The MOSIX Distributed Operating System: Load Balancing for UNIX

This book describes the design and internals of the MOSIX

distributed operating system. MOSIX, an acronym for

Multicomputer Operating System for UNIX, integrates a

cluster of loosely integrated computers into a virtual

single-machine UNIX environment. The main property of MOSIX

is the high degree of integration among the processors,

which may include personal workstations and shared memory

and non-shared memory multiprocessors, connected by fast

communication links. This integration includes network

transparency, cooperation between the processors to provide

services across machine boundaries, support of dynamic

configuration, and system-initiated load balancing by

process migration. Another property of MOSIX is the ability

to scale up the system configuration to encompass a large

number of computers. The development of MOSIX was begun in

1981. The book is intended primarily for readers who are

interested in distributed and multiprocessor systems. The

reader is assumed to have some knowledge in programming and

operating systems, preferably UNIX. Readers without this

background will still benefit from thetechniques and

algorithms discussed.