Abstract
There are substantial benefits to be gained from building computing systems from a number of processors working in parallel. One of the frequently-stated advantages of parallel and distributed systems is that they may be scaled to the needs of the user. This paper discusses some of the problems associated with designing a general-purpose operating system for a scalable parallel computing engine and then describes the solutions adopted in our experimental parallel operating system.
We explain why a parallel computing engine composed of a collection of processors communicating through point-to-point links provides a suitable vehicle in which to realize the advantages of scaling. We then introduce a parallel-processing abstraction which can be used as the basis of an operating system for such a computing engine. We consider how this abstraction can be implemented and retain the ability to scale. As a concrete example of the ideas presented here we describe our own experimental scalable parallel operating-system project, concentrating on the Wisdom nucleus and the Sage file system. Finally, after introducing related work, we describe some of the lessons learnt from our own project.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 989-1013 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| Journal | Software-Practice & experience |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 1991 |
Keywords
- PARALLEL COMPUTING
- DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING
- COMMUNICATION
- SCALABILITY
- OPERATING SYSTEMS
- FILE SYSTEMS
- FILE SYSTEM
- MULTICOMPUTER
- PERFORMANCE
- NETWORK