Open Collections

Abstract

Objects are entities which encapsulate data and those operations which manipulate the data. A distributed, object-based programming system (or DOBPS) is a distributed operating system which has been designed to support an object-based programming language and, in particular, an object abstraction. DOBPSs have the benefits of simplifying program construction and improving the performance of programs by providing efficient, system-level support for the abstractions used by the language. Many DOBPSs also permit hardware and software failures to be tolerated. This thesis introduces a definition for the term "distributed, object-based programming system" and identifies the features, that are related to objects, which are required by an operating system of a DOBPS. A classification scheme is presented that categorizes and characterizes these features to permit a number of implementation techniques to be easily examined, compared, and contrasted.