USENIX 2003 Annual Technical Conference, FREENIX Track — Abstract
Pp. 323-336 of the Proceedings
Providing a Linux API on the Scalable K42 Kernel
Jonathan Appavoo University of Toronto; Marc Auslander, Dilma Da Silva, David Edelsohn, Orran Krieger, Michal Ostrowski, Bryan Rosenburg, Robert W. Wisniewski, and Jimi Xenidis, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Abstract
K42 is an open-source research kernel targeted for 64-bit cache-coherent multiprocessor systems. It was designed to scale up to multiprocessor systems containing hundreds or thousands of processors and to scale down to perform well on 2- to 4-way multiprocessors. K42's goal was to re-design the core of an operating system, but not an entire application environment. We wanted to use a commonly available interface with a large established code base. Because Linux is open source and widely available, we chose to support its application environment by supporting the Linux API and ABI. There were some interesting complications as well as advantages that arose from K42's structure because our implementation of the Linux application environment was done primarily in user space, had to interface with K42's object-oriented technology, and used fine-grained locking. Other research systems efforts directed at achieving a high degree of scalability and maintainability exhibit similar structural characteristics.
In this paper we present the motivation behind K42, including its goals and overall structure, and describe its system interface. We then focus on the required infrastructure and mechanisms needed to efficiently support a Linux application environment. We examine the lessons learned of what was advantageous and what was disadvantageous from K42 in implementing the Linux API and ABI.
- View the full text of this paper in
HTML or
PDF.
Until June 2004, you will need your USENIX membership identification in order to access the full papers. The Proceedings are published as a collective work, © 2003 by the USENIX Association. All Rights Reserved. Rights to individual papers remain with the author or the author's employer. Permission is granted for the noncommercial reproduction of the complete work for educational or research purposes. USENIX acknowledges all trademarks within this paper.
- If you need the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it from Adobe's site.
|
Need help? Use our Contacts page.
