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[[!tag open_issue_hurd]]

We would expect that fine-grained, compartmentalized systems, that is,
microkernel-based multi-server systems in particular, would be ideal candidates
for applying multiprocessing.  That is, however, only true from a first and
inexperienced point of view: there are many difficulties.


IRC, #hurd, August / September 2010

    <marcusb> silver_hook: because multi-server systems depend on inter-process
      communication, and inter-process communication is many times more
      expensive across cpus
    <marcusb> silver_hook: so you either force interrelated work on the same
      cpu, or suffer heavy penalties.  and in a typical fine-grained object
      system, all objects are interconnected!
    <marcusb> silver_hook: resources in today's systems, even in a single node
      with one cpu, but more so in a network, are very non-uniform.  scheduling
      these resources efficiently is a huge problem.  restricting the resource
      distribution policies in the way microkernel systems tend to do is posing
      serious research challenges


debian-hurd list

On Thu, Jan 02, 2003 at 05:40:00PM -0800, Thomas Bushnell, BSG wrote:
> Georg Lehner writes:
>
> > - One promise of the microkernel architecture is better performance on
> >   multiprocessor systems, or multicomputer systems. What is the status
> >   of Gnu Mach with respect to these.
>
> This may or may not be true.  The Hurd is built around a microkernel
> architecture because of its conceptual elegance and flexibility.
> Other touted advantages may be more illusory than real, at least, they
> aren't something *we* are proclaiming is our motivation.


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See also: [[multithreading]].