A very fast parallel object store for very fast applications

An architecture for a memory-resident, Parallel and Persistent ObjectSTore (PPOST) is suggested. Different object-oriented databases might be built on top of PPOST. The term memory-resident (or main memory based) means that the primary storage device is main memory. Persistence is guaranteed automatically by managing secondary and stable storage devices (such as main memory with uninterrupted power supply, discs and tapes). The architecture is able to take advantage of available main memory in a parallel or distributed environment. Thus, transactions can be actually performed with memory-speed, without being limited by the size of the memory of a given computer. Such an architecture is especially advantageous for applications requiring very fast answers, such as CAD or high-performance simulation. The implementation environment is partly supported by Digital Equipment Corporation (EERP contract number AU-035).