Persistent Messages in Local Transactions

: We present a new model for handling messages and state in a distributed application that we call Messages in Local Transactions (MLT). Under this model, messages and data are not lost after crashes, and all sends and receives are performed in local transactions. The model is unique in that it guarantees consistent recovery without the complexity or overhead of other recovery techniques. Applications using MLT do not need to coordinate checkpoints, track causal dependencies, or perform distributed commits. We show that MLT can be implemented using any reliable protocol. Finally, we describe our implementation of Vistagrams, a system based on the MLT model. We show that Vistagrams are just as fast as traditional messages, despite the recoverability they offer. The efficiency of our model and our Vistagrams implementation is enabled by the availability of fast stable storage, such as the reliable memory provided by the Rio file cache.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1998
• Where: PODC
• Authors: David E. Lowell, Peter M. Chen
• Keywords: Distributed And Parallel Computing, Local Transactions, MLT Model, Model, PODC 1998