distributed database?

Accepted Answer

To maintain a record of all successfully committed transactions.

Answer

To provide a means of data recovery from a failed database server.

Answer

To optimize the performance of distributed transactions.

Answer

To minimize the number of network messages required for distributed transactions.

Question 5

What is the primary purpose of a distributed locking service?

Accepted Answer

To prevent multiple transactions from accessing the same data simultaneously.

Answer

To ensure that transactions are executed in a specific order.

Answer

To recover data from a failed database server.

Answer

To improve the performance of distributed transactions.

Question 6

Which property of ACID transactions ensures that transactions' effects are permanent and survive system failures?

Accepted Answer

Durability

Answer

Atomicity

Answer

Consistency

Answer

Isolation

Question 7

Which technique enables transactions to be committed successfully even if some nodes fail?

Accepted Answer

Two-phase commit protocol

Answer

Timestamp ordering

Answer

Optimistic concurrency control

Answer

Pessimistic concurrency control

Question 8

Explain the key distinction between nested and flat transactions.

Accepted Answer

Nested transactions allow for independent rollback from their parent transaction.

Answer

Nested transactions improve performance by committing changes incrementally.

Answer

Flat transactions consist of multiple subtransactions.

Answer

There is no fundamental difference between nested and flat transactions.

Question 9

What does the CAP theorem in distributed systems fundamentally state?

Accepted Answer

It is impossible to have a distributed system that is simultaneously consistent, available, and partition-tolerant.

Answer

Distributed systems can be designed to be both highly available and consistent.

Answer

Data integrity is guaranteed in distributed systems, even in the presence of network failures.

Answer

Consistency and availability can be traded off to optimize system design.

Question 10

Which property ensures that a transaction is either executed completely or not at all, even in the event of system failures?

Accepted Answer

Atomicity

Answer

Isolation

Answer

Consistency

Answer

Durability

Question 11

The purpose of a two-phase commit protocol in a distributed system is to:

Accepted Answer

Coordinate the outcome of a transaction among all participating nodes and ensure its reliability.

Answer

Prevent deadlocks from occurring.

Answer

Improve the performance of distributed transactions.

Answer

Simplify the implementation of distributed transactions.

Question 12

Which of the following is not a common challenge in managing transactions in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Eliminating all potential sources of concurrency conflicts.

Answer

Ensuring data consistency across multiple nodes.

Answer

Handling network failures and communication delays.

Answer

Preventing data loss due to hardware or software failures.

Question 13

In a distributed system, the role of a transaction manager is primarily to:

Accepted Answer

Coordinate and manage the execution of transactions across multiple participants.

Answer

Act as a central point of contact for client applications.

Answer

Handle all data access and update operations.

Answer

Resolve conflicts that may arise between concurrent transactions.

Question 14

The CAP theorem in the context of distributed systems highlights the inherent trade-offs between:

Accepted Answer

Consistency, Availability, and Partition tolerance.

Answer

Consistency, Availability, and Reliability.

Answer

Consistency, Isolation, and Partition tolerance.

Answer

Isolation, Availability, and Partition tolerance.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT a property of ACID transactions?

Accepted Answer

Reliability

Answer

Atomicity

Answer

Consistency

Answer

Isolation

Question 16

What technique is used to ensure atomicity in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Two-phase commit protocol

Answer

Lock-coupling

Answer

Timestamp ordering

Answer

Optimistic concurrency control

Question 17

What is the difference between a hard commit and a soft commit?

Accepted Answer

A hard commit writes the transaction log to stable storage immediately, while a soft commit writes the log to memory first

Answer

A soft commit writes the transaction log to stable storage immediately, while a hard commit writes the log to memory first

Answer

There is no difference between a hard and soft commit

Answer

A hard commit is used for critical transactions, while a soft commit is used for non-critical transactions

Question 18

In a distributed system, which protocol is primarily employed to ensure that transactions are atomic?

Accepted Answer

Two-phase commit

Answer

Optimistic concurrency control

Answer

Distributed locks

Question 19

Which option does NOT represent a property of ACID transactions?

Accepted Answer

Concurrency

Answer

Atomicity

Answer

Consistency

Answer

Durability

Question 20

What is the primary objective of employing a two-phase commit protocol?

