PastSet-an efficient high level inter process communication mechanism

A new high level IPC mechanism, PastSet, is presented. PastSet supports partial causal ordered logging of synchronization and communication events. Communicated data are represented as tuples and stored in a common repository accessible by all processes. In the repository, tuples of the same template are causally ordered. While being equivalent to semaphores, messages and pipes, PastSet also offer a powerful abstraction suitable for knapsack type parallel applications as well as applications that require state logging. An implementation on uniprocessors and four-way multiprocessors running Linux. The mechanism is integrated into the Linux kernel alongside existing Sys V mechanisms. PastSet gives up to 40% faster synchronization and up to 56% better small package bandwidths than achieved with Linux semaphores, messages, and pipes. Although being a higher abstraction level mechanism, PastSet proves to consistently outperform existing Linux Sys V interprocess communication mechanisms on multiprocessors and to a large extend also on uniprocessors.