From owner-freebsd-hackers Fri Dec 15 16:50:34 2000 From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Dec 15 16:50:33 2000 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mycenae.jantar.org (mycenae.jantar.org [203.35.206.129]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C341837B400 for ; Fri, 15 Dec 2000 16:50:30 -0800 (PST) Received: from mycenae.jantar.org (patrykz@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mycenae.jantar.org (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA97623; Sat, 16 Dec 2000 11:50:22 +1100 (EST) (envelope-from patrykz@mycenae.jantar.org) Message-Id: <200012160050.LAA97623@mycenae.jantar.org> From: Patryk Zadarnowski To: "SteveB" Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: kernel type In-Reply-To: Message from "SteveB" of "Fri, 15 Dec 2000 16:40:31 -0800." Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2000 11:50:22 +1100 Sender: patrykz@mycenae.jantar.org Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG On Fri, 15 Dec 2000, "SteveB" wrote: SteveB> Sorry for such a basic question, but I have been looking and can't SteveB> find the answer. Is FreeBSD as microkernel or monolithic kernel like SteveB> Linux? Can someone point me to the answer/ It's a monolithic kernel, like Linux and all other mainstream UNIX flavours except for OSF1 (ie. Digital UNIX or True64), which is based on a hacked-up version of the MACH microkernel. Even then, most microkernel researchers won't consider OSF1 a microkernel, as Digital (now Compaq) worked around the MACH problem (which is an i-cache hog) by moving much functionality back into the kernel. Now that I think of it, there aren't many commercial microkernel systems out there with the possible exception of QNX and lots of little embedded toys. NT, sometimes claimed to be a microkernel, is far from it. Rather, it's simply another reasonably-well structured kernel. With 300+ system calls in the nucleus, the NT kernel handles just about everything except for major GUI tasks. Pat. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Patryk Zadarnowski University of New South Wales School of Computer Science and Engineering -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message