The Midway distributed shared memory system
- 30 December 2002
- conference paper
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Abstract
The authors describe the motivation, design, and performance of Midway, a programming system for a distributed shared memory multicomputer (DSM) such as an ATM-based cluster, a CM-5, or a Paragon. Midway supports a novel memory consistency model called entry consistency (EC). EC guarantees that shared data become consistent at a processor when the processor acquires a synchronization object known to guard the data. EC is weaker than other models described in the literature, such as processor consistency and release consistency, but it makes possible higher performance implementations of the underlying consistency protocols. Midway programs are written in C, and the association between synchronization objects and data must be made with explicit annotations. As a result, pure entry consistent programs can require more annotations than programs written to other models. Midway also supports the stronger release consistent and processor consistent models at the granularity of individual data items.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Wisconsin Multicube: a new large-scale cache-coherent multiprocessorPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2003
- Memory consistency and event ordering in scalable shared-memory multiprocessorsPublished by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ,2002
- The Stanford Dash multiprocessorComputer, 1992
- Implementation and performance of MuninPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,1991
- Performance evaluation of memory consistency models for shared-memory multiprocessorsPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,1991
- The interaction of architecture and operating system designPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,1991
- Virtual memory primitives for user programsPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,1991
- Distributed shared memory in a loosely coupled distributed systemACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review, 1987
- How to Make a Multiprocessor Computer That Correctly Executes Multiprocess ProgramsIEEE Transactions on Computers, 1979
- Time, clocks, and the ordering of events in a distributed systemCommunications of the ACM, 1978