Name space models for locating services

Much of recent work on computer systems has focused on providing transparent resource-sharing in a distributed computing environment . Many of these systems use the server-client model to provide access to data an d services. As more distributed services are offered and the demand for sharing increases i n these environments, efficient management an d accessing schemes become crucial. Locating services makes name service a critical part of access management. This report describes some of the work in progress as part of the Universal Name Semantics (UNS) project at the University of Michi-gan. UNS was intended to explore issues involved in providing client programs with seamless naming of objects across heterogeneous name spaces. UNS is distinguished from othe r heterogeneous naming systems in its attempt to partially automate the translation proces s by exploiting abstract similarity between nam e spaces .