Reliable map-reduce communications in a decentralized, self-organizing communication orbit of a distributed network

A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors cause the processors to perform operations comprising:

• at a first machine of a non-static collection of machines forming a linear communication orbit, wherein the first machine has a set of direct contacts comprising a set of machines distributed along the linear communication orbit:
• monitoring a current propagation state of a first query that has departed from the first machine to travel in a forward direction along the linear communication orbit;
• detecting a propagation failure of the first query corresponding to the current propagation state of the first query, including detecting a failure to receive an acknowledgement of the first query from a first direct contact among the set of direct contacts within a predetermined timeout corresponding to the first direct contact, wherein the first direct contact is located in an unanswered range of the first query downstream of the first machine along the linear communication orbit, and wherein there is at least one machine located between the first machine and the first direct contact of the first machine along the linear communication orbit;
• and
• in accordance with detection of the propagation failure of the first query corresponding to the current propagation state of the first query, sending the first query directly to the first direct contact of the first machine, wherein the first direct contact of the first machine is configured to initiate failure recovery within at least part of a respective segment of the linear communication orbit between the first machine and the first direct contact of the first machine.

A first machine, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the processors to perform operations, wherein:
• the first machine is among a non-static collection of machines forming a linear communication orbit,
• the first machine has a set of direct contacts comprising a set of machines distributed along the linear communication orbit, and
• the operations include:
• monitoring a current propagation state of a first query that has departed from the first machine to travel in a forward direction along the linear communication orbit;
• detecting a propagation failure of the first query corresponding to the current propagation state of the first query, including detecting a failure to receive an acknowledgement of the first query from a first direct contact among the set of direct contacts within a predetermined timeout corresponding to the first direct contact, wherein the first direct contact is located in an unanswered range of the first query downstream of the first machine along the linear communication orbit, and wherein there is at least one machine located between the first machine and the first direct contact of the first machine along the linear communication orbit;
• and
• in accordance with detection of the propagation failure of the first query corresponding to the current propagation state of the first query, sending the first query directly to the first direct contact of the first machine, wherein the first direct contact of the first machine is configured to initiate failure recovery within at least part of a respective segment of the linear communication orbit between the first machine and the first direct contact of the first machine.