Uniform Interfaces for Distributed Systems.
Abstract
In designing a distributed system it is useful to distinguish between services provided to end-users and services provided to programs. The first type of service is provided by the user interface, the second by the system interface. Both user and system interfaces should gracefully extend the local (single-machine) computing environment to embrace remote resources; these should provide a coherent view of the distributed system. This report presents several mechanisms and paradigms for building distributed systems with uniform interfaces. These techniques are discussed in the context of a multiple-machine, multiple-network distributed system, called RIG which, logically can be thought of as a collection of independent processes running on various computers and cooperating via messages. Typical operating system functions, such as file access, terminal communication, and printing, are provided by server processes associated with each system resource. Each server is responsible for maintaining its own resource-specific communication protocol with its resource and for providing a standard message interface to other RIG processes. Thus, the distinction made in traditional systems between operating system services and user processes has been abandoned in favor of a uniform message interface. Additional keywords: Virtue terminals; command interaction; process management; paradigms; computer architecture.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA155111
Entities
People
- K. A. Lantz
Organizations
- University of Rochester