PARAMETERS FOR DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM-DESIGN

This paper analyzes the architectural choices which limit a system's ability to achieve specific design goals. A "layered black box" methodology for the analysis of distributed systems is introduced which allows the easy definition and manipulation of abstract systems. The layered black box abstraction is combined with analysis methods derived from contextual linguistics to delimit the possible functions of distributed systems. The goal is to determine the level of system knowledge which may be deduced from an abstract description of a distributed system. We do not so much develop new metrics for distributed system design as gain a deeper understanding of the significance and applicability of parameters for distributed systems. © 1990.