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-rw-r--r--microkernel/eros.mdwn15
-rw-r--r--microkernel/mach/port.mdwn24
2 files changed, 29 insertions, 10 deletions
diff --git a/microkernel/eros.mdwn b/microkernel/eros.mdwn
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..be1ca90a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/microkernel/eros.mdwn
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2011 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]]
+
+[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable
+id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
+document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
+any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant
+Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license
+is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation
+License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
+
+[[!tag open_issue_documentation]]
+
+<http://www.eros-os.org/>
+
+TODO. <http://www.eros-os.org/essays/reliability/paper.html>
diff --git a/microkernel/mach/port.mdwn b/microkernel/mach/port.mdwn
index 7f02628d..26b55456 100644
--- a/microkernel/mach/port.mdwn
+++ b/microkernel/mach/port.mdwn
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 Free Software
+[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 Free Software
Foundation, Inc."]]
[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation
License|/fdl]]."]]"""]]
[[Mach]] *port*s are [[capabilities|capability]], and are also essentially
-similar to [[UNIX]] pipes. They are communication channels, implemented by
-kernel queues.
+similar to [[UNIX]] pipes. They are unforgeable communication channels,
+implemented by kernel queues.
Each port has associated with it one *receive right* and one or more *send
right*s and *send-once right*s. That is, there is one receiver and one or more
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ like [[UNIX file descriptors|unix/file_descriptor]]. Only these local names
can be used by [[thread]]s for invoking operations on ports, threads do not
deal with port rights directly.
-For that, each task has associated with it a *port address_space*, or *port
+For that, each task has associated with it a *port address space*, or *port
name space*. All ports are addressed via this table. Each task thus has its
own private [[naming_context]] for port rights.
@@ -58,20 +58,24 @@ The delivery of [[message]]s is reliable and strictly ordered. When a
intermediate messages that are sent by other threads.
Ports are objects that are implemented by the [[kernel]], and they are
-kernel-protected resources. There is no way for a [[task]] to do anything with
-a port unless it have corresponding port right.
+kernel-protected resources: they are unforgeable, and there is no way for a
+[[task]] to do anything with a port unless it have corresponding port right.
Due to this, ports are globally unique. This makes them ideal for constituting
-system-wide *object references*. For example, the [[RPC]] system as used by
-the GNU Hurd works by invoking *methods* on such object references. The
-available methods are defined in [[hurd/interface]] files, and are processes by
-the [[MIG]] tool.
+system-wide *object references*. (Fruther reading:
+{{$capability#wikipedia_object-capability_model}}.) For example, the [[RPC]]
+system as used by the GNU Hurd works by invoking *methods* on such object
+references. The available methods are defined in [[hurd/interface]] files, and
+are processes by the [[MIG]] tool.
Invoking an operation on a port does not transfer the current execution control
to the receiver, but instead is an asynchronous operation. For this, and
especially in a [[RPC]] system, the sender may include a *reply port* using a
send-once right, and synchronize (block) on that one.
+
+# Port Set
+
A [[thread]] can only block receiving on a single port. To work around this,
the concept of a *port set* was introduced. A receive right can be added to
(at most) one port set. These port sets look like port receive rights, but