[Caml-list] ocaml and linux kernel programming

[Caml-list] ocaml and linux kernel programming

[Vikas Sodhani]

Hi, I am just learning the OCaml language and was hoping to receive some
advice on the possibilities and trade offs of writing linux kernel
modules using ocaml. 

I am trying to write a module that sits in between the file system and a
hard disk device driver.  The code would interpret the calls from the
file system and relay calls back to the hard disk device driver. 
Essentially the code would be a layer over the hard disk device driver.

Is this possible using OCaml?  What are the trade offs of using ocaml
versus c.  I would appreciate any advice or help.

Thanks,
Vikas Sodhani
-------------------
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs  FAQ: http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr  Archives: http://caml.inria.fr

Re: [Caml-list] ocaml and linux kernel programming

[Vitaly Lugovsky]

On Fri, 2 Nov 2001, Vikas Sodhani wrote:

> Hi, I am just learning the OCaml language and was hoping to receive some
> advice on the possibilities and trade offs of writing linux kernel
> modules using ocaml. 

 You can try userspace system call gateway (don't remember the name of 
this patch... Winmodem people are playing with it right now, so you can
ask them).

> I am trying to write a module that sits in between the file system and a
> hard disk device driver.  The code would interpret the calls from the
> file system and relay calls back to the hard disk device driver. 
> Essentially the code would be a layer over the hard disk device driver.

 Kernel space modules are very limited. :(

> Is this possible using OCaml?  What are the trade offs of using ocaml
> versus c.  I would appreciate any advice or help.

 Btw., 2ALL: what about "Caml OS"? It can be a binfmt-misc module for 
Linux, and even an infrastructure for a syscall gateway for Caml kernel
drivers.


-------------------
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs  FAQ: http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr  Archives: http://caml.inria.fr

Re: [Caml-list] ocaml and linux kernel programming

[Xavier Leroy]

> Hi, I am just learning the OCaml language and was hoping to receive some
> advice on the possibilities and trade offs of writing linux kernel
> modules using ocaml. 

As Vitaly said, your best bet is to run the Caml code in user space
via some sort of kernel/userland gateway.  Kernel-land is a somewhat
restricted programming environment.  E.g. you can't even write kernel
code in (full) C++ because the run-time environment for C++
allocations and exceptions is not available in the kernel.  So, your
chances of getting OCaml code to run in the kernel are very slim :-)

- Xavier Leroy
-------------------
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs  FAQ: http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr  Archives: http://caml.inria.fr

Re: [Caml-list] ocaml and linux kernel programming

[Ohad Rodeh]

Mark Hayden wrote a kernel module in Ocaml, he posted a message on this
topic
about two years ago.  The major problem was memory allocation in a
different
segement using the Caml GC.

  Look it up, perhaps it will be of value to you.

     Ohad.


Xavier Leroy <xavier.leroy@inria.fr>@pauillac.inria.fr on 05/11/2001
12:06:04

Please respond to Xavier Leroy <xavier.leroy@inria.fr>

Sent by:  owner-caml-list@pauillac.inria.fr


To:   Vikas Sodhani <vikas_sodhani@oryxa.com>
cc:   caml-list@inria.fr
Subject:  Re: [Caml-list] ocaml and linux kernel programming



> Hi, I am just learning the OCaml language and was hoping to receive some
> advice on the possibilities and trade offs of writing linux kernel
> modules using ocaml.

As Vitaly said, your best bet is to run the Caml code in user space
via some sort of kernel/userland gateway.  Kernel-land is a somewhat
restricted programming environment.  E.g. you can't even write kernel
code in (full) C++ because the run-time environment for C++
allocations and exceptions is not available in the kernel.  So, your
chances of getting OCaml code to run in the kernel are very slim :-)

- Xavier Leroy
-------------------
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs  FAQ:
http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr  Archives:
http://caml.inria.fr



-------------------
Bug reports: http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs  FAQ: http://caml.inria.fr/FAQ/
To unsubscribe, mail caml-list-request@inria.fr  Archives: http://caml.inria.fr