Techniques for Dynamic Software Migration

This paper reports on ESPRIT Project 1228 (1256), the Chameleon Project, concerned with the development of a range of techniques for effective and dynamic internetworking over a network of computer systems. Although there has been significant progress towards the establishment of standard communication protocols for computer networks, the main issues of dynamic software migration (DSM) have not been tackled. These are concerned with effective development, execution, handling and transfer of programs and processes between a network of computers with different hardware, operating systems or configurations. One well known workstation vendor already claims that "The Network Is The Computer TM ". Their focus of attention is centered on a homogeneous network of proprietary machines with a uniform operating system. A major aim of the Chameleon Project is to turn this into a reality for heterogeneous networks without the need -- and drawbacks -- of any global information about the varied nat..