IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering

Query processing in a distributed system requires the transmission f data between computers in a network. The arrangement of data transmissions and local data processing is known as a distribution strategy for a query. Two cost measures, response time and total time are used to judge the quality of a distribution strategy. Simple algorithms are presented that derive distribution strategies which h... View full abstract»

This paper contains algorithms for ensuring the consistency of a distributed relational data base subject to multiple, concurrent updates. Also included are mechanisms to correctly update multiple copies of objects and to continue operation when less than all machines in the network are operational. Together with [4] and [12], this paper constitutes the significant portions of the design for a dis... View full abstract»

This paper descrbes two protocols for the detection of deadlocks in distributed data bases–a hierarchically organized one and a distributed one. A graph model which depicts the state of execution of all transactions in the system is used by both protocols. A cycle in this graph is a necessary and sufficient condition for a deadlock to exist. Nevertheless, neither protocol requires that the g... View full abstract»

An arbitrary interleaved execution of transactions in a database system can lead to an inconsistent database state. A number of synchronization mechanisms have been proposed to prevent such spurious behavior. To gain insight into these mechanisms, we analyze them in a simple centralized system that permits one read operation and one write operation per transaction. We show why locking mechanisms l... View full abstract»

The proliferation of large software systems written in high level programming languages insures the utility of analysis programs which examine interprocedural communications. Often these analysis programs need to reduce the dynamic relations between procedures to a static data representation. This paper presents one such representation, a directed, acyclic graph named the call graph of a program. ... View full abstract»

A data flow anomaly in a program iB an indication that a programming error might have been committed. This paper descibes a method for detecting such an anomiay by means of program instrumentation. The method is conceptually simple, easy to use, easy toimplement on a computer, and can be applied in conjunction with a conventional program test to achieve increased error-detection capability. View full abstract»

This paper presents a method for automatically analyzing loops, and discusses why it is a useful way to look at loops. The method is based on the idea that there are four basic ways in which the logical structure of a loop is built up. An experiment is presented which shows that this accounts for the structure of a large class of loops. The paper discusses how the method can be used to automatical... View full abstract»

ILIAD is a high-evel language for programming real-time applications which involve concurrent processing. It was designed to help scientists and engineers write reliable programs that can be read and maintained. An ILIAD program consists of a group of concurrent tasks. The tasks are autonomous and must cooperate in using the shared memory and devices in the execution environment. The language has ... View full abstract»

The extensible set language (ESL) uses clusters for extending the set oriented language and for mapping the sets and their operators into base language data structure and operators. The main difficulty in this mapping is the dependency among clusters, i.e., the use of one data structure requires the modification or the constraint of another. The dialogue is a compile time procedure which is part o... View full abstract»

The propensity to make programming errors and the rates of error detection and correction are dependent on program complexity. Knowledge of these relationships can be used to avoid errorprone structures in software design and to devise a testing strategy which is based on anticipated difficulty of error detection and correction. An experiment in software error data collection and analysis was cond... View full abstract»

To the class of queuing networks analyzable by the method of Baskett, Chandy, Muntz, and Palacios, we add service centers whose scheduling is random. That is, upon completion of a service interval, the server chooses next to serve one of the waiting customers selected at random. As in the case of first-come first-served (FCFS) scheduling, all tasks must have the same exponentially distributed serv... View full abstract»