Using the compliant systems architecture to deliver flexible policies within two-phase commit

Abstract

The compliant systems architecture (CSA) is a structuring methodology for constructing software systems that exhibit strict separation of policy and mechanism. Components of an instantiated CSA adapt to their environment under application control. This ability to evolve allows a single system to provide optimal support for arbitrary applications through flexible policy specification. Applications may determine their preferred level of participation in the specification of policy. In a distributed database system, two-phase commit (2PC) delineates a family of algorithms governed by policies that affect different performance, overhead and recovery characteristics. Whilst the literature describes many different algorithms, a given implementation employs a particular subset of policy choices. Consequently applications are captive to decisions made by the underlying system and are unable to exploit domain-specific knowledge. This paper outlines an instantiation of a distributed CSA and illustrates how it delivers flexibility within 2PC.