Abstract
Kernel extension development suffers from two problems. Firstly, there is little to no code reuse. This is caused by the fact that most kernel extensions are coded in the C programming language. This language only allows code reuse either by using 'copy and paste' or by using libraries. Secondly, the poor separation of synchronisation and functionality code makes it difficult to change one without affecting the other. It is, therefore, difficult to use the synchronisation mechanisms correctly. The approach proposed in this paper tries to solve these problems by introducing a component based programming model for kernel extensions, and a system based on this proposal is implemented for the Linux kernel. The language used for the implementation is Objective-C, and as a synchronisation mechanism Communicating Sequential Processes is used. This model allows the functionality and synchronisation of a component to be developed separately. Furthermore, due to the use of Communicating Sequential Processes it is possible to verify the correctness of the synchronisation. An example given in this paper illustrates how easy it is to use the K-CSP environment for development.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 2004 |