Lightweight Recoverable Virtual Memory

Recoverable virtual memory rekrs to regions of a virtual address space on which transactional guarantees are offered. This paper deseribes RVM, an efficient, Pofiable, and easily used implementation of recoverable virtual memory for Unix environments. A unique characteristic of RVM is that it allows independent control over the trensactionaJ properties of atotnicity, permanence, and serializability. This leads to considerable flexibility in the use of RVM, potentially enlarging the range of applications than can benefh from transactions. It also simplifies the layering of functionality such asnesting and distribution. The paper shows that RVM performs well over its intended rattge of usage even though it does not benefit from specialized operating system support. It also demonstrates the importance of intra- end inter-transaction optitnizations. 1