G51CSA – Computer Systems Architecture

Operating Systems (Linux)

Red Hat
Jon Masters <[email protected]>
About the speaker
 Jon Masters is a Senior Software Engineer at Red Hat
 History in embedded devices with Real Time requirements
 Professional author, including titles “Professional Linux
Programming” and “Building Embedded Linux Systems”
 [email protected]
Agenda
 A little background about the presenter
 Computer Systems Architecture(s)
 What is an Operating System?
 A brief introduction to Linux
 Where is Linux headed?
 Questions?
My experiences with Linux
 Started with a single-floppy disk “distribution” (~13 years ago)
 Downloaded Slackware onto 200 floppy disks
 Slackware, Red Hat, SuSE, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL
 Linux User Groups, Conferences, Community
 Ported Linux to scientific instrumentation
 Worked with MontaVista
 Wrote a book on Linux
 Joined Red Hat
 Maintainer
 Another book
 Real Time Linux, Device Drivers
Computer Systems Architecture
 A modern computer system is built from many parts:
● CPU – 32/64-bit, big/little endian, RISC/CISC, Harvard, Von Neumann., etc.
● Buses – HyperTransport, PCIe, PCI-X, etc.
● Memory – Caches (I/II/III), RAM, VRAM (GART), etc.
● Peripherals – Hard disks (SATA, SCSI, SSD),DVD, Graphics, Sound, WiFi, etc.
● IO – External buses (USB), Firewire, “legacy buses” (serial), etc.
● Flash memory – firmware, microcode, BIOS, etc.
 Can you name more examples?
Computer Systems Architecture
 Time for some handy definitions:
 Architecture (arch) – a family of microprocessors that can be used to
build complete and compatible(!) computer systems.
● Intel IA32/IA64,
● ARM,
● Xscale,
● MIPS.
● Think of some examples? What was the first compatible architecture?
 Platform – a system built upon a particular configuration of
microprocessor and certain other components
● “PC”
● Macintosh
● iPod, iPhone...
Computer Systems Architecture
 Platforms – a standard base upon which to build Operating Systems
 Most modern platforms are heavily standardized
● PowerMac vs. Intel Macintosh
● iPod vs. iPhone
● Sun OpenBoot and OpenFirmware
 “PC” is a poor example of a standard platform
● Original IBM PC was very non-standard in many ways
● Used non-configurable, inflexible bus technology (ISA)
● Lack of information provided to Operating System
● Later added EISA, PCI (PCI-X, PCIe), ACPI
 ACPI, OpenFirmware, Device Trees
 Development Boards
Computer Systems Architecture
Computer Systems Architecture
CPU

R0 R31

SPR0 SPRn
IRQs

NMIs Cache L1/L2/L3 MMU

 Computer Systems Architecture
Virtual Memory
pet

char *foo = “my pet dog”;

my 0 3 dog

pet 1 0 my
dog 2 2
Computer Systems Architecture
CPU0 CPU1

IO-APIC PCIe RAM

USB WiFi (e)SATA

What is an Operating System?
 Just a bunch of privileged library functions with supporting code
● Bringup
● Housekeeping
● Applications
 A resource broker that manages access to underlying hardware
● Finite resources
● Virtualized/abstraction
● Standardized interfaces
 Built for a set of platforms based on a particular architecture(s)
● Microsoft Windows vs. Windows CE/Mobile – IA32/X86_64, PowerPC.
● Linux – IA32/IA64, PowerPC, ARM, Xscale, S390, MIPS, etc.
● Need for standardized platform(s)
What is an Operating System?
 Reliant upon certain architectural/platform features:
● Memory Map
● Virtual Memory
● Platform descriptor(s)
● Hardware
 Must perform/provide the following:
● System initialization
● Device Drivers
● Libraries
● Graphical Desktop
What is an Operating System?
 Two kinds of Operating System:

Applications

Applications
VM Drivers

Core Kernel/Modules Microkernel

Hardware Hardware

Linux, UNIX Windows, Mac OS X

What is an Operating System?
 System boot process goes roughly:
● Firmware (“BIOS”) handles POST
● Bootloader loads Operating System
● Firmware/Bootloader supply info to Operating System
● Operating System manages resources
● Operating System loads applications
 Core of the Operating System is called a “kernel”
● Provides privileged functions – timers, system calls, etc.
● Manages hardware devices
● Schedules user applications
● Highly event driven
What is an Operating System?
 Monolithic vs. Microkernel
● “Slow” vs. “Fast”?
● “Stable” vs. “Unstable”?
● Classical examples?
 Reality!
● Neither exist
● Performance?
● Maintainability
● Linux vs. Windows vs. OS X
A brief introduction to Linux
 Getting ahold of Linux – who here today uses Linux?
● What does “Linux” mean to you anyway?
● Fedora, OpenSuSE, Ubuntu?
 Recommendations for all experience levels
● Distributions
● Communities
 More than Linux
● FreeDesktop
● Firefox
● Thunderbird, Evolution, etc.
● Examples?
A brief introduction to Linux
 Traditional style UNIX-like kernel used to build a complete system
 Project started in summer of 1991 by some Finnish guy :)
 Linux vs. Minix vs. flamewars!
 Originally supported only the (shiny!) Intel 80386
 Today many millions of lines of code – co-ordination?
 Big Corporations
 Research
A brief introduction to Linux
 Playing with the Linux kernel
● Visit kernel.org and download the source code
● Buy a book and sign up at LWN.net
● Sign up to mailing lists
● Kernelnewbies
 Kernel development
● How does it work?
● Complexity
A brief introduction to Linux
 The Linux kernel source
● Documentation
● Include
● Kernel
● Arch
● Drivers
● Filesystems
● ?
 Building the kernel
● Create a config
● Build a kernel
● Install
A brief introduction to Linux
 Did you know...
● That many Linux developers have real lives?
● That Linux is growing in popularity – why?
● That you can contribute and learn?
● That Linus Torvalds is a manager?
● Magic numbers used in the kernel
Where is Linux headed?
 Enterprise Server Systems
● Scalability
● Performance
● Reliability
 Embedded Devices
● TiVo, Routers, Mobile Phones, TVs...
● Real Time Systems
 End Users?
● Lots of distributions
● Improved hardware support
● Faster boot times
● Feature complete
Questions?
 #include <std_disclaimer.h>
 All views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not
necessarily represent those of Red Hat, Inc.