Ppfs: An Experimental File System For High Performance Parallel Input/output

iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank my research advisor, Dan Reed, for the guidance and encouragement he has provided throughout this project. My partner, Chris Elford, deserves more thanks than I could ever express. Chris has been a good friend during this entire eeort, and has made it enjoyable on a day-today basis. We did not work alone, however. Tara Madyhastha and Chris Kuszmaul were instrumental in shaping the initial design and implementation of the system. More recently, David Blumenthal has made important contributions to the project overall, and to the documentation in particular. Working in the Pablo group has been a genuine pleasure. Thanks to And most of all, Phil Roth, for many hours of conversation and pinball. My parents and brothers have given the love, encouragment, and support that have sustained me thus far. Thanks to them, I had the opportunity to explore the fascinating realm of computers at a young age, and later to fullll my dreams of becoming a computer scientist. and Matt Laitala helped me "recharge" over weekends and holidays. Special thanks to Michal Friedrich for all the encouragement she has given me during our long friendship. Thanks also to my friends from NIU: and Bowker families for their support over the years. In particular, for the kind advice they have provided, my deepest gratitude goes to Dave Jones and Sam Bowen.