An alternative approach to distributed database updating
Richard Greene · 1981
This paper presents a new updating approach for a fully redundant DDB operating in a transaction-based environment. Existing approaches utilize either a single, migrating controlling process (DBMS) or multiple controlling processes to access the DDB. Updating approaches based on a single, migrating DBMS generally exhibit simplicity of design and lock-based concurrency control. Unfortunately, access to the DDB is usually single-thread. Approaches based on multiple controlling DBMSs generally exhibit complex design and concurrency control but do permit multi-thread access to the DDB. The approach proposed in this paper, called "Cooperative Multi-Thread" (CMT), is based on a single, migrating DBMS and lock-based concurrency control and yet permits multi-thread access of the DDB. The basis of this approach is the time-driven, cooperative scheduling of control migration. Contrast this with the request-driven, competitive scheduling of control migration of the existing approaches in the genre. The advantages of the proposed approach are an economical communications structure, high throughput, flexibility, and predictable performance. This paper presents the technical aspects of CMT approach as well as a quantitative and qualitative appraisal of it.