Visualization of Consistency in a Distributed Key-Value Store

A wide variety of consistency models are available to designers of key-value storage systems, such as Apache’s Cassandra or Amazon’s Dynamo. Each consistency model has been extensively analyzed for advantages and disadvantages as they relate to a system’s availability and consistency properties. Our purpose is to create a modular visualization tool, described herein as the visualization authority (VA), supported by unique and customizable communication handlers. We have created a prototype of this tool for the purpose of easily comparing and contrasting consistency models available to a key-value store system such that its designers and administrators can fine-tune the trade-offs between availability and consistency to fit their specific needs.Ope