NFU Specification

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Revision as of 03:35, 2 July 2008 by Dano (talk | contribs)
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Simple overview:

  • NFU server -- "adjacent" to IBP depot, runs NFU Ops
  • NFU Op -- lightweight program, written in C, or Java, depending on server.
  • NFU client -- initiates launch of an nfuOp and exchanges data with it.
  • NFU API:
    • Two types of data exchange:
    • 1. variable exchange
      • IBP_VAL_[IN, OUT, INOUT]
      • variable/values exchanged directly between nfu client and nfu Op
    • 2. IBP Cap handling
      • NFU Server (not nfuOp) processes IBP Caps
      • IBP_REF_[RD, WR, RDWR]
      • E.G. _RD: client sends readCap to server, NFU server provides nfuOp a pointer to mmap of the allocation
      • nfuOp does not receive readCap string
  • security issues
    • Java NFU server has VM isolation of nfuOp
    • UTK NFU server has option to run Cap as process to isolate nfuOp from server
  • compatibility issues:
    • Java NFU server currently has no way to run C nfuOps
    • if nfu server is not part of the ibp depot, then all IBP_REF_* exchanges need to be changed to IBP_VAL_* exchanges forcing the nfuOp to process IBP caps.
      • this disables 1/2 of the NFU api