Based on the MINIX 3 microkernel, we have constructed a system that to the user looks a great deal like NetBSD. It uses pkgsrc, NetBSD headers and libraries, and passes over 80% of the KYUA tests). However, inside, the system is completely different. At the bottom is a small (about 13,000 lines of code) microkernel that handles interrupts, message passing, low-level scheduling, and hardware related details. Nearly all of the actual operating system, including memory management, the file system(s), paging, and all the device drivers run as user-mode processes protected by the MMU. As a consequence, failures or security issues in one component cannot spread to other ones. In some cases a failed component can be replaced automatically and on the fly, while the system is running, and without user processes noticing it. The talk will discuss the history, goals, technology, and status of the project.
Since Minix3 now use alot of the NetBSD code base…
I was thinking the same thing.
It’s cool, but how much did they really do?
That was my reaction too. Everything listed here sounds like vanilla MINIX. The MINIX team has been porting over NetBSD features for years, so this seems to be all their (pre-existing) work.
I’m not sure what you are getting at… Minix is effectively compatible with NetBSD yes and here you go and dismiss that because they did the work already????
Its only impressive because they did do the work…. its not like we are talking about someone that just ripped off the Minix code and said they have a Netbsd Compatible Minix that this is a talk straight from Any Tannenbaum.
One thing that is difficult to understand for l-users is that an OS is much more than just a kernel. They didn’t take anything from NetBSD’s kernel, only NetBSD’s userland … which is not negligible at all.
I found the talk very entertaining, and the conference (BSDCan) is just awesome.
Porting the userland is not a insignificant task, but the title sounds like they turned the NetBSD kernel into a microkernel rather then porting NetBSD stuff to Minix.
It’s still cool. It just needs a better title, like cloning NetBSD using Minix.
Minix is an excellent microkernel — well designed, easy to understand, small, compact, however from what I understand, performance can be an issue.
What would be a great project is BSD on top of the L4 kernel. The L4 kernel, from what I understand performs as well as monolithic kernels, yet retains all the advantages of microkernels.
L4 is not quite as simple or easy to understand as Minux, but is well worth a look.