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A message‐driven programming system for fine‐grain multicomputers
Author(s) -
Maskit Daniel,
Taylor Stephen
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/spe.4380241005
Subject(s) - computer science , compiler , programming paradigm , programming language , loader , process (computing) , operating system , parallel computing
This paper describes an experimental message‐driven programming system for fine‐grain multicomputers. The initial target architecture is the J‐machine designed at MIT. This machine combines a unique collection of architectural features that include fine‐grain processes, on‐chip associative memory; and hardware support for process synchronization. The programming system uses these mechanisms via a simple message‐driven process model that blurs the distinction between processes and messages: messages correspond to processes that are executed elsewhere in the network. This model allows code and data to be distributed across the computers in the machine, and is supported at every stage of the program development cycle. The prototype system we have developed includes a basic set of programming tools to support the model; these include a compiler, linker, archiver, loader and microkernel. Although the concepts are language independent, our prototype system is based on GNU‐C.