Master Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) in Distributed Systems

Question 1

Which characteristic is NOT associated with Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)?

Accepted Answer

Requiring a shared codebase between client and server

Answer

Facilitating method invocation on remote objects

Answer

Transparent handling of network communication

Answer

Supporting distributed application implementation

Question 2

Which RPC paradigm is commonly encountered in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Client-stub/server-skeleton

Answer

Request-response

Answer

Publish-subscribe

Answer

Message queuing

Question 3

In an RPC system, what is the primary function of a stub?

Accepted Answer

Representing the client-side interface of a remote object

Answer

Managing data marshalling and unmarshalling

Answer

Implementing the business logic of the remote object

Answer

Providing fault tolerance capabilities

Question 4

Which of the listed options is NOT a potential challenge associated with using RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Comparable efficiency to local calls

Answer

Security concerns

Answer

Network failures

Answer

Concurrency issues

Question 5

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Increased network traffic

Answer

Enhanced system performance

Answer

Simplified development process

Answer

Reduced security concerns

Question 6

What is a potential drawback of utilizing RPCs in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Greater complexity

Answer

Lower network traffic

Answer

Easier development

Answer

Faster performance

Question 7

In the context of Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs), which mechanism is primarily responsible for enabling transparent data exchange between systems?

Accepted Answer

Marshalling

Answer

Caching

Answer

Load Balancing

Question 8

What is the mechanism primarily used for data exchange between client and server in RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Serialization

Answer

Encryption

Answer

Checksumming

Answer

Compression

Question 9

Which RPC mechanism facilitates interoperability between clients and servers using different operating systems or programming languages?

Accepted Answer

Dynamic binding

Answer

Stub compilation

Answer

Static binding

Answer

Language-specific serialization

Question 10

What is the main purpose of a procedure stub in RPC?

Accepted Answer

To represent the remote procedure on the client side

Answer

To handle data marshalling and unmarshalling

Answer

To establish the network connection

Answer

To implement the actual remote procedure

Question 11

What is the primary advantage of using a message-oriented RPC mechanism over a request-reply RPC mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Increased reliability

Answer

Improved performance

Answer

Reduced latency

Answer

Enhanced security

Question 12

What is the significance of the "idempotency" concept in RPCs?

Accepted Answer

It ensures that a procedure can be invoked multiple times without causing harmful side effects.

Answer

It guarantees that a procedure will always return the same result for the same input.

Answer

It allows a procedure to be executed in parallel on multiple servers.

Answer

It provides a way to recover from network failures.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of using Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Eliminating the need for a network layer

Answer

Hiding network communication details from the application

Answer

Providing location transparency

Answer

Minimizing system latency

Question 14

Which of the following design patterns is often used to implement RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Proxy

Answer

Observer

Answer

Singleton

Answer

Factory

Question 15

Analyze the design decisions, challenges encountered, and lessons learned during the implementation of an RPC system for a distributed file system.

Accepted Answer

Analyze the design decisions, challenges encountered, and lessons learned in the implementation of an RPC system for a distributed file system.

Answer

Discuss the theoretical benefits and limitations of using RPCs in distributed systems.

Answer

Explain the various types of RPC mechanisms and their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Answer

Compare and contrast different RPC middleware solutions.

Question 16

In an RPC system, which entity initiates the request to execute a procedure on a remote machine?

Accepted Answer

Client

Answer

Client stub

Answer

Server

Answer

Server skeleton

Question 17

What is the primary purpose of a parameter marshaler in an RPC system?

Accepted Answer

Transforming parameters from the client's data format to the server's data format

Answer

Receiving parameters from the network

Answer

Unpacking parameters to the client's data format

Answer

Transmitting parameters over the network

Question 18

Which of the following is a potential disadvantage of using RPCs in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Performance overhead

Answer

Increased flexibility

Answer

Reduced security vulnerabilities

Answer

Enhanced scalability

Question 19

In an RPC system, what is the crucial responsibility of a client stub?

Accepted Answer

Packaging and delivering the request to the server

Answer

Unpacking and receiving the response from the server

Answer

Executing the remote procedure on the client side

Answer

Managing the connection between the client and server

Question 20

Among the following protocols, which one is commonly employed for RPC communication?

