A basic unit of computation in distributed systems

The authors define basic units of computation in distributed systems, whether communicating synchronously or asynchronously, as comprising indivisible logical units of computation that take the system from one ground state to another. It is explained how a computation can be viewed as a partial order over the basic units of the computation. The problem of detecting the basic units is considered. One algorithm for creating ground states during a computation in an asynchronously communicating system with FIFO channels is given, and an existing algorithm that implicitly creates ground states in a synchronously communicating system is referenced. The significance of the basic unit is explained, and its applications are given