Implementing transparent shared memory on clusters using virtual machines

Abstract

Shared memory systems, such as SMP and ccNUMA topologies, simplify programming and administration. On the other hand, clusters of individual workstations are commonly used due to cost and scalability considerations. We have developed a virtual-machine-based solution, dubbed vNUMA, that seeks to provide a NUMA-like environment on a commodity cluster, with a single operating system instance and transparent shared memory. In this paper we present the design of vNUMA and some preliminary evaluation.