3219653
Key Elements Tracing Method for Parallel XML Parsing in Multi-Core System
Though XML is applied intensively in a lot of applications, XML parsing is not practical in many fields because of its poor performance. Parallel XML parsing on multi-core is a promising choice. Previous methods all adopt data parallel approach on XML parsing. As the semi-structured nature of XML, they were obliged to divide the data into well-formed XML chunks and then parse these chunks parallel. The division process is named as preparsing. As the preparsing is serial, it becomes the bottleneck of parallel XML parsing. Related work Simultaneous Finite Transducer (SFTXP) parallelized the preparsing stage. It maintained multiple preparser results for each equal sized chunk according to enumerated all possible parsing states. In spite of finite states for each XML, the overhead by SFTXP is tremendous, including CPU time and memory for multiple results generating and storing, respectively. In this work, we address parallel XML parsing by Key Element Parse Tracing (KEPT) method which parallelizes the preparsing and parsing at element level. It remolds the preparsing as a key element extracting process and schedules the processing of key elements in the framework of KEPT. Then parsing process is parallelized as a whole. To demonstrate the effectiveness, we implement it on libxml2 and obtain good scalability on both an 8-core Linux machine and an 8-core 24 SMT Sun machine running Solaris.
10926021
Agora: Grid Community in Vega Grid
In grid environment, how to organize, discover and use grid resources is one of the basic research problems. In this paper, we introduce a new concept called agora, which refers grid community in our Vega grid project. We propose a principle on agora as one of the basic design principles of Vega grid, which is the community principle. We give a detailed definition of the agora as a 4-tuple(S, O, C, P), representing the set of Subject, Object, Context, and Policy respectively. Our research methodology is comparative studies, drawing an analog between the grid and other platform systems such as OS, CPU, and MPI. We also study some properties about the agora, for example, grid law of inertia. This agora approach could be used to unify the grid invariability and dynamic variability effectively, develop the appropriate technology to support the dynamic and open properties of the grid, and deal with the complexity in the grid more efficiently.
29040872
A Variant to Turing's Theory of Computing Machines
The principal purpose of this paper is to offer a theory which is closely related to Turing's [1] but is more economical in the basic operations. I t will be proved that a theoretically simple basic machine can be imagined and specified such tha t all partial recursive functions (and hence all solvable computation problems) can be computed by it and tha t only four basic types of instruction are employed for the programs: shift left one space, shift right one space, mark a blank space, conditional transfer. In particular, erasing is dispensable, one symbol for marking is sufficient, and one kind of transfer is enough. The reduction is somewhat similar to the realization of, for instance, the definability of conjunction and implication in terms of negation and disjunction, or of the definability of all these in terms of Sheffer's stroke function. As a result, i t becomes less direct to prove that certain things can be done by the machines, but a little easier to prove that certain things cannot be done. This serf-contained theory will b e presented, as far as possible, in a language which is familiar to those who are engaged in the use and construction of largescale computers. Turing's theory of computable functions antedated but has not much influenced the extensive actual construction of digital computers. These two aspects of theory and practice have been developed almost entirely independently of each other. The main reason is undoubtedly that logicians are interested in questions radically different from those with which the applied mathematicians and electrical engineers are primarily concerned. I t cannot, however, fail to strike one as rather strange that often the same concepts are expressed by very different terms in the two developments. One is even inclined to ask whether a rapprochement might not produce some good effect. This paper wiU, it is believed, be of use to those who wish to compare and connect the two approaches. Extensive use of Turing [1] and Kleene [2] (Chapter XI I I ) will be made, although the exposition is sufficient in itself.
18986616
Verifying Real-Time Systems using Explicit-time Description Methods
Timed model checking has been extensively researched in recent years. Many new formalisms with time extensions and tools based on them have been presented. On the other hand, Explicit-Time Description Methods aim to verify real-time systems with general untimed model checkers. Lamport presented an explicit-time description method using a clock-ticking process (Tick) to simulate the passage of time together with a group of global variables for time requirements. This paper proposes a new explicit-time description method with no reliance on global variables. Instead, it uses rendezvous synchronization steps between the Tick process and each system process to simulate time. This new method achieves better modularity and facilitates usage of more complex timing constraints. The two explicit-time description methods are implemented in DIVINE, a well-known distributed-memory model checker. Preliminary experiment results show that our new method, with better modularity, is comparable to Lamport's method with respect to time and memory efficiency.
32096084
Critical Success Factors for Web-Based Organizational IT Training Systems
Over the years, organizational training plays an important role in human resource management in firms and organizations. With the rapidly changing technology and the increasing business demands, organizations especially IT departments have been investing greatly in web-based training. However, a successful web-based training system depends not only on the willingness from management, but also on IT infrastructure and employee acceptance, which is determined by many factors such as the degree of courseware customization and the level of collaboration.In this study, propositions on the critical success factors of a web-based training system were raised and verified in a case-study involving two web-based courses in a large corporate IT department. The case study method is used to contrast between two modules, and demonstrate the critical success factors for the web-based IT training in a corporate environment. Four factors were identified including management involvement and support, courseware customization, level of collaboration and effective and consistent IT infrastructure. The insights gained and lessons learnt from this case study may hold valuable implications for both research and practice.
14513982
An Online Model Checking Tool for Safety and Liveness Bugs
Modern software model checkers are usually used to find safety violations. However, checking liveness properties can offer a more natural and effective way to detect errors, particularly in complex concurrent and distributed e-business systems. Specifying global liveness properties which should always eventually be true proves to be more desirable, but it is hard for existing software model checkers to verify liveness in real codes because doing so requires finding an infinite execution. For solving such a challenge, this paper proposes an online checking tool to verify the safety and liveness properties of complex systems. We adopt the linear temporal logic to describe the semantics of the finite model checking, use binary instrumentation to obtain the distribute states and apply a checking engine to dynamically verify the finite trace linear temporal logic properties. At last, we demonstrate the method in a distributed system using distributed protocol Paxos and achieve good results by experiments.
28493483
Abuse-Free Item Exchange
Electronic exchange is widely used in e-commerce systems. This paper mainly discusses abuse-freeness in general item exchange protocol for two parties. Based on convertible signature scheme and adapted designated verifier proof, an efficient item exchange protocol is proposed to satisfy many interesting requirements including fairness, timeliness and strong abuse-freeness.