Exploiting Two-Case Delivery for Fast Protected Messaging

We propose and evaluate two complementary techniques to protect and virtualize a tightly-coupled network interface in a multicomputer. The techniques allow efficient, direct application access to network hardware in a multiprogrammed environment while gaining most of the benefitsof a memory-basednetwork interface. First, two-case delivery allows an application to receive a message directly from the network hardware in ordinary circumstances, but provides buffering transparently when requiredfor protection. Second, virtual buffering stores messages in virtual memory on demand, providing the convenience of effectively unlimited buffer capacity while keepingactualphysicalmemoryconsumptionlow. The evaluation is based on workloads of real and synthetic applications running on a simulator and partly on emulated hardware. The results show that the direct path is also the common path, justifying the use of software buffering. Further results show that physical buffering requirements remain lo...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1998
• Where: HPCA
• Authors: Kenneth Mackenzie, John Kubiatowicz, Matthew Frank, Walter Lee, Victor Lee, Anant Agarwal, M. Frans Kaashoek
• Keywords: Buffering Stores Messages, Distributed And Parallel Computing, HPCA 1998, Network Hardware, Physical Buffering Requirements