Progress In Distributed Operating Systems And Dist

The purpose of this workshop was to provide a general forum for distributed systems researchers. Special em- phasis was placed on research activities in distributed operating systems and management of distributed sys- stems. This volume includes a selection of the papers presented at the workshop. They focus on the illustration of existing concepts and solutions in distributed systems research and development, exemplified by case study analyses of various projects. The annex contains the position papers prepared for the panel discussions at the workshop.

In general, distributed systems can be classified into Distributed File Systems (DFS) and Distributed Operating Systems (DOS). The survey which follows distinguishes be tween DFS approaches in Chapters 2-3, and DOS approaches in Chapters 4-5. Within DFS and DOS, I further distinguish "traditional" and object-oriented approaches. A traditional approach is one where processes are the active components in the systems and where the name space is hierarchically organized. In a centralized environment, UNIX would be a good example of a traditional approach. On the other hand, an object-oriented approach deals with objects in which all information is encapsulated. Some systems of importance do not fit into the DFS/DOS classification. I call these systems "closely related" and put them into Chapter 6. Chapter 7 contains a table of comparison. This table gives a lucid overview summarizing the information provided and allowing for quick access. The last chapter is added for the sake of completeness. It contains very brief descriptions of other related systems. These systems are of minor interest or do not provide transparency at all. Sometimes I had to assign a system to this chapter simply for lack of adequate information about it.

Distributed Operating Systems and Algorithms integrates into one text both the theory and implementation aspects of distributed operating systems for the first time. This innovative book provides the reader with knowledge of the important algorithms necessary for an in-depth understanding of distributed systems; at the same time it motivates the study of these algorithms by presenting a systems framework for their practical application. The first part of the book is intended for use in an advanced course on operating systems and concentrates on parallel systems, distributed systems, real-time systems, and computer networks. The second part of the text is written for a course on distributed algorithms with a focus on algorithms for asynchronous distributed systems. While each of the two parts is self-contained, extensive cross-referencing allows the reader to emphasize either theory or implementation or to cover both elements of selected topics.Features: Integrates and balances coverage of the advanced aspects of operating systems with the distributed algorithms used by these systems. Includes extensive references to commercial and experimental systems to illustrate the concepts and implementation issues. Provides precise algorithm description and explanation of why these algorithms were developed. Structures the coverage of algorithms around the creation of a framework for implementing a replicated server-a prototype for implementing a fault-tolerant and highly available distributed system. Contains programming projects on such topics as sockets, RPC, threads, and implementation of distributed algorithms using these tools. Includes an extensive annotated bibliography for each chapter, pointing the reader to recent developments. Solutions to selected exercises, templates to programming problems, a simulator for algorithms for distributed synchronization, and teaching tips for selected topics are available to qualified instructors from Addison Wesley. 0201498383B04062001

Parallel and distributed computing has been one of the most active areas of research in recent years. The techniques involved have found significant applications in areas as diverse as engineering, management, natural sciences, and social sciences. This book reports state-of-the-art topics and advances in this emerging field. Completely up-to-date, aspects it examines include the following: 1) Social networks; 2) Smart grids; 3) Graphic processing unit computation; 4) Distributed software development tools; 5) Analytic hierarchy process and the analytic network process

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Bonas, France, June 15-26, 1981

In 1992 we initiated a research project on large scale distributed computing systems (LSDCS). It was a collaborative project involving research institutes and universities in Bologna, Grenoble, Lausanne, Lisbon, Rennes, Rocquencourt, Newcastle, and Twente. The World Wide Web had recently been developed at CERN, but its use was not yet as common place as it is today and graphical browsers had yet to be developed. It was clear to us (and to just about everyone else) that LSDCS comprising several thousands to millions of individual computer systems (nodes) would be coming into existence as a consequence both of technological advances and the demands placed by applications. We were excited about the problems of building large distributed systems, and felt that serious rethinking of many of the existing computational paradigms, algorithms, and structuring principles for distributed computing was called for. In our research proposal, we summarized the problem domain as follows: “We expect LSDCS to exhibit great diversity of node and communications capability. Nodes will range from (mobile) laptop computers, workstations to supercomputers. Whereas mobile computers may well have unreliable, low bandwidth communications to the rest of the system, other parts of the system may well possess high bandwidth communications capability. To appreciate the problems posed by the sheer scale of a system comprising thousands of nodes, we observe that such systems will be rarely functioning in their entirety.