How to migrate processes in distributed computing systems-a Markov team approach

A process migration mechanism offers a means to exploit the performance reserves present in networks of workstations used as personal computers by allowing migration of processes from overloaded to underused processors. Several distributed operating systems provide such a facility, the benefits of its use depending on the specification of a proper process migration policy. An analytical model, the Markov team model, to assist in the design of such a policy is presented. This model is derived from results of classical team theory and Markov decision processes. The special case of homogeneous distributed computing systems and methods for parameter estimation are discussed. Numerical examples are used to demonstrate the benefits of using this model