Accepted Answer

TCP

Answer

SMTP

Answer

HTTP

Answer

UDP

Question 21

What is the primary purpose of a multiplexer in an RPC system?

Accepted Answer

Managing multiple concurrent requests from various clients

Answer

Converting request messages into a standard format

Answer

Marshalling parameters for transmission

Answer

Unmarshalling response messages

Question 22

In the context of implementing RPCs in distributed systems, which design pattern is frequently used?

Accepted Answer

Proxy pattern

Answer

Observer pattern

Answer

Factory pattern

Answer

Singleton pattern

Question 23

What is a notable benefit of utilizing RPCs in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Simplified development of distributed applications

Answer

Reduced network overhead

Answer

Enhanced performance

Answer

Increased security

Question 24

Describe the key difference between synchronous and asynchronous RPCs.

Accepted Answer

Synchronous RPCs pause the caller until the response is received, while asynchronous RPCs do not.

Answer

Asynchronous RPCs are more efficient than synchronous RPCs.

Answer

Synchronous RPCs are inherently more secure than asynchronous RPCs.

Answer

Synchronous RPCs are exclusively employed in client-server architectures.

Question 25

In RPC systems, what is the purpose of middleware and what benefits does it offer?

Accepted Answer

Middleware simplifies RPC development and deployment by managing communication complexities.

Answer

Middleware is not essential for RPC systems.

Answer

Middleware significantly increases performance overhead and introduces security risks.

Question 26

In a distributed system, what is the main purpose of a Remote Procedure Call (RPC)?

Accepted Answer

Providing a synchronous and straightforward mechanism to call methods of remote objects

Answer

Managing communication between processes on separate machines

Answer

Ensuring data replication across all nodes in the system

Answer

Detecting and handling network failures and reconnections

Question 27

Which of the following is not a significant challenge in implementing RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Providing a user-friendly interface for developers

Answer

Managing latency and bandwidth constraints over the network

Answer

Ensuring data consistency and atomicity across distributed nodes

Answer

Handling platform and machine heterogeneity

Question 28

Which RPC model allows the client to proceed with execution while the server processes the request?

Accepted Answer

Asynchronous RPC

Answer

Synchronous RPC

Answer

One-way RPC

Answer

Callback RPC

Question 29

What is the primary advantage of using RPCs for developing distributed applications?

Accepted Answer

Simplicity in development and maintenance by abstracting communication details

Answer

Improved performance due to reduced network overhead

Answer

Enhanced security through encryption of all communication

Answer

Guaranteed fault tolerance in case of network failures

Question 30

In an RPC mechanism, what is the primary function of the client stub?

Accepted Answer

Transmit requests to the server and receive responses.

Answer

Generate the code for the server procedure.

Answer

Manage errors that may arise during communication.

Answer

Convert data into a format compatible with the server.

Question 31

What is a potential drawback of using Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Increased complexity in error handling

Answer

Simplified development of distributed applications

Answer

Improved performance due to distributed task execution

Answer

Enhanced security through centralized authorization

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a technique used for serializing data in RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Answer

Parameter encoding

Answer

External Data Representation (XDR)

Answer

Object serialization

Question 33

Which of the following is not a component of the RPC mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Datagram

Answer

Parameter marshalling

Answer

Client stub

Answer

Server stub

Question 34

What is the primary advantage of employing RPCs in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Abstraction of network communication details

Answer

Enhanced raw performance

Answer

Elimination of security vulnerabilities

Answer

Simplified code maintenance

Question 35

What is the significance of semantic transparency in RPC?

Accepted Answer

It enables the client and server to use different programming languages and data types transparently

Answer

It simplifies debugging efforts

Answer

It makes the RPC mechanism completely invisible to the application logic

Question 36

What is the primary purpose of the marshalling layer in RPC?

Accepted Answer

To transform data structures between distinct representations for network transmission

Answer

To encrypt and decrypt data for secure transmission

Answer

To establish and manage network connections

Question 37

Which of the following accurately describes the primary benefit of using Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs)?

Accepted Answer

Enables the seamless execution of procedures on remote systems, allowing them to be treated as local procedures.

Answer

Provides guaranteed delivery of messages, ensuring that all RPC requests are successfully transmitted and received.

