Julep: A Framework for Reliable Distributed Computing in Java

Julep is an object-oriented testbed designed for analysis and comparison of temporal diversity fault tolerance mechanisms. It is written in Java, and runs as a layer underneath a distributed application. Julep can run on any standard COTS platform with a JVM, in homogeneous or heterogeneous environments. Julep is designed to quickly and easily incorporate new process recovery mechanisms, allowing accurate comparison between mechanisms for specific applications on specific hardware platforms. Julep’s central Manager acts as a task location and status lookup service.A novel aspect of Julep is the implementation of ‘unbreakable’ communication channels. Julep is flexible regarding its use of fault tolerant mechanisms. It can be used as a testbed to compare performance between implemented recovery mechanisms, as a framework within which new recovery mechanisms can be implemented and tested, or as an infrastructure to add fault tolerance to an existing distributed application. 1.