Does Minix support Multithreading?

[Abhinav Sarna]

Can I experiement with threads on both software (user) level and kernel
(real processor supported threads) level. What about SMT, Super
threading and multithreading?

Thanks,
Abhinav

[Abhinav Sarna]

Can I experiement with threads on both software (user) level and kernel
(real processor supported threads) level. What about SMT, Super

threading and hyperthreading?

Thanks,
Abhinav

[Ben Gras]

All,

> Can I experiement with threads on both software (user) level and kernel
> (real processor supported threads) level. What about SMT, Super
> threading and hyperthreading?

For the time being, none of the above, as there is no ported user thread
library (AFAIK), and Minix doesn't support kernel level threads (mainly
due to no VM).

=Ben

[Segin]

Minix 3 doesn't take advantage of any advanced features you can't find
in a good 486 box.

[Segin]

To clarify before I get flamed *puts on asbestos armor*, That is not
anything against Minix 3, it's just a factual comment that Minix 3
utilizes no additional hardware than that which can be found in a decent
486 system. PCI-based 486 motherboard were made, and since PCI is Minix
3's most advanced feature (so far), my statement is correct.

SMPing 486 boards are beyond "decent" to just "Mr. Moneybags", and were
a rarity. Or to clarify, you'd have to do better than just "decent" to
get a 2 processor 486 motherboard.

[Philip Homburg]

In article <PTSYf.113589$Fw6....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>,

Segin <segi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>Minix 3 doesn't take advantage of any advanced features you can't find
>in a good 486 box.

Can you explain how you can make this claim? Did you read all of the Minix
source code to verify that no advanced features are used?

Your claim is in fact not true. I leave it to the interested reader to figure
out which 'advanced' feature is used.

--
That was it. Done. The faulty Monk was turned out into the desert where it
could believe what it liked, including the idea that it had been hard done
by. It was allowed to keep its horse, since horses were so cheap to make.
-- Douglas Adams in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

[Segin]

Philip Homburg wrote:
> In article <PTSYf.113589$Fw6....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>,
> Segin <segi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>Minix 3 doesn't take advantage of any advanced features you can't find
>>in a good 486 box.
>
>
> Can you explain how you can make this claim? Did you read all of the Minix
> source code to verify that no advanced features are used?
>
> Your claim is in fact not true. I leave it to the interested reader to figure
> out which 'advanced' feature is used.
>
>

Every feature I have found in Minix 3, I have seen on a 486-class
system. PCI isn't a Pentium-or-higher feature

[Ben Gras]

> Every feature I have found in Minix 3, I have seen on a 486-class
> system. PCI isn't a Pentium-or-higher feature

rot13: eqgfp

=Ben

[Segin]

I have no idea what that is.

[tony B]

gcipher -C Rot -k 13
eqgfp
rdtsc

I'm guessing "rdtsc" stands for:

Read The Source Code

But I'm not very good at things cryptic :)

tony

[Ben Gras]

All,

> I'm guessing "rdtsc" stands for:
> Read The Source Code
> But I'm not very good at things cryptic :)

No no it's simpler than that (but good guess) - it's the name of an
instruction used to get the value of the cycle counter, that is only
available on pentium and up. In Minix it's used to gather entropy for
the random number generator. I rot13ed it in order to not spoil
things for the 'interested reader'.. :)

=Ben

[Segin]

Ahh... I am actually half-right on this one, cause you can get a Pentium
Overdrive (which was basically a Pentium core with a 486 MMU or someshit
like that) and put it in a 486 mobo...

But, like I said, *half* right.

Good one there, pulling up a obsceure feature, I like doing that to
people at times...