Abstract
When implementing a system specified as a number of layers of abstraction, it is tempting to implement each layer as a process. However, this requires that communication between layers be via asynchnonous inter-process messages. Our experience, especially with implementing network protocols, suggests that asynchronous communication between layers leads to serious performance problems. In place of this structure we propose an implementation methodology which permits synchronous (procedure call) between layers, both when a higher layer invokes a lower layer and in the reverse direction, from lower layer upward. This paper discusses the motivation for this methodology, as well as the pitfalls that accompany it.

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