[openbeos] Re: Add-ons/Module problems/ideas??

Is it possible to have a kernel that can reboot itself?  I think I posted
this on the suggestions list, but I didn't get much of a response.

1.  The kernel suspends each thread, recording the priority of each thread
as they are taken down.

2.  The kernel takes the entire memory space and transfers it to a
known position on disk.

3.  The kernel records (whatever other critical information it needs).

4.  The kernel shuts down.  (either shutting down the machine, also, or
rebooting the kernel).

On bootup (if say, spacebar is pressed), then it boots up normally,
clearing out all of the previously recorded information.

Otherwise, after the FS is loaded, it transfers the entire memory space
back up to the machine from disk, and whatever other information was
transferred.  Then it one-by-one turns on each thread.

I guess there are a few important things that need to be addressed (what
to do with semaphores floating about, thread_ids, port_ids, area_ids
needing to be conserved, et cetera)...

Are there real problems with this idea?  Because, it seems to me, that
implementing something like this would allow us to do reboot-less kernel
upgrades, and neato instant-on features.  Perhaps this belongs in
glasselevator, but I don't see why something like this wouldn't be "R5
compliant", binary or codewise.

Isaac

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