[comp.os.v] Wanted: Distributed Operating System

cdash@MUMM.COLORADO.EDU (Charles Shub) (10/23/90)

In news article <8090@darkstar.ucsc.edu> you wrote:
=>  
=>  We wish to experiment with operating systems (or systems that may be
=>  overlayed on top operating systems) that support distributed computing.  We
=>  would like something that exists now as a reasonably stable product. I would
=>  appreciate both suggestions and comments on experiences with such systems.
=>  
=>  % You might look into ISIS.  The TRs are available via anonymous FTP from
=>  % cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu  --DL
=>  
=>  I would also appreciate your views on definitional issues. In particular, is
=>  there a consensus about the kinds of services a distributed operating system
=>  should offer? For example, presumably providing just basic network services,
=>  or just remote procedure calls, or just remote file system access, etc. isn't
=>  enough.  What should one expect of a system that calls itself a distributed
=>  operating system?  As my list of possible services suggest, is there a
=>  useful, commonly acepted conceptual partioning of distributed operating
=>  system services?
=>  
=>  Thanks.
=>  
=>  -- Russ Abbott@itro3.aero.org

you might also look at the V system from stanford. it runs on several
platforms. On your quest for definitional issues, thre are several papers
on distributed systems around. you might try:

Almes, G. T., Black, A. T., Lazowska, E. D., and Noe, J. D., \fI"The Eden
System: A Technical Review,"\fR IEEE Transactions on Software
Engineering, Volume 11, Number 1, January, 1985, Pages 43 - 59.

Banino, J. S., Fabre, J. C., Guillemont, M., Morisset, G., and Rozier, M.,
\fISome Fault Tolerant Aspects of the CHORUS Distributed System,"\fR
Proceedings of the International Conference on Distributed Systems, March,
1985, Pages 430 - 437.

Black, A., \fI"Supporting Distributed Applications: Experience with Eden,"\fR
Proceedings of the Tenth ACM Symposium on Operating Systems
Principles, Orcas Island, Washington, December, 1985, Pages 181 - 193.

Cheriton, D. R., \fI"The V Kernel: A Software Base for Distributed
Systems,"\fR IEEE Software, Volume 1, Number 2, April, 1984, Pages 19
- 42.

Cheriton, D. R., \fI"The V Distributed System,"\fR Communications of the ACM,
Volume 31, Number 3, March, 1988, Pages 314 - 333. 

Miller, B. et. al., \fI"DEMOS/MP: The Development of a Distributed Operating
System,"\fR Software Practice and Experience, Volume 17, Number 4, April, 1987,
Pages 277 - 290.

Ousterhout, J. K., Cherenson, A. R., Douglis, F., Nelson, M. N., and Welch,
B. B., \fI"The Sprite Network Operating System,"\fR IEEE Computer, February,
1988, Pages 23 - 45.

Tanenbaum, A. S. and van Renesse, R., \fI"Distributed Operating Systems,"\fR
Computing Surveys, Volume 17, Number 4, December, 1985, Pages 419 - 470.

Walker, B., Popek, G., English, R., Kline, C., and Thiel, G., \fI"The
LOCUS Distributed Operating System,"\fR Operating Systems Review,
Volume 17, Number 5, December, 1983, Pages 49 - 70.

-- 

charlie shub  cdash@boulder.Colorado.EDU  -or-  ..!{ncar|nbires}!boulder!cdash
  or even     cdash@colospgs (BITNET)     -or-  (719) 593-3492