Answer

Simplifies network configuration by automatically handling the complexities of establishing and maintaining network connections.

Question 38

In the context of RPCs, what is the primary function of a stub?

Accepted Answer

Acts as a client-side representative of the remote procedure, handling the preparation and sending of RPC requests.

Answer

Serves as the server-side component responsible for executing the actual remote procedure.

Answer

Stores the parameters and data necessary for the remote procedure call and manages their transmission.

Question 39

Which element is NOT a core component of a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) framework?

Accepted Answer

Firewall

Answer

Server Skeleton

Answer

Client Stub

Answer

Marshalling/Unmarshalling

Question 40

What is the primary function of a client stub in an RPC mechanism?

Accepted Answer

To model the interface for invoking remote procedures on the client-side.

Answer

To receive and handle incoming RPC requests.

Answer

To manage data transmission and conversion.

Question 41

Which RPC mechanism is used to ensure that only authorized recipients can receive and process RPC calls?

Accepted Answer

Authentication

Answer

Non-repudiation

Answer

Authorization

Answer

Encryption

Question 42

What is the key distinction between synchronous and asynchronous RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous RPCs block the calling thread until a response is received, whereas asynchronous RPCs allow the calling thread to continue execution.

Answer

Synchronous RPCs are faster than asynchronous RPCs.

Question 43

Which of the following is a key advantage of utilizing RPCs in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Simplified development and maintenance of distributed applications.

Answer

Reduced network traffic

Answer

Enhanced performance

Question 44

What is the primary purpose of a server skeleton in an RPC system?

Accepted Answer

To represent the server-side implementation of the procedures that can be invoked remotely.

Answer

To manage client requests and dispatch them to appropriate server components.

Answer

To establish and maintain the communication channel between the client and server.

Question 45

What is the fundamental purpose of using RPCs in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

To facilitate communication and interaction between processes running on different machines.

Answer

To improve data security

Answer

To enhance application scalability

Question 46

Which of the following is a significant advantage of using Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) in distributed systems?

Accepted Answer

Abstraction of network communication intricacies

Answer

Enhanced security measures by default

Answer

Improved performance due to reduced data transmission in all cases

Answer

Elimination of network latency issues altogether

Question 47

What is the fundamental mechanism that allows RPCs to function effectively?

Accepted Answer

Serialization and deserialization of exchanged data

Answer

Error handling routines exclusively

Answer

Message queuing as a primary mechanism

Answer

Thread synchronization as the sole mechanism

Question 48

Which architectural model is commonly employed in the implementation of RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Client-stub/server-skeleton model

Answer

Request-reply model without other supporting models

Answer

Publish-subscribe model exclusively

Answer

Peer-to-peer model as the primary approach

Question 49

What is a potential challenge that can arise in the deployment of RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Network latency and limitations in bandwidth

Answer

Platform dependencies as the primary challenge

Answer

Lack of security mechanisms exclusively

Answer

Complexity of implementation as the sole challenge

Question 50

Which of the following techniques can be utilized to enhance the performance of RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Data compression and caching mechanisms

Answer

Load balancing and failover without other techniques

Answer

Thread optimization and pooling exclusively

Answer

Encryption and authentication as primary techniques

Question 51

What is the primary role of a stub in an RPC system?

Accepted Answer

To act as a proxy for the remote procedure on the client side

Answer

To handle data serialization and deserialization exclusively

Answer

To provide comprehensive error handling capabilities

Question 52

What is the key distinction between synchronous and asynchronous RPCs?

Accepted Answer

Synchronous RPCs block the caller until the response is received, while asynchronous RPCs do not

Answer

Asynchronous RPCs are inherently more secure than synchronous RPCs

Answer

Synchronous RPCs are always more efficient than asynchronous RPCs

Question 53

Which method is employed to locate RPC servers in a distributed system?

Accepted Answer

Service discovery mechanisms

Answer

Network scanning exclusively

Answer

Manual configuration as the primary method

Question 54

What are the primary considerations when designing secure RPC systems?

Accepted Answer

Authentication, authorization, and encryption

Answer

Error handling and logging exclusively

Answer

Network optimization and caching without other considerations

Answer

Performance and scalability as the exclusive considerations