OpenMosix
Encyclopedia
openMosix was a free
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
cluster management system that provided single-system image
Single-system image
In distributed computing, a single system image cluster is a cluster of machines that appears to be one single system. The concept is often considered synonymous with that of a distributed operating system, but a single image may be presented for more limited purposes, just job scheduling for...
(SSI) capabilities, e.g. automatic work distribution among nodes
Node (networking)
In communication networks, a node is a connection point, either a redistribution point or a communication endpoint . The definition of a node depends on the network and protocol layer referred to...
. It allowed program processes
Process (computing)
In computing, a process is an instance of a computer program that is being executed. It contains the program code and its current activity. Depending on the operating system , a process may be made up of multiple threads of execution that execute instructions concurrently.A computer program is a...
(not threads
Thread (computer science)
In computer science, a thread of execution is the smallest unit of processing that can be scheduled by an operating system. The implementation of threads and processes differs from one operating system to another, but in most cases, a thread is contained inside a process...
) to migrate to machines in the node's network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
that would be able to run that process faster (process migration
Process migration
Process migration is when processes in computer clusters are able to move from machine to machine. Process migration is implemented in, among others, OpenMosix....
). It was particularly useful for running parallel and intensive input/output
Input/output
In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world, possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...
(I/O) applications. It was released as a Linux kernel
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
patch, but was also available on specialized Live CD
Live CD
A live CD, live DVD, or live disc is a CD or DVD containing a bootable computer operating system. Live CDs are unique in that they have the ability to run a complete, modern operating system on a computer lacking mutable secondary storage, such as a hard disk drive...
s. openMosix development has been halted by its developers, but the LinuxPMI
LinuxPMI
LinuxPMI is a Linux Kernel extension for multi-system-image clustering...
project is continuing development of the former openMosix code.
History
openMosix was originally forked from MOSIXMOSIX
MOSIX is a distributed operating system. Although early versions were based on older UNIX systems, since 1999 it focuses on Linux clusters and grids...
by Moshe Bar on February 10, 2002 when MOSIX became proprietary software
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
.
openMosix was considered stable on Linux kernel
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
2.4.x for the x86 architecture
X86 architecture
The term x86 refers to a family of instruction set architectures based on the Intel 8086 CPU. The 8086 was launched in 1978 as a fully 16-bit extension of Intel's 8-bit based 8080 microprocessor and also introduced segmentation to overcome the 16-bit addressing barrier of such designs...
, but porting to Linux 2.6 kernel remained in the alpha stage. Support for the 64-bit AMD64 architecture only started with the 2.6 version.
On July 15, 2007, Bar announced that the openMOSIX project would reach its end of life on March 1, 2008, due to the decreasing need for SSI clustering as low-cost multi-core processors increase in availability.
OpenMosix used to be distributed as a Gentoo Linux
Gentoo Linux
Gentoo Linux is a computer operating system built on top of the Linux kernel and based on the Portage package management system. It is distributed as free and open source software. Unlike a conventional software distribution, the user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen...
kernel choice, but it was removed from Gentoo Linux's Portage tree
Portage (software)
Portage is a package management system used by Gentoo Linux, based on the concept of ports collections. Gentoo is sometimes referred to as a meta-distribution due to the extreme flexibility of Portage, which makes it operating-system-independent. The Gentoo/Alt project is concerned with using...
in February 2007.
As of March 1, 2008, openMosix read-only source code is still hosted at SourceForge. The LinuxPMI
LinuxPMI
LinuxPMI is a Linux Kernel extension for multi-system-image clustering...
project is continuing development of the former openMosix code.
Live CDs
LinuxLinux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
Live CD
Live CD
A live CD, live DVD, or live disc is a CD or DVD containing a bootable computer operating system. Live CDs are unique in that they have the ability to run a complete, modern operating system on a computer lacking mutable secondary storage, such as a hard disk drive...
s with openMosix include:
- CHAOSCHAOS (Linux distribution)CHAOS is a small Linux distribution designed for creating ad hoc computer clusters. CHAOS is a Live CD which fits on a single business card sized CD-ROM...
(a very small boot CD) - clusterKnoppixClusterKnoppixClusterKnoppix is a specialized Linux distribution based on the Knoppix distribution, but which uses the openMosix kernel.Traditionally, clustered computing could only be achieved by setting up individual RSH keys, creating NFS shares, editing host files, setting static IPs, and applying kernel...
(not maintained anymore) - dyne:bolicDyne:bolicdyne:bolic is a Live CD/DVD based on the Linux kernel with a focus on multimedia production, and is distributed with a large assortment of applications for audio and video manipulation...
- QuantianQuantianQuantian OS is a remastering of Knoppix/Debian for computational sciences. The environment is self-configuring and directly bootable CD/DVD that turns any PC or laptop into a Linux workstation...
, a scientific distribution based on clusterKnoppix