AsyMOS-an asymmetric multiprocessor operating system

As the role of the computer as a communications device increases, one must reexamine the role an operating system plays in managing resources to support users. In support of general purpose computation, symmetric multiprocessing has generally proven better than attached processors, master/slave, or other configurations. The authors examine a different approach, an asymmetric multiprocessor operating system (AsyMOS) which applies a subset of available processors toward supporting an abstraction of a virtual "smart device". As a software solution, AsyMOS is able to exploit the cost/performance advantages of sharing memory and packaging that accrue to small scale SMPs, while tracking processor performance much more tightly than front-end processors can. The ability to move OS functionality into the "smart" device is demonstrated in the context of a network subsystem. Application-specific resource management is facilitated by the exporting of interfaces directly to applications. A prototype implementation of the architecture running on commodity hardware demonstrates quantitative advantages over a traditionally structured SMP operating system and provides a framework for further research into functional devolution.