[Silberschatz 2.25 edited] An experimental operating system has an assembler inc

Question

[Silberschatz 2.25 edited] An experimental operating system has an assembler incorporated into the kernel. To optimize system-call performance, the kernel assembles routines within kernel space to minimize the path that the system call must take through the kernel. This approach is the antithesis of the layered approach, in which the path through the kernel is extended to make building the operating system easier. Discuss both the pros and cons of this approach to kernel design and system-performance optimization.

Explanation / Answer

Synthesis is impressive due to the performance it achieves
through on-the-fly compilation. Unfortunately, it is difficult to debug problems within the kernel due to the fluidity of the code. Also, such compilation is system specific, making Synthesis difficult to port (a new compiler must be written for each architecture).

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