From 764b68d789e05f3193a6f7bf6ed6f478e132deb9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Thomas Schwinge Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:30:03 +0000 Subject: ``A Critique of the GNU Hurd Multi-server Operating System'' and position paper ``Improving Usability via Access Decomposition and Policy Refinement''. --- whatsnew.html | 42 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 42 insertions(+) (limited to 'whatsnew.html') diff --git a/whatsnew.html b/whatsnew.html index 5645de7b..1f47bfd8 100644 --- a/whatsnew.html +++ b/whatsnew.html @@ -71,6 +71,48 @@ so that it can be added here.
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14 January 2007
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Neal Walfield and Marcus Brinkmann have written and submitted for +publication A +Critique of the GNU Hurd Multi-server Operating System and a position +paper Improving Usability via Access Decomposition and Policy +Refinement. Please follow the two preceding links to see the complete +announcements. The authors welcome comments and discussion which may be +directed to the <bug-hurd@gnu.org> +mailing list for the Critique and to the <l4-hurd@gnu.org> mailing list for the +position paper. + +

The abstract of the Critique:

The GNU Hurd's design was +motivated by a desire to rectify a number of observed shortcomings in Unix. +Foremost among these is that many policies that limit users exist simply as +remnants of the design of the system's mechanisms and their implementation. To +increase extensibility and integration, the Hurd adopts an object-based +architecture and defines interfaces, which, in particular those for the +composition of and access to name spaces, are virtualizable. + +

This paper is first a presentation of the Hurd's design goals and a +characterization of its architecture primarily as it represents a departure +from Unix's. We then critique the architecture and assess it in terms of the +user environment of today focusing on security. Then follows an evaluation of +Mach, the microkernel on which the Hurd is built, emphasizing the design +constraints which Mach imposes as well as a number of deficiencies its design +presents for multi-server like systems. Finally, we reflect on the properties +such a system appears to require.

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The abstract of the position paper:

Commodity operating +systems fail to meet the security, resource management and integration +expectations of users. We propose a unified solution based on a capability +framework as it supports fine grained objects, straightforward access +propagation and virtualizable interfaces and explore how to improve resource +use via access decomposition and policy refinement with minimum interposition. +We argue that only a small static number of scheduling policies are needed in +practice and advocate hierarchical policy specification and central +realization.

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7 January 2007

A number of GNU Hurd developers will again (as already in the previous -- cgit v1.2.3