Accepted Answer

To facilitate a consensus among participants in a distributed transaction regarding commit or abort decisions.

Answer

To guarantee exclusive access to resources involved in the transaction.

Answer

To improve the overall speed and efficiency of transaction execution.

Answer

To prevent potential data inconsistencies resulting from partial transaction completion.

Question 21

Which isolation level permits the occurrence of dirty reads?

Accepted Answer

Read Uncommitted

Answer

Read Committed

Answer

Serializable

Question 22

What constitutes the central challenge in managing distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring that transactions remain atomic, consistent, isolated, and durable (ACID) throughout their execution.

Answer

Coordinating resource allocation and access across multiple autonomous nodes within the distributed system.

Answer

Guaranteeing that transactions complete in a timely and efficient manner without compromising data integrity.

Answer

Implementing and maintaining a robust communication network to facilitate data exchange and synchronization.

Question 23

Explain the fundamental distinction between synchronous and asynchronous transactions.

Accepted Answer

Synchronous transactions await the completion of all participating nodes before committing, whereas asynchronous transactions do not.

Answer

Synchronous transactions are inherently faster than asynchronous transactions.

Answer

Asynchronous transactions provide a higher level of reliability compared to synchronous transactions.

Answer

There are no significant differences between synchronous and asynchronous transactions.

Question 24

What is the essence of the CAP theorem?

Accepted Answer

It asserts that in a distributed system, achieving all three guarantees of consistency, availability, and partition tolerance simultaneously is inherently impossible.

Answer

It guarantees that all data within a distributed system will eventually reach a consistent state.

Answer

It ensures that all nodes in a distributed system will remain available at all times.

Answer

It guarantees that all transactions in a distributed system will be executed atomically.

Question 25

Identify a common cause of deadlocks in distributed systems.

Accepted Answer

The formation of circular dependencies between multiple transactions.

Answer

Insufficient system resources to meet the demands of active transactions.

Answer

Memory limitations that hinder transaction execution.

Answer

Unstable network connections that disrupt communication between nodes.

Question 26

In a distributed database system, which isolation level permits transactions to access uncommitted modifications made by other concurrent transactions?

Accepted Answer

Read Uncommitted

Answer

Serializable

Answer

Read Committed

Answer

Repeatable Read

Question 27

Which of the following is a primary disadvantage of distributed two-phase commit compared to traditional two-phase commit?

Accepted Answer

Increased complexity

Answer

Increased resilience

Answer

Reduced network traffic

Answer

Improved performance

Question 28

Which scenario poses the greatest risk of concurrency issues in distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Multiple clients writing to the same data item simultaneously.

Answer

Multiple clients reading the same data item simultaneously.

Answer

A single client reading and writing to different data items concurrently.

Answer

A single client writing to different data items concurrently.

Question 29

Which is NOT a property under ACID model for database transactions?

Accepted Answer

Extensibility

Answer

Isolation

Answer

Atomicity

Answer

Consistency

Question 30

What is the primary objective of employing a transaction manager in a distributed system?

Accepted Answer

Coordinating the execution and recovery processes of distributed transactions

Answer

Managing permanent storage of transaction data

Answer

Implementing concurrency control mechanisms

Question 31

Which advantage is offered by the utilization of distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced data consistency and integrity

Answer

Reduced performance overheads

Answer

Increased data availability

Answer

Eliminated data redundancy

Question 32

Define a distributed deadlock.

Accepted Answer

A scenario where multiple transactions are indefinitely blocked due to conflicts in resource access

Answer

A scenario where a transaction is indefinitely blocked due to hardware failure

Question 33

Explain the core difference between synchronous and asynchronous replication mechanisms.

Accepted Answer

Synchronous replication waits for acknowledgment from all replicas before confirming the write, while asynchronous replication does not.

Answer

Synchronous replication is faster than asynchronous replication

Question 34

Which property is NOT part of the ACID properties of distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Efficiency

Answer

Durability

Answer

Consistency

Answer

Atomicity

Question 35

What is the primary responsibility of a transaction manager in a distributed system?

Accepted Answer

Coordinate transaction execution across multiple nodes, ensuring ACID properties are maintained.

Answer

Provide a user-friendly interface for system interaction.

Answer

Store and manage data within a database.

Answer

Monitor system performance and identify potential issues.

