ExoSnap: a modular approach to semantic synchronization and snapshots

ABSTRACT

Current approaches to application-specific synchronization suffer from a limitation that precludes the use of generic "commodity" servers because they require to run the type-specific synchronization code at the servers. This is a problem for "cloud computing" systems that must rely on commodity components to exploit economies of scale yet need to adapt to application needs to provide good performance. We describe a new approach that overcomes the limitation. The new approach splits the synchronization code, so that the type-specific code runs outside the server, on the client side, and the generic performance-critical code runs in the server. New type-specific synchronization protocols can be developed without modifying the servers, providing the ability to use commodity servers.

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Index Terms

• Computer systems organization

  • Architectures

    • Distributed architectures

• General and reference

  • Cross-computing tools and techniques

    • Performance

• Software and its engineering

  • Software creation and management

    • Software verification and validation

      • Operational analysis

  • Software organization and properties

    • Contextual software domains

      • Operating systems

        • Communications management

        • Process management

          • Process synchronization

    • Software system structures

      • Distributed systems organizing principles