Patent attributes
A method for processing tasks in a distributed data processing system includes processing sets of tasks. The method includes maintaining, at a first processing node a number of counters including a working counter indicating a current time interval of the number of time intervals in the distributed data processing system, and a replication counter indicating a time interval of the number of time intervals for which at least one of (1) all tasks associated with that time interval, or (2) all corresponding results associated with that time interval, are replicated at multiple processing nodes of the number of processing nodes. The method includes providing messages from the first processing node to the other processing nodes of the number of processing nodes, the messages including the working counter and the replication counter.