FWIW: The one sad thing I look back one and fear was a the greatest contribution of TNC that was lost was Vprocs - the virtual process layer, that Roman and I created - originally for the Paragon and HP systems. We took a tip from Sun's VFS layer and said what we really need is a layer the kernel with new interface to allow virtual process technology. They you can support a number of different types of interfaces the same way you can support different file systems.

We spliced had it running is OSF1, HP-UX, Linux (2.4), SVR4, an Apple kernel and had started putting into an Solaris for one of the super computer firms (I've forgotten now whom). I started putting it into a FreeBSD release at one point, but was over whelmed by other kernel changes and just could not keep up with he mainline - it been on my 'to do.' I think that's why OpenSSI gave up. Unless Linus really got excited it was not going be able to stay in on the side.

Which is a shame because once you put the changes in, to support the vproc layer, then its easier to make changes of course because you have a clean interface. As I said, just like VFS cleaned up the file system and i-node layer and removed a bunch of stuff that had bleed into the places in the kernel it really did not belong. The same is true for the process layer and some of the other UNIX name spaces (semaphores, systemV shared memory, etc..). Vproc really cleaned that up.

On Tue, Nov 21, 2017 at 12:06 PM, Clem Cole <clemc@ccc.com> wrote:

OpenSSI (Single System Image) Clusters for Linux
is the URL for the project

Note Bruce has retired since he wrote the following, but the
paper describing the work is:
Open Single System Image (openSSI) Linux Cluster Project, Bruce J. Walker, Hewlett-Packard

Bruce.walker@hp.com

Abstract

The openSSI Cluster project is an ongoing open source project which was started two years ago to bring together some of the best Linux and Unix clustering technologies into a single integrated and yet modular project.

Linux is rich in cluster technology but is segmented into 6 different cluster areas
- high performance, load-leveling, web-service, storage, database and high availability. The openSSI project address all cluster environments by simultaneously addressing the three key cluster goals - availability, scalability and manageability.

To accomplish this ambitious goal, the project was started with a Linux adaptation of the NonStop Clusters for Unixware code, contributed by Compaq/HP. That code included membership, internode communication, clusterwide process management, clusterwide devices, a cluster filesystem, clusterwide IPC (pipes, fifos, msgqueues, semaphores, etc.) and clusterwide tcp/ip networking. Other open source clustering code has been integrated into the modular architecture, including openGFS, openDLM, LVS, Lustre and a small component of Mosix. The architecture of the project allows for subsetting and substitution of components. A full function initial release is available in both source and RPM form. Many enhancement opportunities still exist both in integrating with other technologies and by improving scalability and availability.