Deadlock detection in distributed systems

A method of detecting deadlocks in resource sharing for distributed systems is presented. The algorithm is based on sending messages along the edges of the waitfor graph and is built on a prioritized signaling mechanism which can be implemented on an underlying routing protocol. The proposed algorithm avoids the detection of false deadlocks and is capable of detecting deadlocks involving a subset of processors in the system. The algorithm works well even when multiple nodes initiate the deadlock detection algorithm. A comparison of this algorithm with other existing distributed deadlock detection algorithms is also briefly presented