Where does consensus algorithsm (RAFT) fit in the TCP/IP model?

Interesting question and one in which I would not consider myself "expert", so perhaps I should not be answering. However, by my reading, it has been argued that TCP/IP is an under specified two node consensus model. The application layer contains services like telnet, smtp and ftp and these by my understanding are fixed protocols that do not make use of anything more than two nodes in a consensus model either.

You could create something at the application layer that implements a consensus protocol such as RAFT, and I imagine that such a protocol could be used to control servers providing services. With that in mind, I would argue that it would reside in the application layer, or it could be built on top of an existing tcp/ip application layer component.

I am happy to concede that this may be inaccurate if a more knowledgeable individual steps forward.

Raft specifies NOTHING w.r.t.network, the RAFT papers only talk about an RPC protocol... that can be Anything.


The protocol is just a service wrt. the IP stack. That it is implemented using UDP or TCP has nothing to do with it.
So OSI Layer 7 protocol according to the docmentation i could find it uses plain UDP or TCP ports.
Multicast may make it more efficient for some type of messages and that still leaves it as layer 7, application.
(arguably level 8).

RAFT is more avout the voting process, and that in itself is just an application.   That the application can cause a system to cease actions for anything else is not in scope of the network.