Factory-installation of software on workstations and servers

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (p. 69).by H. Earl Hones, III.S.M

Sorting on Clusters of SMPs

Clusters of symmetric multiprocessors (SMPs) have emerged as the primary candidates for large scale multiprocessor systems. In this paper, we introduce an efficient sorting algorithm for clusters of SMPs. This algorithm relies on a novel scheme for stably sorting on a single SMP coupled with balanced regular communication on the cluster. Our SMP algorithm seems to be asymptotically faster than any of the published algorithms we are aware of. The algorithms were implemented in C using Posix Threads and the SIMPLE library of communication primitives and run on a cluster of DEC AlphaServer 2100A systems. Our experimental results verify the scalability and efficiency of our proposed solution and illustrate the importance of considering both memory hierarchy and the overhead of shifting to multiple nodes. (Also cross-reference as UMIACS-TR-97-6

Commodity clusters: performance comparison between PCs and workstations

Workstation clusters were originally developed as a way to leverage the better cost basis of UNIX workstations to perform computations previously handled only by relatively more expensive supercomputers. Commodity workstation clusters take this evolutionary process one step further by replacing equivalent proprietary workstation functionality with less expensive PC technology. As PC technology encroaches on proprietary UNIX workstation vendor markets, these vendors will see a declining share of the overall market. As technology advances continue, the ability to upgrade a workstations performance plays a large role in cost analysis. For example, a major upgrade to a typical UNIX workstation means replacing the whole machine. As major revisions to the UNIX vendor`s product line come out, brand new systems are introduced. IBM compatibles, however, are modular by design, and nothing need to be replaced except the components that are truly improved. The DAISy cluster, for example, is about to undergo a major upgrade from 90MHz Pentiums to 200MHz Pentium Pros. All of the memory -- the system`s largest expense -- and disks, power supply, etc., can be reused. As a result, commodity workstation clusters ought to gain an increasingly large share of the distributed computing market

Acquisition and Forensic Analysis of Volatile Data Stores

The advent of more witted threats against typical computer systems demonstrates a need for forensic analysis of memory-resident data in addition to the conventional static analysis common today. Some tools are starting to become available to duplicate various types of volatile data stores. Once the data store has been duplicated, current forensic procedures have no vector for extrapolating further information from the duplicate. This thesis is focused on providing the groundwork for performing forensic investigations on the data that is typically stored in a volatile data store, such as system RAM, while creating as small an impact as possible to the state of a system. It is intended that this thesis will give insight to obtaining more post incident response information along with a smaller impact to potential evidence when compared to typical incident response procedures