TAOCP Vol 3: Sorting and Searching · Week 88
TAOCP 5.4.7 External Radix Sorting: reading guide
Doing radix sort on data that lives on external storage, distributing into files by digit.
Time About 3 hours this week
Why it matters
Distribution-based external sorts are how many big-data systems partition data (think MapReduce shuffles).
Before you start
- 5.2.5 Sorting by Distribution
How to approach it
Skim and connect it to the shuffle phase of MapReduce or Spark.
Exercises
This is a light section. Skim the exercises, do the ones rated 10 or under in your head, and spend the spare time catching up on earlier exercises you skipped.