Subject: C433 JGSI Review
Resent-Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 23:18:02 -0400
Resent-From: Geoffrey Fox <gcf@npac.syr.edu>
Resent-To: p_gcf@npac.syr.edu
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 11:27:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: newhall@cs.swarthmore.edu (Tia Newhall)
To: gcf@npac.syr.edu

C433:A Tale of Two Directories: Implementing Distributed Shared Objects in
Java

a)Overall Recommendation

 accept provided changes suggested are made

b)Words suitable for authors

  This paper presents a study comparing two directory implementations for
  supporting distributed shared objects in Java.  The results of some of
  the authors initial performance measurements led them to develop a new
  directory scheme based on the best qualities of the initial two schemes.

  This is a very well written paper.  The initial discussion of tracking
  down the performance critical issues and testing certain Java language
  features to explain some of the observed behavior is complete and very
  well described.  Also, the description of how they developed their Hybrid
  protocol based on the results and analysis of their measurements of
  these other two protocols is thorough and well presented.

  The problem with this paper is that suddenly in section 6, the authors
  fail to explain or provide any analysis of their results.  Everything
  leading up to section 6 would suggest that their Hybrid scheme should
  perform better than the Arrow and Home schemes.  However, when they run
  larger benchmarks, the Arrow directory scheme outperforms Hybrid in all
  cases.  This result is not obvious and must be explained.

  Other than this one problem, I think this is a very good paper with
  interesting results.  I'd like to see this paper accepted.  However, it
  really needs some analysis/explanation of the results presented in
  section 6 before it should be accepted.

  minor changes:
        In figure 6, adding labels to the nodes and/or edges indicating
        node Q and which edge something from node R comes from, would make
        the prose associated with this figure easier to follow.

        In figure 15, why does Arrow do better than Hybrid for the 9 PE
case?

c)Words for me if necessary

  Of the three papers I reviewed, this is the best one.