Workbook · Round 1 · series

Distributed systems, for the interview

What do I actually remember about distributed systems?
30 min · A4

Colour language: choose yours

This prints black and white; the colour is your own ink. Colour each box with the pen you will use, then keep this page beside you as your key. No pen for a role? Write its letter in a circle.

Your colourCodeRoleMeaningPen
QAska numbered question for the AIyour pen, or write Q
RStopblocker, risk, broken, or not understoodyour pen, or write R
GKeepevidence, confident, something that workedyour pen, or write G
XCruxthe one thing that matters mosthighlighter
OMaybean idea, a possibility, a what-ifyour pen, or write O
PSensegut feeling, intuition, felt reactionyour pen, or write P
DDraftprovisional; do not trust yetyour pen, or write D
BReasonwhat you think; the main contentblack

How to use this

  1. Phone in another room.
  2. Work in ink, in the colours on this page.
  3. When the time is up, stop mid-sentence.
  4. Photograph every page and send them back.
W1-P2What I remember, unpromptedfree-recall

Write everything you can recall about consensus, replication and failure before you check a single note.

1. Consensus

2. Replication

3. Partition tolerance

4. Consistency models

What I missed: next round starts here

W1-P3The shape of the subjectnode-map

Put the topic in the centre and grow the map from what W1-P2 surfaced.

Distributed systems
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W1-P4Explain it simplyfeynman

Explain replication to someone who has never heard of it, in plain words.

Where I got stuck, or reached for jargon

Whatever you had to skip is the thing to ask about.

W1-P5Question queuequestion-queue

Write your questions for the AI with your Ask pen (or a circled Q), numbered. These come back with the photos.

Q1.
Q2.
Q3.
Q4.
Q5.
Q6.
Q7.
Q8.
W1-P6Return checklistreturn-checklist

Photograph each page flat and send them back together.

iFill the frame, avoid your own shadow, and keep the corner marks visible so the page can be straightened.