Naming & Indirection

This lecture discusses the concepts of naming and indirection in computer systems, focusing on how names are used to identify memory locations, objects, and network interfaces. The instructor explains the importance of using names for indirection, such as in the case of IP addresses and DNS names, to enable flexibility, scalability, and fault tolerance in systems. The lecture covers the use of references, hierarchical naming, and the implementation of a global name service with features like scalability through hierarchy, fault tolerance through replication, and eventual consistency. It also explores the challenges of updates, caching, and synchronization in distributed systems.