A Domain-Specific Language for Application-Level Checkpointing

Checkpointing is one of the key requirements for writing fault-tolerant and flexible applications for dynamic and distributed environments like the Grid. Certain patterns are observed in the implementation of the application-level Checkpointing and Restart (CaR) mechanism across myriad of applications. These patterns indicate that a higher level of abstraction can be used to isolate the observed commonalities and variations in the CaR mechanism. This research paper describes an approach for the design and development of a Domain-Specific Language (DSL) for abstracting the application-level CaR mechanism. The specifications written in the DSL are used for semi-automatically generating the application-specific code for the CaR mechanism. This DSL not only provides a high-level of abstraction but also promotes code reuse, code correctness and non-invasive reengineering of legacy applications to embed the CaR mechanism in them.

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