Multiple, cooperating operating systems (OS) platform system and method

• US 20070033389A1
• Filed: 08/03/2005
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Shamia, Doron, Gabor, Ron, Thiyagarajah, Tiags, Campbell, Randolph, Kulbak, Yoram, Raynor, Jimmy
• Granted Patent: US 7,437,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4405 Initialisation of multiprocessor systems

Abstract

Embodiments of a multi-processor platform including multiple, cooperating operating systems are described. Multiple operating systems, each of which may be of a different type or nature, run on different partitions of the multi-processor platform, yet coexist and cooperate. In various embodiments, different specialized operating systems, suitable for particular tasks, run on different partitions of the platform. In one embodiment, a host operating system, using a driver, boots and partitions a portion of the platform running other operating systems, and then communicates with, and shares work with, the other operating systems. In one embodiment, the multi-processor platform includes a host operating system and multiple specialized operating systems, such as real-time operating systems, operating alongside the host operating system. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A multiple operating system method comprising:

initiating boot of a host operating system (OS) on a host central processing unit (CPU);

after initiating boot of the host OS, accessing non-host boot code for a first non-host OS that is stored in an areas of memory used for booting the host OS; and

initiating boot of the first non-host OS on a first non-host CPU from the host OS, wherein initiating boot of the non-host OS comprises an inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) sent from the host CPU to the first non-host CPU.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the first non-host OS initiating a boot of at least one,additional non-host OS on at least one additional non-host CPU, comprising an inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) sent from the first non-host CPU to the at least one additional non-host CPU.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises storing the non-host boot code and sending the IPI.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein configuring further comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein a partition comprises an operating system and at least one CPU allocated to the operating system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein a partition comprises an operating system and at least one CPU allocated to the operating system.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein the multiple partitions comprise at least one host partition, and at least one specialized partition for performing a specialized function.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein a partition comprises an operating system and at least one CPU allocated to the operating system, and wherein configuring further comprises determining particular platform resources to which each partition has access.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first non-host CPU is configurable to disregard broadcast inter-processor-interrupts (IPIs) sent by the host CPU.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first non-host operating system is a real-time operating system (RTOS).

10. A system comprising:

at least one host operating system (OS) operating on a host central processing unit (CPU);

at least one non-host OS operating on a non-host CPU; and

a driver configured to operate under the host OS, to store a non-host OS boot code in an area of physical memory associated with host OS boot activities, and to direct the non-host OS to access the non-host boot code.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the driver is further configured to configure a platform that includes the host OS and the non-host OS, wherein configuring comprises allocating platform resources to the non-host OS, the resources comprising CPUs and memory.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-host OS is a real-time operating system (RTOS).

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-host OS is a real-time OS (RTOS), and wherein the non-host CPU is assigned a specialized function.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein directing the non-host OS includes sending an inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) to the non-host OS.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the non-host OS is configurable to direct other non-host OSs to access the non-host boot code in order to boot the non-host OS on other non-host CPUs.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein directing includes sending an inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) to the other non-host OSs.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the system comprises a server that comprises at least one of the host CPUs, and the non-host CPA computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed cause at least one processor to:

18. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed in a system, cause the performance of a multiple operating system method comprising:

initiating boot of a host operating system (OS) on a host central processing unit (CPU);

after initiating boot of the host OS, accessing non-host boot code for a first non-host OS that is stored in an areas of memory used for booting the host OS; and

initiating boot of the first non-host OS on a first non-host CPU from the host OS, wherein initiating boot of the non-host OS comprises an inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) sent from the host CPU to the first non-host CPU.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein the multiple operating system method further comprises the first non-host OS initiating a boot of at least one additional non-host OS on at least one additional non-host CPU, comprising an inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) sent from the first non-host CPU to the at least one additional non-host CPU.

20. The medium of claim 18, wherein the multiple operating system method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises storing the non-host boot code and sending the IPI.

21. The medium of claim 20, wherein configuring further comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein a partition comprises an operating system and at least one CPU allocated to the operating system.

22. The medium of claim 18, wherein the multiple operating system method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein a partition comprises an operating system and at least one CPU allocated to the operating system.

23. The medium of claim 18, wherein the multiple operating system method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein the multiple partitions comprise at least one host partition, and at least one specialized partition for performing a specialized function.

24. The medium of claim 18, wherein the multiple operating system method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host operating system; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, wherein a partition comprises an operating system and at least one CPU allocated to the operating system, and wherein configuring further comprises determining particular platform resources to which each partition has access.

25. The medium of claim 18, wherein the first non-host CPU is configurable to disregard broadcast inter-processor-interrupts (IPIs) sent by the host CPU.

26. The medium of claim 18, wherein the first non-host operating system is a real-time operating system (RTOS).