Question 36

Which technique is commonly used to ensure atomicity in distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Two-phase commit

Answer

Optimistic concurrency control

Answer

Deadlock detection and resolution

Answer

Timestamp ordering

Question 37

What is the fundamental distinction between a distributed commit protocol and a centralized commit protocol?

Accepted Answer

In a distributed commit protocol, each node contributes to the commit decision through voting, while in a centralized commit protocol, a single designated node is responsible for making the final decision.

Answer

Distributed commit protocols are inherently more efficient than centralized commit protocols.

Question 38

What are the primary challenges encountered when implementing distributed transactions in systems with a considerable number of participants?

Accepted Answer

Increased communication overhead, potential deadlocks, and ensuring data consistency across all participants.

Answer

Challenges are minimal and easily overcome with proper system design.

Answer

Performance degradation is the only significant challenge faced by such systems.

Question 39

What is a key benefit of employing distributed transactions within a database system?

Accepted Answer

Enhanced data consistency and integrity are achieved.

Answer

Reduced complexity in system design and implementation.

Answer

Elimination of regular data backup and recovery procedures.

Answer

Significant performance advantages over non-distributed transactions.

Question 40

What is the purpose of a transaction log in the context of distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

It serves as a record of all alterations made to data during a transaction, enabling recovery and replication.

Answer

Used exclusively for debugging and troubleshooting purposes.

Answer

Facilitates coordination of transaction execution across multiple nodes.

Answer

Provides temporary storage for data being processed.

Question 41

What technique can be employed to enhance the performance of distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Utilizing distributed transaction managers with optimistic concurrency control and distributed commit protocols.

Answer

Increasing the number of nodes in the system to mitigate contention.

Answer

Disabling transaction logging to reduce overhead.

Answer

Eliminating the use of distributed transactions entirely.

Question 42

What is the primary difference between synchronous and asynchronous replication in the context of distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous replication ensures that a transaction is committed on all replicas before proceeding, while asynchronous replication does not guarantee this.

Answer

Asynchronous replication is only suitable for systems with a low number of participants.

Answer

Synchronous replication is always more reliable than asynchronous replication.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a property of ACID transactions?

Accepted Answer

Extensibility

Answer

Consistency

Answer

Atomicity

Answer

Isolation

Question 44

What is the primary purpose of a two-phase commit protocol in distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

To ensure atomicity and durability of transactions despite network failures.

Answer

To improve performance by reducing network traffic.

Answer

To prevent deadlocks between transactions.

Question 45

Which of the following is a key benefit of using a distributed transaction manager?

Accepted Answer

Centralized coordination of transactions across multiple systems.

Answer

Reduced network latency

Answer

Elimination of data inconsistencies

Question 46

What is the fundamental difference between a pessimistic concurrency control protocol and an optimistic concurrency control protocol?

Accepted Answer

Pessimistic protocols lock resources before accessing them, while optimistic protocols check for conflicts at the end of transactions.

Answer

Pessimistic protocols are more efficient, while optimistic protocols are more scalable.

Question 47

Which of the following is a significant challenge in managing distributed transactions?

Accepted Answer

Network latency and failures can lead to data inconsistencies and transaction failures.

Answer

Data is always stored in a single location.

Answer

Transactions are always executed sequentially.

Question 48

What is the primary role of a distributed lock manager?

Accepted Answer

To coordinate access to shared resources across multiple systems, preventing conflicts.

Answer

To detect and recover from deadlocks.

Answer

To ensure that transactions are executed in the correct order.

Question 49

Which of the following is a type of distributed transaction that can handle complex business processes spanning multiple services?

Accepted Answer

Saga

Answer

Monotonic

Answer

Atomic

Answer

Serial

Question 50

What is the key distinction between a hard rollback and a soft rollback in distributed transaction management?

Accepted Answer

A hard rollback undoes all changes made in the transaction, while a soft rollback only undoes some of the changes, potentially leaving the system in an inconsistent state.

Answer

A hard rollback is more efficient than a soft rollback.

Question 51

What is the primary purpose of a transaction log in a distributed system?

Accepted Answer

To provide a persistent record of all changes made to the database by transactions, enabling recovery and consistency.

Answer

To improve the performance of queries.

Answer

To prevent data loss in the event of a system failure.