PULSE DISTRIBUTED FILE SYSTEM.

A network of powerful personal computers, linked by a high-speed local area network, is being seen increasingly as an alternative to a traditional centralized time-sharing operating system. The PULSE project is investigating how such a system may be constructed to give the benefits of a self-sufficient personal computer to each user without losing the facilities for communication and sharing of data inherent in centralized systems. In particular, a distributed file system has been built which provides a single global UNIX*-like hierarchy, with a consistent appearance when accessed from any machine. Replicated copies of files are maintained to improve reliability, increase performance, and enable each machine to run stand-alone, albeit with reduced facilities.