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Hi everyone, welcome back. Have you heard of the two general’s problem? Or sometimes it is also referred to as the ‘Two Generals Paradox’ or the ‘Two Armies Problem.’ We will go over the Two Generals Problem in this article and understand it as best as we can.
The Two Generals Problem is a challenge that was designed to visualize the attempt for computers to perform an action through communications which is an issue that appears during computer networking. This issue is caused by communications between two or more computers over an unreliable link, causing data to get lost and communication issues. The Two General’s Problem is currently unsolvable, but there are ways to improve the chances of a successful communication.
Visualize
An easy way to understand the issue is to visualize two different general’s, General A and General B. General A and General B are trying to work together to take over an enemy city. The enemy city is located within a valley between two hills. General A is located on one hill and General B is located on another hill. Both generals know that the only way that they can take over the enemy city is if they both attack with their armies at the same time. If General A attacks alone or if General B attacks alone, they will lose.
