phyllis@utcsrgv.UUCP (Phyllis Eve Bregman) (01/09/84)
UofT Department of Computer Science Seminar Schedule for the week of January 9, 1984 Thursday, January 12th, 4:00 P.M., SF1105: Dr. J.P. Black, Computing Laboratory, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K. "UNIX United and the Newcastle Connection". ABSTRACT: Unix United is an architecture for a distributed system based on UNIX.* Our aim during its design has been to extend UNIX semantics consistently from a single system to a collection of independent UNIX systems. The resulting distributed system is functionally identical to a single UNIX system. Nevertheless, the component UNIX systems remain quite loosely coupled: each component may use a different type of processor or (UNIX-like) operating system, and maintains its own user community and administrative autonomy. The Newcastle Connection is our implementation of the UNIX United architecture. It is a transparent software layer which relies on its supporting UNIX kernel and provides UNIX United semantics to its callers. Consideration of the Newcastle Connection as a virtualization of UNIX has led to a general recursive structuring principle for computer system design, as well as designs and prototypes for "orthogonal" virtualizations of UNIX. These include a triplicated fault tolerant virtual UNIX system, a distributed secure virtual UNIX system and a non-UNIX terminal concentrator masquerading as a UNIX system. *UNIX is a trademark of Bell Labs. -- Phyllis Eve Bregman CSRG, Univ. of Toronto {decvax,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,allegra,utzoo}!utcsrgv!phyllis