A message‐driven programming system for fine‐grain multicomputers

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Abstract
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.

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