DistriX : an implementation of UNIX on transputers

McCullagh, Paul J

DistriX : an implementation of UNIX on transputers

Master Thesis

1989

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Computer Science

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Abstract

Two technologies, distributed operating systems and UNIX are very relevant in computing today. Many distributed systems have been produced and many are under development. To a large extent, distributed systems are considered to be the only way to solve the computing needs of the future. UNIX, on the other hand, is becoming widely recognized as the industry standard for operating systems. The transputer, unlike. UNIX and distributed systems is a relatively new innovation. The transputer is a concurrent processing machine based on mathematical principles. Increasingly, the transputer is being used to solve a wide range of problems of a parallel nature. This thesis combines these three aspects in creating a distributed implementation of UNIX on a network of transputers. The design is based on the satellite model. In this model a central controlling processor is surrounded by worker processors, called satellites, in a master/ slave relationship.