ITR/SY+IM: Principles and Practice of Synchronization

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

The aims of the project are to develop implementation architectures and conceptual foundations for SYNCHRONIZERS -- programs that reconcile copies of replicated data after disconnected updates. More specifically, the project's goals are (1) to develop high-level SPECIFICATIONS for various forms of synchronization, in particular for the domains of file system synchronization and synchronization for more general structured data presented as XML; and (2) to build and distribute IMPLEMENTATIONS embodying these specifications. These activities are tightly connected, and will proceed in parallel throughout the project's lifetime. The results of the research will both be disseminated in the form conference and journal publications and embodied in publically distributed software. The long-term intention is both to advance the conceptual foundations of synchronization tasks (in filesystems, databases, ad hoc network protocols, and cooperative middleware layers) and, by offering clean designs and compelling prototypes, to improve engineering practice in the area. http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/unison