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            <h3>eXpOS<span style="color:#14ddb3">NITC<span></h3>
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              mkDocs version of the same documentation is available at <a href="https://exposnitc.github.io/expos-docs/" target="_blank">exposnitc.github.io/expos-docs</a>
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        <span style="position: absolute; bottom: 40px;color:white;">National Institute of Technology, Calicut</span>
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			             	<h5>Source Code</h5>
			             	<p>The entire project code is hosted on Github <b><a style="color:blue" href="http://github.com/exposnitc" target="_blank">http://github.com/exposnitc</a></b></p>
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                          Trial version, errors are being corrected as reported.
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                          Last updated: 21 July 2021 (see <a href="release_notes.html"> Release Notes </a>)
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              <p>Project eXpOS (eXperimental Operating System) is an on-line educational
                platform which helps undergraduate students to learn the working
                on an operating system. A detailed project roadmap that is part
                of the platform provides step by step guidance to the student towards
                writing a small operating system from scratch. The student learns
                the implementation of various OS data structures and kernel routines
                during the course of the project. The OS written by the student
                will run on a machine simulator supplied along with the platform.
                The project assumes that the student has undergone a course in
                computer organization, and is comfortable with programming.</p>
              <br/>


              <p>If you wish to work on the project, the approach we suggest is to
                follow the project roadmap. The roadmap takes you through a step
                by step journey towards the complete implementation of the operating
                system. At each step, you will be asked to read concepts, specifications
                and interfaces that are required for that step. In fact, you will
                be asked to read only what is necessary for completing that step.
                The links to the relevant reading material will be given at appropriate
                places in the roadmap. <a href="Roadmap.html" target="_blank">Proceed to Roadmap <em class="fa fa-external-link"></em></a></p><br/>

              <p>If you are curious about what the "final system" you are going to
                build looks like, we give a brief overview here. You are warned
                not to get lost in the links. The roadmap will ask you to read
                the appropriate parts of the documentation as and when required.</p>
              <!--  <p>Project <b>eXpOS</b> or eXperimental Operating System is an educational platform to develop an  operating system. It is an instructional tool for students to learn and implement OS data structures and functionalities on a simulated machine called <a href="arch_spec.html" target="_blank"><b>XSM</b></a> (eXperimental String Machine). The OS is programmed using a custom language known as <a href="support_tools-files/spl.html" target="_blank"><b>SPL</b></a> (System Programmer's Language) and application programs, which run on the OS, are programmed using <a href="support_tools-files/expl.html" target="_blank"><b>ExpL</b></a> (Experimental Language).</p>

					<br/>

					<p>The methodology we suggest for you is to follow the roadmap.  The <b>roadmap</b> takes you through a step by step journey towards the complete implementation of the eXpOS operating system.  At each step, you will be asked to read  concepts, specifications and interfaces which you must learn to complete that step.  In fact, you will be asked to read <b>only</b> what is necessary for doing that step. The links to the reading material will be given at appropriate places in the roadmap. <a href="Roadmap.html"  target="_blank">Proceed to Roadmap <em class="fa fa-external-link"></em></a></p>

					<br/>
					<p>However, if you are curious about what the "final system" you are going to build looks like, we give a brief overview here. You are warned not to get lost in the links. The roadmap will ask you to read the appropriate parts of the documentation as and when required. </p>-->
              <br/>

              <p><img src="img/User_View.png" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"></img>
              </p>
              <br>

              <p>In the above figure, an architecture simulator for the eXperimental
                String Machine (XSM) is given to you. Your primary job is to implement
                the eXpOS kernel for this machine in such a way that application
                programs can be loaded and executed by your kernel. You will also
                be asked to write a few application programs,­ like the shell (for
                providing a user interface).</p><br/>
              <p>Clearly, in order to write the OS kernel, one must be given its two
                interfaces – the interface to the architecture below and the interface
                to the executable application programs above. The former is given
                to you in the <a href="arch_spec.html" target="_blank"> XSM architecture </a>                specification. The latter, called the <a href="abi.html" target="_blank"> Application Binary Interface</a>                specification, is also given to you. There are also two additional
                interfaces (not shown in the figure) described below:</p>

