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

• US 7,437,546 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2005
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Gabor, Ron, Campbell, Randolph L., Thiyagarajah, Tiags, Kulbak, Yoram, Shamia, Doron, Raynor, Jimmy S.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US11/195,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20070033389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 711/153, 711/209, 714 10- 14
• US Class Current: 713/1
• 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 non-host OS that is stored in a host area of memory used for booting the host OS; and

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

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-host OS is a first non-host OS and the non-host CPU is a first non-host CPU, 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 sending the directed 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 OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, wherein configuring comprises storing the non-host boot code and controlling the host CPU to send the directed IPI to the non-host CPU.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein configuring further comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions having at least a first and a second partition, wherein a the first partition comprises the host OS and the at least one host CPU allocated to the host OS, and the second partition comprises the non-host OS and the at least one non-host CPU allocated to the non-host OS.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a driver on the host OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions having at least a first and a second partition, wherein the first partition comprises an the host OS and the at least one host CPU allocated to the host OS, and the second partition comprises the non-host OS and the at least one non-host CPU allocated to the non-host OS.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a driver on the host OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, 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, wherein the non-host CPU may disregard broadcast IPIs sent by the host CPU.

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

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

installing a driver on the host OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions having at least a first and a second partition, wherein the first partition comprises the host OS and the at least one host CPU allocated to the host OS, and the second partition comprises the non-host OS and the at least one non-host CPU allocated to the non-host OS, and wherein configuring further comprises determining particular platform resources to which each partition has access.

9. 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 with the host OS;

to store a non-host OS boot code in a host area of physical memory associated with host OS boot activities; and

to direct the non-host OS to access the non-host boot code.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the driver is further to configure a platform that comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and non-host CPU, wherein the platform allocates resources to the non-host OS, the resources comprising at least one CPU and a memory.

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

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the non-host OS is a real-time OS (RTOS), and wherein the non-host CPU is assigned a specialized function.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein directing the non-host OS includes sending an inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) to the non-host OS.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the non-host OS may 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.

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

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the system comprises a server that comprises at least one of the host CPUs, and the non-host CPU computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed cause at least one processor to disregard broadcast inter-processor-interrupts (IPIs) sent by the host CPU.

17. 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 non-host OS that is stored in a host area of memory used for booting the host OS; and

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

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the non-host OS is a first non-host OS and the non-host CPU is a first non-host CPU, the multiple OS 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 sending the directed inter-processor-interrupt (IPI) from the first non-host CPU to the at least one additional non-host CPU.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple OS method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, wherein configuring comprises storing the non-host boot code and controlling the host CPU to send the directed IPI to the non-host CPU.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein configuring further comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions having at least a first and a second partition, wherein the first partition comprises the host OS and the at least one host CPU allocated to the host OS, and the second partition comprises the non-host OS and the at least one non-host CPU allocated to the non-host OS.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple OS method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions having at least a first and a second partition, wherein the first partition comprises the host OS and the at least one host CPU allocated to the host OS, and the second partition comprises the non-host OS and the at least one non-host CPU allocated to the non-host OS.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple OS method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, 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.

23. The medium of claim 17, wherein the multiple OS method further comprises:

installing a driver on the host OS; and

configuring a platform using the driver, the platform comprising the host OS, the non-host OS, the host CPU and the non-host CPU, wherein configuring comprises partitioning the platform to include multiple partitions having a first and a second partition, wherein the first partition comprises an the host OS and the at least one host CPU allocated to the host OS, and the second partition comprises the non-host OS and the at least one non-host CPU allocated to the non-host OS, and wherein configuring further comprises determining particular platform resources to which each partition has access.

24. The medium of claim 17, wherein the non-host CPU may disregard broadcast inter-processor-interrupts (IPIs) sent by the host CPU.

25. The medium of claim 17, wherein the non-host OS is a real-time operating system (RTOS).