System Support for Efficient Network Communication

System Support for Efficient Network Communication by Chandramohan A. Thekkath Co-Chairpersons of Supervisory Committee: Professor Henry M. Levy Professor Edward D. Lazowska Department of Computer Science and Engineering Recent advances in processor and network technology have significantly changed the hardware base for distributed systems. However, high-speed networks and fast processors alone are not sufficient to deliver the end-to-end performance that users of these systems expect; good software design is critical. This thesis explores software mechanisms needed to support efficient network access for the next generation of workstations and networks. The thesis proposes a new communication mechanism or model based on remote access (read and write) to protected memory segments. This model has two key aspects. First, it simplifies input data demultiplexing and reduces data copying costs. This allows users of the model very efficient access to remote data. A second and more significa..