              <p>1. The format in which data and executable files are stored in the
                disk is standardized and given in the <a href="os_spec-files/eXpFS.html"
                  target="_blank">eXpFS file system specification</a>. This standardization
                allows portability of files between eXpOS and other systems. You
                must implement the OS file system satisfying this interface specification.</p>
              <p>2. Specification for a small application layer software called the
                <a href="os_spec-files/misc.html#SixcollapseFive" target="_blank"> eXpOS Library </a>                is given to you. The library is a special application program that
                stands between the OS kernel and other application programs. The
                library provides a generic interface through which other applications
                can access the OS system calls. Dynamic memory management services
                of the OS are also implemented by the library. The library code
                will be supplied to you. Your OS kernel must load the library into
                memory and link it to the application programs at run time.</p><br/>

              <p>Since you start with a bare machine with no software on it, you need
                some external mechanism to:</p>
              <p>1. Write the kernel modules and get them as XSM executable programs.</p>
              <p>2. Store these modules into the machine's disk so that they can be
                loaded to the memory and executed when the machine is powered on.</p>
              <br/>
              <p>We provide you with support tools for achieving the above objectives.</p>
              <p>For the first task, a cross compiler for an enriched XSM assembly
                language called the <a href="support_tools-files/spl.html" target="_blank"> System Programming Language (SPL) </a>                is given to you. You can write the OS modules in the SPL language
                from your host (Linux/Unix) environment and generate XSM target
                programs using the SPL compiler.</p>
              <p>For the second task, we provide you with an interface software called
                the <a href="support_tools-files/xfs-interface.html" target="_blank"> XFS interface</a>.
                This tool allows you to transfer executable kernel modules from
                your host (Linux/Unix) system to specified blocks of the XSM disk.
                Thus, you can load the XSM target modules into the appropriate
                areas of the XSM disk.</p><br/>
              <p>The following figure illustrates the OS development environment from
                an OS programmer's viewpoint.</p>

              <p><img src="img/Kernel_Module.png" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"></img>
              </p>

              <p>A similar mechanism is provided for preparing application programs
                and loading them to the machine's disk. A cross compiler for a
                tiny high level programming language called the <a href="support_tools-files/expl.html"
                  target="_blank"> Experimental Language (ExpL) </a> is supplied
                to you. The ExpL compiler translates your program into the target
                executable format recognized by eXpOS. These programs can be stored
                in the XSM machine's disk using the XFS interface tool.</p><br/>


              <p>The following figure illustrates the development environment from
                an application programmer's perspective.</p>
              <p><img src="img/Applicn_Pgm.png" style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto"></img>
              </p><br/>


              <p>The OS that you build will be very elementary. There will be no system
                software like compilers or file editors that run on top of the
                OS. <b>The OS will only be capable of loading into the memory and executing programs that are already pre-loaded into machine's disk before boot up.</b>                Hence, the only way to write application programs (or kernel code)
                for the OS will be to write the code from your host (Linux/Unix)
                system, compile the code using ExpL (or SPL) cross compiler and
                pre-load the target executable into the XSM disk using the XFS-Interface
                tool, before powering on the simulator. </p><br/>

              <p>Once the OS modules and application programs are loaded into the
                XSM machine's disk, the <a href="support_tools-files/xsm-simulator.html"
                  target="_blank"> XSM simulator </a> can be used to bootstrap the
                OS into the machine memory and start execution.</p>
              <br/>

              <p>The collection of development tools given to you including the XSM
                simulator, compilers for ExpL and SPL and XFS Interface will be
                referred to as the "eXpOS package” in the eXpOS documentation.</p><br/>

              <p>The following figure gives a high level picture of the OS that you
                will build by the end of the project.</p><br/><br/>

              <figure style="text-align: center;">
                <img src="img/os-design/high_level_design.png" width='50%' height='30%' style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto; ">
                <br>
                <figcaption>High Level Design of eXpOS</figcaption>
              </figure>

              <br>


              <p>The <a href="os_spec.html" target="_blank"> eXpOS specification</a>                provides an informal description of OS from the view point of the
                user/application programmer. You may also have a quick look at
                the <a href="os_design.html" target="_blank">high level system design</a>                for a closer view of the OS.</p>

              <p>eXpOS evolved from a primitive version called <a href="http://xosnitc.github.io/">XOS</a>                developed a few years back. The eXpOS <a href="faq.html" target="_blank">FAQ</a>                and <a href="About_us.html" target="_blank">About us</a> pages
                provide some more information.</p>
              <br/>
              <p>We wish you enjoy doing the project following the <a href="Roadmap.html"
                  target="_blank">Roadmap</a>.</p>


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