The MOSIX distributed operating system. Load balancing for UNIX
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: The MOSIX distributed operating system. Load balancing for UNIX
zbMATH Open document ID: 0787.68022
DOI: 10.1007/3-540-56663-5
author: Shai Guday
author: Richard G. Wheeler
author: Amnon Barak
published in: Lecture Notes in Computer Science
publication date: 1993-11-23T00:00:00Z
review text: MOSIX (Multicomputer Operating System for UNIX) is a symmetrical distributed operating system. This means that system control is decentralized and each computer belonging to the system is both server and client for all services. The development of MOSIX started in 1981 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The system integrates a cluster of computers connected via a local area network (LAN) into a virtual single- machine UNIX environment. MOSIX allows a high degree of integration, including network transparency, cooperation between the computers, support of dynamic configuration and load balancing. Load balancing is done by process migration. This means that all processors belonging to the MOSIX system must be homogeneous, otherwise process migration can not be done. The book has 221 pages and is divided in eleven chapters, an extensive reference list and an index. The first two chapters give an overview of general MOSIX concepts. In chapter three and four non-distributed and distributed file systems are discussed, followed by the process concepts of UNIX and MOSIX in chapter five and six. MOSIX is a microkernel based operating system working with Remore Procedure Calls. In chapter seven the links between the host-specific part of the kernel and the related user view are presented. Load-balancing, scaling considerations based on probabilistic algorithms and a discussion of the main communication mechanisms of MOSIX are themes of the chapters eight to ten. The last chapter discusses distributed applications and gives performance results of several examples. MOSIX is a research project and this book about MOSIX is more a scientific report than a tutorial. Very carefully and in detail the main features of a special distributed operating system and its relations to UNIX are described. Although scientifical oriented, the text is written in a clear and understandable language. For some chapters it is assumed that the reader has some familiarities with the UNIX operating …
reviewed by: Werner Brecht
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 68N25
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 68M10
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 68-02
zbMATH DE Number: 463960
zbMATH Keywords: network operating system
zbMATH Keywords: load balancing
zbMATH Keywords: MOSIX
zbMATH Keywords: UNIX
zbMATH Keywords: distributed operating system
zbMATH Keywords: local area network
zbMATH Keywords: network protocols
zbMATH Keywords: Remote Procedure Call
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56663-5
OpenAlex ID: W161943517
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 463960