Design and implementation of K42's dynamic clustered object switching mechanism

grantor: University of TorontoRecent research efforts have investigated customizable operating systems, where the implementation of operating system services can be chosen to meet an application's performance or functionality requirements. This dissertation investigates the potential benefits of allowing the customization to be changed, on-the-fly, while the service is in use. By using a prototype implementation of the dynamic object switching layer in the K42 operating system, we explore the costs and benefits associated with dynamic customization. As an example, we showed how K42 can switch a (per-file) page cache from a centralized implementation to one distributed across the processors of a multiprocessor in order to adapt to changing access patterns. The ability to customize on-the-fly allows the implementation of a service to match the instantaneous demands on the service, avoiding the need to comprise a complex, catch-all implementation. It also facilitates live-swapping of system components in mission-critical systems where downtime is undesirable.M.Sc