Cross-Operating System Process Migration on a Massively Parallel Processor

As part of the Uniform Kernel project at Sandia National Labs, we developed process migration mechanisms for the Intel Paragon and Teraflop (ASCI Red) machines. The computing paradigm on these massively parallel processors divides the nodes into multiple logical partitions which run differing operating systems. This provides a unique environment for process migration, with homogeneous hardware and heterogeneous systems software. In this paper, we describe mechanisms that allow processes to (1) run on multiple operating systems, and (2) migrate between partitions on demand. The result is the first step towards a system which will allow partition boundaries to change dynamically, thus responding to changes in load mix and resource usage on the machine.

Katramatos, Dimitrios, Steve Chapin, Patricia Hillman, Lee Fisk, and Dresser van. "Cross-Operating System Process Migration on a Massively Parallel Processor." University of Virginia Dept. of Computer Science Tech Report (1998).