Messenger-Based Operating Systems

This report proposes to employ messengers, initially developed in the context of communication protocols, as a fundamental component of the architecture of distributed operating systems. Current microkernels offer non-local services which require the collaboration of neighboring machines or special servers and are implemented using special protocols. These protocols are hard-wired into the microkernel and can not easily be changed, which is problematic for interworking and scaling. We propose a modified software architecture for operating systems where all non-local services are implemented outside the basic software coat that hides the hardware. The key element of such an architecture are messengers i.e., worm-like programs exchanged between neighboring machines: they represent an intermediate layer between the basic computing platform and the operating system to support. Operating systems are still run in native mode but under the control of messengers. An important element of this architecture is a currency mechanism used to control the resource allocation of messengers and the implemented operating systems