Title :
Device control abstractions for workstation operating system
Author_Institution :
Bellcore, Morristown, NJ, USA
Abstract :
Unpredictable workloads on a general-purpose workstation operating system will cause disturbances in process scheduling that become visible to the user. Systems that combine real-time and general-purpose characteristics in a single operating system have met with mixed success. The advent of multiprocessor workstations makes it feasible to dedicate functionally specific behavior to separate processing units. Going beyond the intelligent I/O controller, a user-programmable device interface would provide the control abstractions necessary for the efficient manipulation of high-speed devices. The connection to the workstation operating system would still mimic the conventional device interface of open/close/read/write/control, but would include a channel for downloading control programming that adapts a device for user specific applications
Keywords :
input-output programs; operating systems (computers); peripheral interfaces; scheduling; workstations; control abstractions; control programming; downloading; high-speed devices; intelligent I/O controller; process scheduling; user specific applications; user-programmable device interface; workstation operating system; Control systems; Displays; Hardware; Kernel; Multimedia systems; Operating systems; Real time systems; Space technology; Video sequences; Workstations;
Conference_Titel :
Workstation Operating Systems, 1992. Proceedings., Third Workshop on
Conference_Location :
Key Biscayne, FL
Print_ISBN :
0-8186-2555-4
DOI :
10.1109/WWOS.1992.275692