Distributed Processing,

Client/Server, and Clusters

Chapter 13
 Client/Server Computing
• Client machines are generally single-user PCs
or workstations that provide a highly user-
friendly interface to the end user
• Each server provides a set of shared user
services to the clients
• The server enables many clients to share
access to the same database and enables the
use of a high-performance computer system to
manage the database
 Client/Server Applications
• Basic software is an operating system
running on the hardware platform
• Platforms and the operating systems of
client and server may differ
• These lower-level differences are
irrelevant as long as a client and server
share the same communications
protocols and support the same
applications
 Client/Server Applications
• Actual functions performed by the
application can be split up between
client and server
• Optimize platform and network
resources
• Optimize the ability of users to perform
various tasks
• Optimize the ability to cooperate with
one another using shared resources
 Database Applications
• The server is a database server
• Interaction between client and server is
in the form of transactions
– the client makes a database request and
receives a database response
• Server is responsible for maintaining the
database
 Classes of Client/Server
Applications
• Host-based processing
– not true client/server computing
– traditional mainframe environment
 Classes of Client/Server
Applications
• Server-based processing
– server does all the processing
– user workstation provides a graphical user
interface
 Classes of Client/Server
Applications
• Client-based processing
– all application processing done at the client
– data validation routines and other database
logic function are done at the server
 Classes of Client/Server
Applications
• Cooperative processing
– application processing is performed in an
optimized fashion
– complex to set up and maintain
 Three-Tier Client/Server
Architecture
• Application software distributed among
three types of machines
– User machine
• thin client
– Middle-tier server
• Gateway
• Convert protocols
• Merge/integrate results from different data
sources
– Backend server
 File Cache Consistency
• File caches hold recently accessed file
records
• Caches are consistent when they contain
exact copies for remote data
• File-locking prevents simultaneous
access to a file
 Middleware
• Set of tools that provide a uniform
means and style of access to system
resources across all platforms
• Enable programmers to build
applications that look and feel the same
• Enable programmers to use the same
method to access data
 Distributed Message Passing
• Message passed used to communicate
among processes
• Send and receive messages as used in a
single system OR
• Remote procedure calls
Basic Message-Passing
Primitives
 Reliability Versus
Unreliability
• Reliable message-passing guarantees
delivery if possible
– Not necessary to let the sending process
know that the message was delivered
• Send the message out into the
communication network without
reporting success or failure
– Reduces complexity and overhead
Blocking Versus Nonblocking
• Nonblocking
– Process is not suspended as a result of issuing a
Send or Receive
– Efficient and flexible
– Difficult to debug
• Blocking
– Send does not return control to the sending process
until the message has been transmitted
– OR does not return control until an
acknowledgment is received
– Receive does not return until a message has been
placed in the allocated buffer
 Remote Procedure Calls
• Allow programs on different machines
to interact using simple procedure
call/return semantics
• Widely accepted
• Standardized
– Client and server modules can be moved
among computers and operating systems
easily
 Client/Server Binding
• Binding specifies the relationship
between remote procedure and calling
program
• Nonpersistent binding
– logical connection established during
remote procedure call
• Persistent binding
– connection is sustained after the procedure
returns
 Synchronous versus
Asynchronous
• Synchronous RPC
– Behaves must like a subroutine call
• Asynchronous RPC
– Does not block the caller
– Enable a client to invoke a server repeatedly
so that it has a number of requests in the
pipeline at one time
Object-Oriented Mechanisms
 Clusters
• Alternative to symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP)
• Group of interconnected, whole
computers working together as a unified
computing resource
– illusion is one machine
– system can run on its own
 Benefits of Clusters
• Absolute scalability
– Can have dozens of machines each of which is a
multiprocessor
• Incremental scalability
– Add new systems in small increments
• High availability
– Failure of one node does not mean loss of service
• Superior price/performance
– Cluster can be equal or greater computing power
than a single large machine at a much lower cost
 Clusters
• Separate server
– Each computer is a separate server
– No shared disks
– Need management or scheduling software
– Data must be constantly copied among
systems so each is current
 Clusters
• Shared nothing
– Reduces communication overhead
– Several servers connected to common disks
– Disks partitioned into volumes
– Each volume owned by a computer
– If computer fails another computer gets
ownership of the volume
 Clusters
• Shared disk
– Multiple computers share the same disks at
the same time
– Each computer has access to all of the
volumes on all of the disks
 Operating System Design
Issues
• Failure management
– Highly available cluster offers a high
probability that al resources will be in
service
• No guarantee about the state of partially
executed transactions if failure occurs
– Fault-tolerant cluster ensures that all
resources are always available
 Operating System Design
Issues
• Load balancing
– When new computer added to the cluster,
the load-balancing facility should
automatically include this computer in
scheduling applications
• Parallelizing Computation
– Parallelizing compiler
– Parallelized application
– Parametric computing
 Cluster Computer
Architecture
• Cluster middleware services and
functions
– Single entry point
– Single file hierarchy
– Single control point
– Single virtual networking
– Single memory space
– Single job-management system
 Cluster Computer
Architecture
• Cluster middleware services and
functions
– Single user interface
– Single I/O space
– Single process space
– Checkpointing
– Process migration
 Clusters Compared to SMP
• SMP is easier to manage and configure
• SMP takes up less space and draws less
power
• Clusters are better for incremental and
absolute scalability
• Clusters are superior in terms of
availability
 Windows 2000 Cluster
Service
• Cluster Service
– Collection of software on each node that manages
all cluster-specific activity
• Resource
– Item managed by the cluster service
• Online
– Online at node when it is providing service on that
specific node
• Group
– Collection of resources managed as a single unit
 Sun Cluster
• Major components
– Object and communication support
– Process management
– Networking
– Global distributed file system
 Beowulf and Linux Clusters
• Key features
– Mass market commodity components
– Dedicated processors (rather than
scavenging cycles from idle workstations)
– A dedicated, private network (LAN or
WAN or internetted combination)
– No custom components
– Easy replication from multiple vendors
 Beowulf and Linux Clusters
• Key features
– Scalable I/O
– A freely available software base
– Using freely available distribution
computing tools with minimal changes
– Returning the design and improvements to
the community