Re: Differences between FreeBSD and Linux system call mechanism

Perry Harrington (pedward@sun4.apsoft.com)
Thu, 3 Sep 1998 15:47:03 -0700 (PDT)

>
> It isn't running user code!! It's code selector references the kernel
> code. It's data selector references kernel data, the stack and SS is the
> kernel stack.... How could you figure that it's the same process? If you
> are referring to "current" and other kernel variables that reference the
> task that was last switched to by the kernel, this is a totally
> artificial, (but certainly useful), mechanism used by Unix and Unix-like
> Operating Systems.
>

Anyone who has read an OS design book will know that the kernel itself is
not a process. The kernel runs in the timeslice of a user process, therefore
it is not a process unto itself. This is the simplest definition that I've
seen WRT the kernel as a process.

> Cheers,
> Dick Johnson

--Perry

-- 
Perry Harrington       Linux rules all OSes.    APSoft      ()
email: perry@apsoft.com 			Think Blue. /\


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