What Is Transparent Distributed Processing? —
Fault-tolerant systems —
Distributed message passing —
Industry-standard POSIX interfaces —
Location transparency though GNS —
Redundant links for fault tolerance —
Reliable delivery —
Transport independence —
Conclusion
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What Is Transparent Distributed Processing?
The principle behind transparent distributed processing is simple: to merge all interconnected devices into a single logical computer, where applications can use just one simple programming interface to access both local and remote resources. If an application needs ...
Fault-tolerant systems
Besides eliminating unnecessary hardware, the location transparency provided by QNX distributed processing can also simplify the design of fault-tolerant, load-balancing systems. For instance, let’s say a machine provides compute services for ...
Distributed message passing
We’ve discussed what QNX distributed processing can do—but how, exactly, does it work? The answer can be found in the microkernel architecture of the QNX Neutrino RTOS, which provides the foundation for this unique ...
Industry-standard POSIX interfaces
Message passing provides the foundation on which QNX distributed processing is built. However, there is no need for developers to learn a complex messaging protocol. Unlike with NFS (Network File System), SMB (Server Message Block) or a client/server approach, an application ...
Location transparency though GNS
n the example above, the client application “knows” where the Flash file system is located (Node 2) and uses a pathname to access the service. However, QNX distributed processing also provides a global name service (GNS) that makes the location of ...
Redundant links for fault tolerance
To achieve load balancing or fault tolerance, many systems use a cluster architecture that distributes applications and services across multiple networked nodes. These nodes can be several machines connected by a LAN or multiple CPU cards connected to a backplane. If one node fails or becomes ...
Reliable delivery
To further enhance network reliability, QNX distributed processing supports the following features: fragmentation and reassembly, breakdown of messages into packets within the limits of the packet interface, assembly of incoming ...
Transport independence
By default, QNX distributed processing supports both Ethernet and the Internet Protocol (IP). It can, however, be implemented on any physical link, including LANs, backplanes, system buses, and proprietary ...
Conclusion
Today, almost every embedded device must communicate with other embedded devices—or to a larger system— through some form of interconnect, be it a system bus, backplane, switch fabric, LAN, wireless network, or the Internet. This development has, without ...
