A programmable interface language for heterogeneous distributed systems

The 1980s have witnessed the emergence of a new architecture for computing based on networks of personal computer workstations. The performance requirements of such systems of workstations places a strain on traditional approaches to network architecture. The integration of diverse systems into this environment introduces functional compatibility issues that are not present in homogeneous networks. Effective prescriptions for functional compatibility, therefore, must go beyond the communication paradigms used in present distributed systems, such as remote procedure calls. This paper proposes a distributed system architecture in which communication follows a programming paradigm. In this architecture a programming language provides remote service interfaces for the heterogeneous distributed system environment. This language is a flexible and efficient medium for implementing service function protocols. In essence, clients and servers communicate by programming one another.

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