Host-Level Protocol Support for Interoperable Distributed Computing

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This research project explores an emerging and potentiallyimportant area of distributed computing: interactive distributedapplications that involve mobile users with disparate networkconnections and computing devices. Specifically, the projectaddresses the design of group communication protocols forreliable multicasting, event synchronization, and leadershipcontrol. Key issues include how such protocols adapt to networkdynamics produced by mobile nodes and how they accommodateperformance differences among network connections and hardwareplatforms. The project investigates the integration of threehost-level techniques to support group communication: enhancednetwork interface card functionality, new operating systemservices, and user-level/proxy-based protocols. In addition toanalysis and simulation, the project involves extensiveexperimentation on a research testbed. Expected results include:new protocols and implementation techniques for use by softwaredevelopers; performance data on the merits and deficiencies ofvarious development techniques; and a framework for developingand testing new applications. On a broader scale, improving theunderlying support for interactive distributed applicationsenhances their performance and makes them more accessible todomains such as education, science, and public safety.