No abstract

As part of its effort to periodically investigate various new promising concepts and techniques, the Digital Equipment Corporation has sponsored a research project whose purpose it was to effect a limited implementation of a protective operating system framework, based on the kernel/domain architecture which has increasingly been propounded in recent years. The project was carried out in 1972, and its successful completion has led to a substantial number of observations and insights. This paper reports on the more significant ones, specifically: 1) the techniques used in mapping a conceptual model onto commercially available hardware (the PDP-11/45 mini-computer), 2) the domain's memory mapping properties, and their impact on programming language storage-class semantics, 3) this architecture's impact on the apparent simplification of various traditionally-complex operating systems monitor functions, and 4) the promise this architecture holds in terms of increased functional flexibility for future-generation geodesic operating systems.

As part of its effort to periodically investigate various new promising concepts and techniques, the Digital Equipment Corporation had sponsored a research project whose purpose it was to effect a limited exploratory implementation of a novel protective operating system framework, based on the kernel/domain architecture. The project was carried out in 1972, and its successful completion led to a number of observations and insights. This paper concentrates on the technological solutions which were developed for the translation of a theoretical model on to commercially available hardware (the DEC PDP‐11/45 minicomputer); specifically, the storage mapping technique and the intermodule call/return mechanism. We believe that we have made two contributions to the state of the art: firstly the identification of the doman's storage mapping properties which are expected to have an impact on the definition of storage class semantics for higher level programming languages to be developed for the domain environment, and secondly the development of a comprehensive intermodule communication mechanism combining all presently known forms of procedure activation within a single functional framework.

No abstract

The four papers in this tutorial session discuss the design, implementation, and comprehension of minicomputer operating systems. A cross section of vendor and user developed operating systems will be presented. Insights into why vendors include some features and not others, or why it is necessary to write your own, will be offered.