Camilo Aguilar on the rsync algorithm

New York - December 6, 2017


Description

Modern computers are very powerful. These days, mobile phones are packed with multi core CPUs and even GPUs. Despite these advances in hardware, internet connections in most parts of the world are still surprisingly slow and unreliable. This creates a challenge: how can files be efficiently transferred between computers over a low-bandwidth, high latency network connection? In 1996, Andrew Tridgell and Paul Mackerras developed a simple solution which powers one of the most useful UNIX tools, rsync. The algorithm remains relevant 21 years after its invention because it solves a timeless problem.

This talk will take you step by step through the rsync algorithm. You will learn that PhD theses are not always scary or unapproachable. Hopefully, you will also leave with a better intuition about the inner workings of rsync, as well as ideas for how its principles can be building blocks for solving many other different problems.

Bio

Camilo Aguilar is a Software Engineer at Enigma and a founding member of Papers We Love MedellĂ­n. When not working, he travels to unknown places with his wife. He believes writing a bio is a lot more difficult than explaining rsync.

Audio

Slides


TwoSigma The New York Chapter would like to thank TwoSigma for helping to make this meetup possible.