Re: NetBSD/usermode (Was: CVS commit: src)

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

> This all seems simple and elegant enough, but it does not (quite) work:

>       A) It still requires a new system call on the outer kernel.
>          *Perhaps* this could be avoided by using ptrace, which might
>          be simpler with this approach because the rule is simple:
>          just say no to all system calls.

Well...sort of.

>       B) There is no way for the usermode userspace process to
>          allocate memory.  I don't really see a clean way to fix
>          this:

ptrace can support this too.  It can let sbrk/mmap through, but tell
the usermode kernel as it does so.  Or it can consult with the usermode
kernel first, and then let them through in a possibly modified form.

>               2) Using ptrace to allow, but validate, sbrk and mmap
>                  arguments seems questionable at best.  How would
>                  this interact with the NetBSD VM system in the
>                  usermode kernel?

"With difficulty". :)  I am confident this could be dealt with; if
necessary, sbrk and mmap could be intercepted and turned into different
calls of some sort.  SysV shm calls?  mmap() of /proc/something?

I've long thought that something akin to SCM_RIGHTS should exist for
passing memory regions between unrelated processes.  That would come in
extremely handy here.  (But given how badly SCM_RIGHTS got botched, it
probably would end up exploding somehow.)

>               4) How exactly does the usermode kernel _end_ the
>                  usermode userspace processes in a clean way?

Use ptrace to force it to call exit(), and let the exit() call through
to the real kernel.  Or just use PT_KILL.

> Working through it makes me really wonder whether there's _any_
> portable way to do this stuff.

Sure - by instruction-level emulation if naught else.  (Not a great
way, but it certainly can work.)

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