Incremental Dynamic Updates with First-class Contexts

Highly available software systems occasionally need to be updated while avoiding downtime. Dynamic software updates reduce down-time, but still require the system to reach a quiescent state in which a global update can be performed. This can be difficult for multi-threaded systems. We present a novel approach to dynamic updates using first-class contexts, called Theseus. First-class contexts make global updates unnecessary: existing threads run to termination in an old context, while new threads start in a new, updated context; consistency between contexts is ensured with the help of bidirectional transformations. We show that for multi-threaded systems with coherent memory, first-class contexts offer a practical and flexible approach to dynamic updates, with acceptable overhead.

ADAM: Administration and Deployment of Adhoc Mesh Networks

Costly on-site node repairs in wireless mesh networks (WMNs) can be required due to misconfiguration, corrupt software updates, or unavailability during updates. We propose ADAM as a novel management framework that guarantees accessibility of individual nodes in these situations. ADAM uses a decentralised distribution mechanism and self-healing mechanisms for safe configuration and software updates. In order to implement the ADAM management and self-healing mechanisms, an easy-to-learn and extendable build system for a small footprint embedded Linux distribution for WMNs has been developed. The paper presents the ADAM concept, the build system for the Linux distribution and the management architecture.