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ABSTRACT

The distributed V kernel is a message-oriented kernel that provides uniform local and network interprocess communication. It is primarily being used in an environment of diskless workstations connected by a high-speed local network to a set of file servers. We describe a performance evaluation of the kernel, with particular emphasis on the cost of network file access. Our results show that over a local network: 1. Diskless workstations can access remote files with minimal performance penalty. 2. The V message facility can be used to access remote files at comparable cost to any well-tuned specialized file access protocol. We conclude that it is feasible to build a distributed system with all network communication using the V message facility even when most of the network nodes have no secondary storage.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.4 Distributed Systems

          Nouns: V

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.4 Distributed Systems
          Subjects: Network operating systems
  C.5 COMPUTER SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
      C.5.m Miscellaneous

          Nouns: Sun

General Terms:
Performance