Mechanisms for Distributed Shared Memory

Abstract

Distributed shared memory (DSM) systems simplify the task of writing distributedmemory parallel programs by automating data distribution and communication. Unfortunately, DSM systems control memory and communication using fixed policies, even when programmers or compilers could manage these resources more efficiently. This thesis proposes a new approach that lets users efficiently manage communication and memory on DSM systems. Systems provide primitive DSM mechanisms without binding them to fixed protocols (policies). Standard shared-memory programs use default protocols similar to those found in current DSM machines. Unlike current systems, these protocols are implemented in unprivileged software. Programmers and compilers are free to modify or replace them with optimized custom protocols that manage memory and communication directly and efficiently. To explore this new approach, this thesis: . identifies a set of mechanisms for distributed shared memory, . develops Tempest, a portab..