CONCURRENT FRAME SIGNATURE FILES

A full-text retrieval method, concurrent frame signature file (CAT) is proposed. The method places emphasis on creating opportunities for concurrent access to the disk-resident signature file, without resorting to redundant storage. Thus, the advantage of low space overhead availed by signature file methods is retained, while the response time of retrieval is significantly improved when implemented on a multiprocessor with multiple disks. Performance of the proposed method is examined by analysis and experiment. Results from a simulation study on the BBN Butterfly TC2000 multiprocessor showing the speed of the proposed method are very promising in both relative and absolute terms.