ThespisTRX: Causally-Consistent Read Transactions

Carl Camilleri, Joseph G. Vella and Vitezslav Nezval
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Carl Camilleri: Department of Computer Information Systems, University of Malta, Malta
Joseph G. Vella: Department of Computer Information Systems, University of Malta, Malta
Vitezslav Nezval: Department of Computer Information Systems, University of Malta, Malta

International Journal of Information Technology and Web Engineering (IJITWE), 2020, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Data consistency defines how usable a data set is. Causal consistency is the strongest type of consistency that can be achieved when data is stored in multiple locations, and fault tolerance is desired. Thespis is a middleware that innovatively leverages the Actor model to implement causal consistency over a DBMS, whilst abstracting complexities for application developers behind a REST interface. Following the evaluation of correctness, performance and scalability of Thespis, it is illustrated how a business application can be guaranteed causal consistency, but still encounter Time-To-Check-Time-To-Use (TOCTOU) race conditions. The design and implementation of ThespisTRX is given, which builds upon, and extends, the Thespis middleware to offer read-only transaction capabilities, allowing clients to read a causally-consistent version of multiple data entities. A correctness analysis illustrates how ThespisTRX avoids TOCTOU race conditions, and empirical performance tests show that this can be achieved with minimal overheads.

Date: 2020
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