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ABSTRACT

It is desirable for the load in a distributed system to be balanced evenly. A dynamic process migration protocol is needed in order to achieve load balancing in a user transparent manner. A distributed algorthim for load balancing which is network topology independent is proposed in this paper. Different network topologies and low-level communications protocols affect the choice of only some system design parameters. The "drafting" algorithm attempts to compromise two contradictory goals: maximize the processor utilization and minimize the communication overhead. The main objective of this paper is to describe the dynamic process migration protocol based on the proposed drafting algorithm. A sample distributed system is used to further illustrate the drafting algorithm and to show how to define system design parameters. The system performance is measured by simulation experiments based on the sample system.

INDEX TERMS

Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.4 Distributed Systems
          Subjects: Network operating systems

  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.1 Process Management
          Subjects: Multiprocessing/multiprogramming/multitasking
      D.4.7 Organization and Design
          Subjects: Distributed systems

  F. Theory of Computation
  F.2 ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS AND PROBLEM COMPLEXITY
      F.2.2 Nonnumerical Algorithms and Problems
          Subjects: Sequencing and scheduling

General Terms:
Algorithms, Performance

Keywords:
system performance, Bidding algorithm, computer network, distributed algorithm, distributed operation system, distributed system, load balancing, process migration