Multiple-Processor Implementations of Message-Passing Systems.
Abstract
The goal of this thesis is to develop a methodology for building networks of small computers capable of the same tasks now performed by single larger computers. Such networks promise to be both easier to scale and more economical in many instances. The mu calculus, a simple syntactic formalism for representing message-passing computations, is presented and augmented to serve as the semantic basis for programs running on the network. The augmented version includes cells, tokens, and semaphores, as well as primitives for side-effect-free computation. Tokens, a novel construct, allow certain simple communication and synchronization tasks without involving fully general side effects. The network implementation presented supports object references, keeping track of them by using a new concept, the reference tree. A reference tree is a group of neighboring processors in the network that share knowledge of a common object. Also discussed are mechanisms for handling side effects on objects and strategy issues involved in allocating computations to processors. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA054009
Entities
People
- Robert H. Halstead Jr
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology