consensus protocol correctness with unknown number of failures
Check the final answer first, then review the worked steps.
Problem
consensus protocol correctness with unknown number of failures
Step-by-step solution
The correctness of many consensus protocols depends on knowing the maximum number of faulty processes, denoted by $f$. If $f$ is unknown, the protocol cannot guarantee agreement in all valid failure scenarios. Setting $f=N$ (total number of processes) or $f=1$ might not be generally applicable or correct for all systems.
Answer
Yes, the algorithm discussed in lecture is incorrect if we don't know $f$.