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Re: WHATIS: Mach Ports


From: Marcus Brinkmann
Subject: Re: WHATIS: Mach Ports
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 16:23:36 +0200
User-agent: Mutt/1.3.15i

On Tue, May 08, 2001 at 04:57:57PM +0300, Ognyan Kulev wrote:
> 
> Hm, this doesn't look like `What Is' but `Mach Internals Guide'.  What about
> starting mach-internals-guide.texi (or something like this) in CVS gnumach?

Well, I am currently preparing some code examples with comments and heavily
cross referencing the original source code.  In the last years I found it
that reading the source is one of the most important things to do to learn
how things really work.  As I am studying it, I keep notes about the
important issues, and also keep a pointer to the place where one can look it
up.

But I am not really explaining the internals of Mach.  I am just trying to
provide an understanding on what interactions there are, because I think it
is important to understand the user interface.
 
> Talking about documentation i would like to present you
> http://debian.fmi.uni-sofia.bg/~ogi/hurd/hurd.gnu.org/glibc-hurd-api.html
> If someone knows something about getcttyid and setcttyid please tell.

That would be the port to the controlling terminal, corresponding to
TIOCSCTTY.

Nice page.  We need the full truth about this interface in the glibc
info manual.

> You can find still unfinished and unpolished GNUMach pages for the new
> hurd.gnu.org here:
> http://debian.fmi.uni-sofia.bg/~ogi/hurd/hurd.gnu.org/gnumach.html

Small comment: You talk about "process management".  This can esily lead to
confusion.  Unix process management is *heavy*, and a lot of it is
implemented in the C lib or in the proc server.  What Mach provides is task
management, and it is good to be aware of the distinction.  Mach tasks are
not so heavy.
 
It would be good to mention that on top of a microkernel, you can runa
single server OS or a multi server.  All the examples on the page are
actually single servers, they share the disadvantages and advantages of a
monolithical kernel design.  Stressing that the Hurd is a multi server OS
is useful because the Hurd is also basedo n GNU Mach, but absolutely unline
Windows NT and Darwin.

Not sure if RMS would be happy with the reference to NT (and Darwin).
Maybe mention xMach (which is free software). (Now I see you mention it
later).

Thanks,
Marcus



-- 
`Rhubarb is no Egyptian god.' Debian http://www.debian.org brinkmd@debian.org
Marcus Brinkmann              GNU    http://www.gnu.org    marcus@gnu.org
Marcus.Brinkmann@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
http://www.marcus-brinkmann.de



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