/joh'liks/ n.,adj. 386BSD
386BSD ignored as much as possible the segmentation hardware of the x86, preferring to use a "flat" address space.
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The kernel, as well as the user mode programs, requires its own set of segment registers. If the kernel is called, its segments must be present. This takes up precious linear address space. Thus, we can never run a process exactly 4 gigabytes in size because a portion of the address space must be reserved for kernel use.
Figure 4 - 386BSD Segmentation Registers
Even if we try to use segments to relocate the kernel, we cannot escape the limit -- it not only takes up the same linear address space but also forces us to use intersegmental instructions to communicate data between user process and the kernel. Since the user, the process, and the kernel must share virtual address space, we limited ourselves to a maximum process size of 4 gigabytes less the kernel size. The kernel segment registers are outlined in Figure 4. These segment registers cover (alias) the user segments and allow access to the user space from the kernel in any way desired (read, write, or execute). Because all segments start at zero, the kernel begins at a high address (or offset) and always runs relocated. In 386BSD, the code segment just covers the end of the kernel instruction region, because no self-modifying code was needed. Is Segmentation a "dead end"?
Some new microprocessors, such as the 386, feature architectures which exploit large segments. This is because 4 gigabytes is starting to fill up, and going to 64-bit addresses will not be happening soon. Many would argue that 4 gigabytes will never be filled, but history states otherwise. 64-Mbit RAM is already on the drawing boards -- in fact, some actually exist. In a few years, it will be commercially available. Because a typical computer uses on average 64 to 128 RAM chips, with many companies currently offering 64-Mbyte systems (512 1-Mbit RAM), it will not be long before a computer with 512 64-Mbit RAM chips (4 gigabytes) is introduced. As such, segmented architectures may provide a way of spanning the address space gap that could result.It's amazing that at the beginning of the microcomputer revolution, an Altair 8800 with 4 Kbyte of RAM was considered incredible because it could run Basic! How times change. One way to avoid linear address space sharing constraints is to have all interrupts, traps, exceptions, and system calls internally context switch to a separate process to execute UNIX system functions, using the 386 trap with task switching feature. This unique 386 hardware allows traps to be handled by either procedures or tasks. However, task switching is very expensive and the system would context switch thousands of times more frequently than otherwise. Also, the UNIX kernel is not intended to run itself as a process, as use of this feature would require.
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