Reliable Broadcast Protocols
Abstract
The distinguishing feature of a distributed program is not just that its various parts are distributed over a number of processors but that these parts communicate with one another. The hardware in a distributed system allows a processor to send messages to other processors; the operating system usually extends this facility to allow a process on one machine to send messages to a process on another. The operating system may also provide facilities to set up virtual circuits between processes and may include protocols that ensure a certain degree of reliability in the communication. From the point of view of a programming language, however, these facilities are still rather low-level, and this has led to a search for appropriate high-level abstractions for inter- process communication. Some researchers suggest that distribution be completely hidden from the programmer. They argue for an abstraction that looks like a global shared memory. This abstraction has the advantage that it is simple to program with; writing a distributed program is no different from writing a non- distributed one.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA196132
Entities
People
- Ken Birman
- Thomas A. Joseph
Organizations
- Cornell University