Microkernel for real time applications
View Patent ↗An operating system includes a non-preemptive microkernel executing one or more processes in accordance with a predetermined priority; and one or more kernels adapted to be executed as one or more processes by the non-preemptive microkernel.
1. A computer program product tangibly stored on a machine readable medium, computer program product comprising:
a non-preemptive microkernel executing two or more processes in accordance with a non-preemptive scheduling scheme, wherein a lower priority process executed by the non-preemptive microkernel relinquishes a processor for a higher priority process to execute only when the lower priority process blocks or explicitly requests to be preempted; and
one or more kernels each being executed as a process by the non-preemptive microkernel,
wherein at least one of the one or more kernels executes an operating system as a dependent process, the operating system being a time-sliced operating system or a time-sliced microkernel.
2. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein the operating system is Unix.
3. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel has its own stack.
4. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel communicate using one or more messages.
5. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel has a unique process identifier (PID).
6. The computer program product of claim 5 , further comprising a mailbox coupled to a plurality of processes to service messages sent to a single PID.
7. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein each of the two ore more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel never terminates.
8. The computer program product of claim 1 , wherein one of the one or more kernels is a microkernel.
9. A method for operating a computer system including a CPU, comprising:
managing two or more processes with a non-preemptive microkernel, the microkernel executing the two or more processes in accordance with a non-preemptive scheduling scheme, wherein a lower priority process executed by the non-preemptive microkernel relinquishes the CPU for a higher priority process to execute only when the lower priority process blocks or explicitly requests to be preempted;
executing one or more kernels as one or more processes managed by the non-preemptive microkernel; and
executing an operating system in one of the one or more kernels as a dependent process, the operating system being a time-sliced operating system or a time-sliced microkernel.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the operating system is Unix.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel has its own stack.
12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising performing inter-process communication using one or more messages.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel has a unique process identifier (PID).
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising servicing messages sent to a single PID by a plurality of processes using a mailbox.
15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising executing the two or more processes without termination.
16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising executing a microkernel in one of the one or more kernels.
17. A computer system, comprising:
a processor;
means for managing two or more processes with a non-preemptive microkernel, the microkernel executing the two or more processes in accordance with a non-preemptive scheduling scheme, wherein a lower priority process executed by the non-preemptive microkernel relinquishes the processor for a higher priority process to execute only when the lower priority process blocks or explicitly requests to be preempted;
means for executing one or more kernels as one or more processes managed by the non-preemptive microkernel; and
means for executing an operating system in one of the one or more kernels as a dependent process, the operating system being a time-sliced operating system or a time-sliced microkernel.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the operating system is Unix.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel has its own stack.
20. The system of claim 17 , further comprising means for performing inter-process communication using one or more messages.
21. The system of claim 17 , wherein each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel has a unique process identifier (PID).
22. The system of claim 21 , further comprising means for servicing messages sent to a single PID by a plurality of processes using a mailbox.
23. The system of claim 17 , further comprising means for executing each of the two or more processes executed by the non-preemptive microkernel without termination.
24. The system of claim 17 , further comprising means for executing a microkernel in one of the one or more kernels.
25. A computer, comprising:
an interconnect bus;
one or more processors coupled to the interconnect bus and adapted to be configured for server-specific functionalities including network processing, file processing, storage processing and application processing;
a configuration processor coupled to the interconnect bus and to the processors, the configuration processor dynamically assigning processor functionalities upon request;
one or more data storage devices coupled to the processors and managed by a file system;
a non-preemptive microkernel executing two or more processes in accordance with a non-preemptive scheduling scheme, wherein a lower priority process executed by the non-preemptive microkernel relinquishes one of the one or more processors for a higher priority process to execute only when the lower priority process blocks or explicitly requests to be preempted; and
one or more kernels each being executed as a process by the non-preemptive microkernel,
wherein at least one of the one or more kernels executes an operating system as a dependent process, the operating system being a time-sliced operating sysetm or a time-sliced microkernel.
26. The computer of claim 25 , wherein the non-preemptive microkernel executes a network switch operating system as a dependent process.