🚀 go-pugleaf

Many people asked what exactly the OSF plans about free sources, so I
forward an announcement of them. 

I'll add that DEC's OSF/1 version is now "DIGITAL UNIX" and - as I
understand - under control of DEC, not OSF anymore.  I really don't
know who is the driving force behind OSF/1 and these supposed free
sources now.

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
From: hibbard@next6.osf.org (Ken Hibbard)
Newsgroups: comp.os.mach
Subject: OSF Mach Distribution
Date: 7 Feb 1995 21:22:23 GMT
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Lines: 108
Message-ID: <3h8oaf$6d3@paperboy.osf.org>
NNTP-Posting-Host: next6.osf.org

OSF RESEARCH INSTITUTE MICROKERNEL DISTRIBUTION

The OSF Research Institute (RI) is pleased to announce
the availability of the OSF Mach microkernel source
code for anonymous FTP distribution. This is an
unencumbered, license-free,  cost-free distribution
of the microkernel sources based on our MK6.1 release.
The current distribution is for the Intel 386/486 
reference platform. 

This is the first phase of the following four phase 
distribution plan:

1. At this time, make available via anonymous FTP an 
unencumbered set of sources for the OSF Mach microkernel 
and its associated libraries.

2. By the end of April, provide the ODE build tools and 
enough infrastructure to enable sites to build and boot 
the microkernel within a number of different UNIX systems.

3. In the third quart of the year, release an object oriented
microkernel.  This is a rigorously layered redesign of Mach 
in accordance with the assurance requirements for trusted 
systems, implemented in C++.  Appropriate documentation will 
be available at the time of distribution.  This kernel will 
not contain real-time and multicomputer capabilities in the 
third quarter release.

4. During the fourth quarter of the year, distribute a free 
UNIX server that runs with the OSF Mach microkernel. 

The sources we are making available in this first phase
are useful for those interested in following the OSF Mach 
kernel evolution for distributed and real-time systems. 
Build scripts and notes to facilitate building on sites 
that are running an OSF/1, OSF-MK, or Mach2.5/3.0 build 
environment (ODE 2.2 or later) are already included.

We hope that by making this version of the OSF Mach
microkernel available by anonymous FTP, we will
encourage members of the research community who are
building or interested in building servers based on Mach
to consider using the OSF Mach microkernel. This kernel
base has evolved considerably beyond the recent CMU
kernel releases; the OSF RI will continue to develop and 
support this release. 

Over the past year, considerable work has gone into
performance and robustness of OSF Mach. For example, this 
kernel supports untyped IPC, a  mechanism introduced to 
improve the performance of multi-server based systems.  
Additional kernel support has been added to allow for 
servers that do not use emulation libraries.  Our experience 
demonstrates that emulation-less servers are less complex 
and considerably more robust than their emulator-based 
counterparts.  This kernel provides improved multicomputer 
support and includes an improved mechanism for notifying 
servers of asynchronously completed I/O.

This microkernel distribution also supports real-time 
applications.  This support includes synchronizers and a 
real-time threads package.  The kernel can also be configured 
for preemptive scheduling, further enhancing the predictability 
of service for real-time applications.

Kernel support for the collocation of server(s) and 
short-circuited IPC are also part of this distribution.  
These enhancements greatly improve overall system performance.  
This kernel, running with the collocated OSF/1 MK server, 
has achieved performance equal to or better than a number 
of commercial integrated Unix systems. 

Papers describing the performance results achieved
with this kernel are available on our FTP server.  See the
INDEX for pointers to other RI technical papers that discuss
recent functional enhancements made to this kernel.  The
complete OSF Mach Interface Specification and OSF Mach Kernel
Principles books can be found on this server. 

The OSF RI and its collaborators will continue develop 
the OSF Mach microkernel with an emphasis on performance, 
scalability, and real-time.  We plan to make future 
distributions available on approximately a quarterly basis.   
At a minimum, two reference platforms will be supported 
within the RI.  Currently, the Intel 386/486 processor is 
supported.  A popular RISC processor will be supported 
in the June distribution.  

We have created a mailing list, osfmach3@osf.org, to
handle announcements and discussion of this
distribution. You are invited to join it by mailing to
osfmach3-request@osf.org.

The OSF RI welcomes feedback on these distributions
in the form of technical critiques and bug fixes.  We do
reserve the right to selectively apply changes returned 
to us.  In addition, note that we are a research organization.  
We have limited support staff so we cannot offer much assistance 
to external users.  We suggest that the osfmach3@osf.org 
mailing list be used to discuss technical issues.  If there 
is community interest for this technology, we believe community
support will compliment that which we are capable of offering.

The OSF Mach sources and documents can be FTPed from
riftp.osf.org as user  "anonymous" from the directories
pub/snapshots/osfmach3. There is an INDEX file in
pub/snapshots/osfmach3 with a brief description of the files.

-- 
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Private email Martin.Cracauer@wavehh.hanse.de Fax +4940 522 8536. No NeXTMail!
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