A Remote Execution Mechanism for Distributed Homogeneous Stable Stores

Persistent languages and systems provide the ability to create and manipulate all data in a uniform manner regardless of how long it persists. Such systems are usually implemented above a stable persistent store which supports reliable long-term storage of persistent data. In this paper we consider the issue of distribution of the persistent store across nodes. A number of existing persistent languages with support for distribution are described in terms of a taxonomy of distributed stores. It is shown that there are considerable difficulties with these systems, particularly in terms of scalability. A new mechanism based on the exportation and remote execution of procedures is then described. A key feature of this mechanism is that an exported procedure may dynamically bind to data in the remote store. It is shown that the mechanism alleviates most of the problems of existing systems and provides considerable flexibility. The paper concludes with some examples of practical use of the proposed mechanism.