The operating system’s group at Technische Universität Dresden is pleased to announce the release of version 1.2 of the Fiasco L4 microkernel. This release fixes many bugs, a few features have been added as well. For a list of changes please consult the CHANGES file. Get the package from the download directory or from CVS. Refer to the README file for further information.
Fiasco?
…any news from the plan9 world?
If I understand correctly, L4 is the standard API which the kernel must implement in order to be an L4 kernel. So, you implement the L4 API and you end up with an L4 kernel – such as the fiasco microkernel.
Are the underlying workings of the kernel not that important, just so long as the API is implemented?
Also, are there examples of systems using an L4 microkernel in production or in various operating systems? Perhaps some projects underway?
If I understand correctly, L4 is the standard API which the kernel must implement in order to be an L4 kernel.
No. L4 is a family of similar nanokernels, but they’re not all the same.
So, you implement the L4 API and you end up with an L4 kernel – such as the fiasco microkernel.
You implement to the reference API (e.g. Fiasco, Hazelnut, now Pistaschio). From what I understand, most of the code is machine-dependant (the PPC code looks nothing like the IA32 code). But! It’s not very big, so this isn’t that important.
Also, are there examples of systems using an L4 microkernel in production or in various operating systems? Perhaps some projects underway?
DrOPS. L4Linux. L4-Hurd (boots a couple of user-space servers, but isn’t usable yet).
Linux on top of L4.
Also a port of GNU Hurd to L4 in progress.
I believe the special thing about the L4 microkernel is that they solved the inter kernel process communication overhead and context switch problems that mach suffers from.
L4 is the new microkernel selected for HURD, to replace the old Mach.
Anyone knows is there is a downloadable, easy to test Hurd version with L4 ?
The short answer. No.
The long answer. Hell no.
Sorry, but easy is not in the HURD vocabulary yet. Not in Mach and really not in L4 flavors.
Try Gnuppix.
“The Gnuppix project provides a bootable CD with a preliminary GNU/Hurd system, running on top of the L4 microkernel.”
http://gnuppix.org/
>>hurd-l4 CVS version 2005-03-01
Wasn’t that from before you could even boot into a shell?
Fiasco means in Spanish ;huge failure that creates a big dissapointment.
Not looked in a dictionery but I am Spanish.
It means that same in English
Same here in Germany where that Uni is located, so these people have some sort of black humor
Same as dutch, and it’s originally italian.
But the question raised earlier in the thread hasn’t been answered: could you write something for L4Linux and have it run on L4Fiasco too without porting effort?
Same in portuguese.
and same in norvegian
all work had migrated on the Pistachio kernel
it’s very interesting to know that the Fiasco microkernel (which afaik should have real time capabilities instead of the other kernels , more general purpose) is still in development
Does anybody know the differences between Fiasco and other L4 kernels, like Pistachio? Sounds a bit like useless duplicate effort to me…
I couldn’t find a contact address on their website, or I would have asked them to add that to the FAQ…
Why the hell are they using italian words so intensively?
Pistachio. Fiasco. Windows Vista, Office Mondo.
Vista is Spanish, don’t know if Italian too …
Vista is Spanish, don’t know if Italian too …
it’s italian too.. 😉
Techinically it’s also english (though etymologically it’s a loan word). http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=vista&x=0&y=0
I’m beginning to think that the “cooler” the name of the project, the less useful it is. The projects that have the coolest names (I won’t name names), seem to be the ones that never reach a working state…
The projects that have the coolest names (I won’t name names), seem to be the ones that never reach a working state…
Like what? Ubuntu? Sarge? Chicago? All of those are in a working state (Well, I don’t know if you could call Win9x, Chicago, in a working state. 🙂 ) I think it would actually be hard to find an OS without a cool name, even from commercial developers. 🙂