Distributed Shared Memory

The papers present in this text survey both distributed shared memory (DSM) efforts and commercial DSM systems. The book discusses relevant issues that make the concept of DSM one of the most attractive approaches for building large-scale, high-performance multiprocessor systems. The authors provide a general introduction to the DSM field as well as a broad survey of the basic DSM concepts, mechanisms, design issues, and systems. The book concentrates on basic DSM algorithms, their enhancements, and their performance evaluation. In addition, it details implementations that employ DSM solutions at the software and the hardware level. This guide is a research and development reference that provides state-of-the art information that will be useful to architects, designers, and programmers of DSM systems.

This is the first book to explain the language Unified Parallel C and its use. Authors El-Ghazawi, Carlson, and Sterling are among the developers of UPC, with close links with the industrial members of the UPC consortium. Their text covers background material on parallel architectures and algorithms, and includes UPC programming case studies. This book represents an invaluable resource for the growing number of UPC users and applications developers. More information about UPC can be found at: http://upc.gwu.edu/ An Instructor Support FTP site is available from the Wiley editorial department.

Virtual Shared Memory for Distributed Architecture

Mit der Verfügbarkeit verteilter Systeme wächst der Bedarf an einer fundamentalen Diskussion dieses Gebiets. Hier ist sie! Abgedeckt werden die grundlegenden Konzepte wie Zeit, Zustand, Gleichzeitigkeit, Reihenfolge, Kenntnis, Fehler und Übereinstimmung. Die Betonung liegt auf der Entwicklung allgemeiner Mechanismen, die auf eine Vielzahl von Problemen angewendet werden können. Sorgfältig ausgewählte Beispiele (Taktgeber, Sperren, Kameras, Sensoren, Controller, Slicer und Syncronizer) dienen gleichzeitig der Vertiefung theoretischer Aspekte und deren Umsetzung in die Praxis. Alle vorgestellten Algorithmen werden mit durchschaubaren, induktionsbasierten Verfahren bewiesen.

From driving, flying, and swimming, to digging for unknown objects in space exploration, autonomous robots take on varied shapes and sizes. In part, autonomous robots are designed to perform tasks that are too dirty, dull, or dangerous for humans. With nontrivial autonomy and volition, they may soon claim their own place in human society. These robots will be our allies as we strive for understanding our natural and man-made environments and build positive synergies around us. Although we may never perfect replication of biological capabilities in robots, we must harness the inevitable emergence of robots that synchronizes with our own capacities to live, learn, and grow. This book is a snapshot of motivations and methodologies for our collective attempts to transform our lives and enable us to cohabit with robots that work with and for us. It reviews and guides the reader to seminal and continual developments that are the foundations for successful paradigms. It attempts to demystify the abilities and limitations of robots. It is a progress report on the continuing work that will fuel future endeavors. Table of Contents: Part I: Preliminaries/Agency, Motion, and Anatomy/Behaviors / Architectures / Affect/Sensors / Manipulators/Part II: Mobility/Potential Fields/Roadmaps / Reactive Navigation / Multi-Robot Mapping: Brick and Mortar Strategy / Part III: State of the Art / Multi-Robotics Phenomena / Human-Robot Interaction / Fuzzy Control / Decision Theory and Game Theory / Part IV: On the Horizon / Applications: Macro and Micro Robots / References / Author Biography / Discussion

Zusammenfassung: This book offers a comprehensive survey of shared-memory synchronization, with an emphasis on "systems-level" issues. It includes sufficient coverage of architectural details to understand correctness and performance on modern multicore machines, and sufficient coverage of higher-level issues to understand how synchronization is embedded in modern programming languages. The primary intended audience for this book is "systems programmers"--the authors of operating systems, library packages, language run-time systems, concurrent data structures, and server and utility programs. Much of the discussion should also be of interest to application programmers who want to make good use of the synchronization mechanisms available to them, and to computer architects who want to understand the ramifications of their design decisions on systems-level code

* Comprehensive introduction to the fundamental results in the mathematical foundations of distributed computing * Accompanied by supporting material, such as lecture notes and solutions for selected exercises * Each chapter ends with bibliographical notes and a set of exercises * Covers the fundamental models, issues and techniques, and features some of the more advanced topics