My research with Windows NT focuses on storage and on the storage-communication interplay. Examples include:

- The Intellijuke hierarchical storage server, which keeps data on a jukebox of CD-ROMs and caches parts of it on magnetic disk. This is a hybrid file/block cache. NT-related issues include the insertion of a highest-level driver above an NTFS partition, creation of a mechanismcommunication mechanism between a kernel driver and user-mode code which support driver-initiated communication; support for sparse files on disk; avoidance of deadlock due file locking.

- Track-pairing: a technique for attaining constant disk transfer rate with disk that use multi-zone recording, in the context of a video server. NT-related issues include the control of data placement on disk, and the creation of an apparently-large file in a RAM drive, permitting the use of standard media players (which read from files) while actually constructing a pipe.

- A video server combining randomized data placement with judicious use of redundancy for short-term load balancing. NT-related issues include the efficient use of multi-port network adapters and, more generally, moving data efficiently through an NT-based system.

- NT with EMC^2 Symmetrix 3330 storage server. We are just now getting into this topic. Research issues will include the use of the servers large, non-volatile memory and its effect on operating-system policies; data sharing; prefetching and staging.

Yitzhak (Tsahi) Birk T:+972 4 829-4637 F:+972 4 832-3041
Electrical Engineering Dept. Email: birk@ee.technion.ac.il
Technion - Israel Inst. of Technol. WWW: https://www-ee.technion.ac.il/
Haifa 32000, ISRAEL users/birk/birk_hp.html