Ken Shirriff

RESEARCH INTERESTS

I have published numerous papers on distributed operating systems, computer graphics, fractals, mathematics, and cryptography.

EDUCATION

• 1990-1995: Ph.D. in computer science, University of California, Berkeley. Minors in mathematics and digital signal processing. Advisor: John K. Ousterhout. For my thesis research I designed and implemented a log-structured file system to test new techniques that allow workstation file systems to use the high bandwidths of parallel disk arrays and achieve performance far in excess of what a conventional workstation file server can provide.
• 1987-1990: Master of Science in computer science, University of California, Berkeley. Report title: ``An Implementation of Memory Sharing and File Mapping.''
• 1983-1986: Bachelor of Mathematics in applied mathematics and computer science, University of Waterloo. Graduated on Dean's Honor List. Received Alumni gold medal for graduating with highest average in the department.

RESEARCH AND WORK EXPERIENCE

• 1996-present: SunSoft: Researched high availability file systems.
• 1995-1996: Sun Laboratories: Researched single system image loosely-coupled computers in the Solaris MC project.
• 1989-1994: Research assistant for Professor J. Ousterhout. Performed research on the Sprite network operating system and implemented operating system functions. In addition to my thesis research, I have simulated filename caching in a network, added kernel tracing to measure distributed file system performance, and implemented shared virtual memory, interprocess synchronization, and Unix binary compatibility.
• 1989-1994: Developed the new RBW color model as a user-interface. Mathematically analyzed the structure of fractals. Studied mathematical properties of various sequences.
• 1989: Researched methods of reconstructing images from their Fourier transform magnitude with Professor A. Zakhor.
• 1988-1989: Research assistant for Professor B. Barsky. Investigated efficient methods of computing splines and rendering spline surfaces.
• 1988: Microsoft Corporation: Designed and implemented fast graphics functions for Microsoft Windows. Wrote assembler code for flood fill, vector fonts, ellipse drawing, and complex clipping regions. Increased clipping region speed over existing code by factor of 30.
• 1986-1987: Designed and implemented a package to compute limits and definite integrals in the Maple symbolic algebra language for the University of Waterloo Maple Group. Implemented methods for symbolic solution of ordinary differential equations.
• 1985: Developed FORTRAN software to produce graphical output of sparse matrix structure for the University of Waterloo Sparse Matrix Group. Investigated parallel processing for matrix computation.
• 1983-1984: Cacti Computer Services: Designed hardware and software to interface large pressure sensitive keyboards to microcomputers for use by people with limited limb motion. Wrote application software for printing library catalog cards, construction job costing, and CAI applications. Designed and implemented TTL and analog circuits for microprocessor peripheral interfacing and A/D conversion.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• 1988: Teaching assistant for undergraduate computer graphics course and graduate spline course, UC Berkeley. Responsible for preparing and grading assignments, projects, and exams. Lectured in discussion sections, and gave occasional class lectures.
• 1987: Teaching assistant for electronic circuits, UC Berkeley. Supervisor of hardware lab, lectured in discussion sections.
• 1985-1986: Teaching assistant and demonstrator in Maple symbolic computation lab, University of Waterloo.
• 1985: Tutor at mathematics tutorial center, University of Waterloo. Advised students on algebra and calculus.
• 1984-1985: Teaching assistant for introductory algebra, University of Waterloo. Graded assignments, assisted students with problems.

OTHER COMPUTER EXPERIENCE

• Programmed in C, C++, Java, Tcl/Tk, PostScript, Fortran, Prolog, Snobol, Pascal, BASIC, APL, assembler (80x86, 680x0, MIPS, Sparc), csh, awk, perl. Used Unix, CMS, VMS, TSO, MS-DOS, Windows, and Sprite operating systems.
• Familiar with kernel-level debugging. Wrote device drivers, tape backup software, MOP network daemon. Wrote user interface for 3-dimensional protein modelling software. Ported Fractint fractal generator from IBM-PC to Unix, converting assembly code to C. Wrote graphics package handling hidden surface removal and antialiasing. Indexed Sprite mail database with WAIS. Familiar with workstation system administration. Managed system security on Sprite. I built a WWW interfaces to the laws of California that received hundreds of accesses daily.
• My Java applets have received several awards: the JARS top 100 list, Gamelan "Cool" and "Best" ratings, were reviewed in JavaWorld, and have appeared in the books "Teach yourself Sunsoft Java Workshop in 21 Days", "The Official Gamelan Java Directory", and "Java Web Magic".

REFEREED OPERATING SYSTEMS PUBLICATIONS

• K. Shirriff, J. Bernabeu Auban, Y. Khalidi, V. Matena, ``Single System Image: The Solaris MC Approach,'' Proceedings of PDPTA '97, July 1997, pp. 1097-1105.
• K. Shirriff. ``Building distributed process management on an object-oriented framework,'', Proceedings of Usenix 1997, January 1997, pp. 119-131.
• Y. Khalidi, J. Bernabeu, V. Matena, K. Shirriff, M. Thadani. ``Solaris MC: A Multicomputer Operating System,'' Proceedings of Usenix 1996, January 1996, pp. 191-203.
• K. Shirriff, J. Ousterhout, ``Sawmill: A High-bandwidth Logging File System,'' Proceedings of Summer Usenix, June 1994, pp. 125-136.
• A. Drapeau, K. Shirriff, E. Lee, J. Hartman, E. Miller, S. Seshan, R. Katz, K. Lutz, D. Patterson, P. Chen, G. Gibson, ``RAID-II: A High-Bandwidth Network File Server,'' International Symposium on Computer Architecture, Computer Architecture News, 22(2), April 1994, pp. 234-244.
• P. Chen, E. Lee, A. Drapeau, K. Lutz, E. Miller, S. Seshan, K. Shirriff, D. Patterson, R. Katz, ``Performance and Design Evaluation of the RAID-II Storage Server,'' Journal of Distributed and Parallel Databases, 2(3), July 1994, pp. 243-260. Also appeared in International Parallel Processing Symposium 1993 Workshop on I/O.
• K. Shirriff, J. Ousterhout, ``A Trace-driven Analysis of Name and Attribute Caching in a Distributed File System,'' Proceedings of Winter Usenix, Jan. 1992, pp. 315-331.
• M. Baker, J. Hartman, M. Kupfer, K. Shirriff, J. Ousterhout, ``Measurements of a Distributed File System,'' Proceedings of the Symposium on Operating Systems Principles, Oct. 1991, pp. 198-212.

