Abstract

Naming is an important issue in any programming system, especially when the system spans multi-ple computers. We present a model that describes names and Dame resolution in distributed sys-tems, in which we view names to be purely syntactic entities, and name resolution to be a syntax-driven operation. We use the model to formally define familiar concepts and terminology involved in naming. We also describe the role of name servers in name resolution. Examples from computer mail, a distributed application that uses many forms of names, illustrate our model.