Degree Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

1988

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Computer Science

First Advisor

Robert M. Stewart

Abstract

As a solution to the software crisis, we propose an architecture that supports and encourages the use of programming techniques and mechanisms for enhancing software reliability. The proposed architecture provides efficient mechanisms for detecting a wide variety of run-time errors, for supporting data abstraction, module-based programming and encourages the use of small protection domains through a highly efficient capability mechanism. The proposed architecture also provides efficient support for user-specified exception handlers and both event-driven and trace-driven debugging mechanisms. The shortcomings of the existing capability-based architectures that were designed with a similar goal in mind are examined critically to identify their problems with regard to capability translation, domain switching, storage management, data abstraction and interprocess communication. Assuming realistic VLSI implementation constraints, an instruction set for the proposed architecture is designed. Performance estimates of the proposed system are then made from the microprograms corresponding to these instructions based on observed characteristics of similar systems and language usage. A comparison of the proposed architecture with similar ones, both in terms of functional characteristics and low-level performance indicates the proposed design to be superior.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-9123

Publisher

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University, http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/

Copyright Owner

Kanad Ghose

Language

en

Proquest ID

AAI8825395

File Format

application/pdf

File Size

231 pages

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