REFEREED GRAPHICS PUBLICATIONS

• K. Shirriff, ``Voronoi Fractals,'' In The Pattern Book, C. Pickover, 1995.
• K. Shirriff, ``The RBW Color Model,'' Computers & Graphics, 17(5), Sep. 1993, pp 597-602.
• K. Shirriff, ``An Investigation of z -> 1/z^n+c,'' Computers & Graphics, 17(5), Sep. 1993, pp 603-607.
• K. Shirriff, ``Generating Fractals from Voronoi Diagrams,'' Computers & Graphics, 17(2), Mar. 1993, pp 165-167. Also appears in Chaos and Fractals: A Computer Graphical Journey by Clifford A. Pickover (Editor).
• K. Shirriff, ``Fractals from Simple Polynomial Composite Functions,'' Computers & Graphics, 17(6), Nov. 1993, pp 701-703.

OTHER REFEREED PUBLICATIONS

• K. Shirriff, ``Differential Cryptanalysis of Madryga and REDOC III,'' in preparation.
• K. Shirriff, C. Welch, A. Kinsman, ``Decoding a VCR Controller Code,'' Cryptologia, 16(3), July 1992, pp 227-234.
• K. Shirriff, ``Computing Replicating Fibonacci Digits,'' Journal of Recreational Mathematics, 26(3), July 1994, 191-193.
• K. Shirriff, ``Comments on Double Smoothly Undulating Integers,'' Journal of Recreational Mathematics, 26(2), Apr. 1994, 104-106.
• K. Shirriff, ``Unsymmetrical N-dimensional Binary Colorings,'' Journal of Recreational Mathematics, 26(1), Jan. 1994, pp 2-5.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

• "Next generation distributed computing research project: Solaris MC," SunWorld Japan, May 1996, pp 67-69. (Interview, in Japanese).
• Figure and discussion contributed to A. Krieg, ``Lymphocyte activation by CpG dinucleotide motifs in prokaryotic DNA,'' Trends in Microbiology, 4(2), Feb. 1996, p. 75.
• K. Shirriff, ``Sawmill: A Logging File System for a High-Performance RAID Disk Array,'' Ph.D. Thesis. Published as U.C. Berkeley technical report UCB/CSD-95-862.
• K. Shirriff, ``Fractal Questions and Answers,'' Amygdala, 29, pp. 5-8, Nov. 1992. Also appeared in FRAC'cetera, 2(7), Oct. 1993.
• C. Pickover, K. Shirriff, ``The Terrible Twos Problem,'' Theta, 6(2), Autumn 1992, pp 3-7. Also appears in Mazes for the Mind, C. Pickover, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1992.
• K. Shirriff, ``Laundry and the Origin of Basic Color Terms,'' Journal of Irreproducible Results, 36(6), Nov. 1991, p. 10.
• K. Shirriff, ``An Implementation of Memory Sharing and File Mapping,'' Master's Thesis, 1990.

PUBLISHED SOFTWARE

• Xfractint: Xfractint is my Unix/X-Windows implementation of the popular PC fractal program Fractint. Xfractint is published on CD-ROM with the book Fractal Creations, second edition, T. Wegner and M. Peterson, The Waite Group, 1993. It is also published on CD-ROM with S.u.S.E Linux.
• Sprite: The Sprite operating system is published on CD-ROM by Walnut Creek CDROM, 1992. I wrote the Unix compatibility and shared memory portions of Sprite.

PATENTS ISUED

• "Method and apparatus for dynamic distributed packet tracing and analysis". (M. Thadani, J. Bernabeu-Auban, Y. Khalidi, V. Matena, and K. Shirriff), #5,648,965.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

• Reviewer for ACM Transactions on Computer Systems, Computers & Graphics, SIGARCH, SIGMETRICS, and Graphics Interface.
• Invited speaker on distributed computing at Sun Japan, Fujitsu Laboratories Japan, and University of Tokyo, 1996.
• Invited speaker on clustering at CMU, 1997.
• Invited speaker on Java at MIT, 1996.
• Invited speaker at Berkeley NOW retreat, 1996.
• Invited speaker on the graduate job search at Berkeley CS department, 1996.

HONORS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

• 1992: Best Student Paper Award at Usenix conference, Winter 1992.
• 1989-1992: IBM Graduate Fellowship.
• 1988: Tong Leong Lim award for highest score on EECS preliminary examinations, UC Berkeley.
• 1987: Alumni Gold Medal for highest graduating average in Faculty of Mathematics at University of Waterloo.
• 1985-1986: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council research scholarship.
• 1984-1986: Dean's Honor List, University of Waterloo.
• 1983-1986: Descartes Fellowship and Prize in Mathematics, University of Waterloo.
• 1985: Hewlett-Packard Award for highest sophomore average in computer science at University of Waterloo.
• 1984: Honorable Mention in Putnam mathematics competition (ranked 18th internationally).