Top-down definition of Network Centric Operating System features

Thesis Network (and grid, if we view grids as networks with specific middleware on top of the component processing node operating systems) programming is an hard task due to the necessity of taking into account network latencies and faults, dynamic node availability and load, performance/efficiency requirements and constrains, etc. Figure 1 Factorizing our long experience in the field of high performance, structured parallel programming models for workstation clusters/networks and grids, we propose to derive a sort of reduced instruction set to be included in a network centric operating system to support layered responsibility in the development of network/grid applications. We claim that the basic features needed to run grid applications is only a small set of features, including efficient data/file transfer, resource inventory/discovery, remote commanding, accounting and communication. We also claim that these few mechanisms can be exploited using a mix of static techniques (compiler based) and dynamic techniques (run time system based) to implement the programming model at hand, much in the sense the RISC processor instructions was exploited to implement completely different high level programming languages [1][2]. Therefore we propose to study an approach like the one summarized in Figure 1. Typical, effective grid applications should be studied to carefully understand which is the set of grid mechanisms exploited. In the meanwhile, typical operating systems have to be analyzed to understand which mechanisms suitable to support grid programming they provide and which is their efficiency. Then, carefully analyzing the results achieved in these two steps, the set of mechanisms actually needed in a network centric operating system can be derived. Such mechanisms can be added to existing operating systems or a new operating system including them can be designed. Whether the former or the latter choice is to be taken, it depends on the number of mechanisms needed and in the cost involved in their introduction in (one of the) existing operating systems. Such an approach should guarantee that we do not incur the risk of fixing too many features in the operating system. We have experience in the GRID.it project that supports this approach. In this project we developed a high level, structured, parallel grid-programming environment that is compiled on top of existing Globus middleware. The features of both Globus and underlying operating system actually used to run the programs developed using this environment are actually a very small set of mechanisms. Almost no one of the …