A quick history of Network Operating Systems Glenford Mapp Middlesex University

What is an Operating System A piece of software which controls access to and the use of computing hardware Application/user programs must use the operating system to get things done Examples of well known OSs –Windows, OS2, Unix, Linux

No operating system Users booked time on the machine and programmed it manually Wasted a lot of time Main use as an advanced calculator for solving equations: e.g.; missile trajectories

FORTRAN – high level language invented –Allowed larger number of engineering and scientific problems to be solved Invention of compilers Routines controlled the movement of data in and out of the computer and allowed a human to control the system via a console. –The first operating system –Batch mode operation

Multiprogramming –While the processor was waiting on I/O for your program, another user’s program could be executed New concepts in memory allocation and protection, virtual memory, storage systems Better electronics: Integrated Circuit Boards Timesharing systems CTSS; Multics proposed as a computing “utility”.

Multics failed in overall goal but produced a lot of seminal ideas Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie developed UNIX ARPAnet – first packet switching network announced

Mini-computers got really popular –PDP11 introduced The Alto (Xerox PARC) Ethernet invented (Xerox PARC) Microprocessor invented (Intel) CP/M invented – led to DOS TCP/IP formally specified

The Altair – first programmable microprocessor system one could buy –Gates and Allen wrote BASIC interpreter Apple launched first commercial PC TCP/IP became the preferred US military protocol.

IBM PC made debut MS-DOS became the dominant PC operating system Apple and Novell developed networks for PCs e.g., Appletalk, Novel Netware TCP/IP incorporated into 4.2 BSD Unix –Networking made widely available

Windows OS gained support Multiprocessors began to be built Micro-kernels explored –MACH, Amoeba Client-Server Computing Multi-service networks –ATM proposed

The World Wide Web (WWW) was born Windows NT deployed Linux became stable and useable Early ISPs – Demon, AOL gained support Windows 95 released Thin client computing came of age – Virtual Network Computer (VNC)

Explosion in mobile and wireless networks –Mobile phones, b networks Support for multimedia applications –Quality of Service issues Java and CORBA Windows 2000 released – clean OS Peer-to-peer networking – Napster, Gnutella

Blade Servers Technology Deployment of hardware platforms –Dual and Quad Core processors common –Energy is now a big issue Deployment of Wireless Technology –WiMax, n, Ultrawideband Cheaper platforms – The rise of netbooks –ASUS Eee PC, etc (under £200.00)

Present The rise of the Mobile Platform –Apple’s iPhone –Google’s Android Platform NetOS/Browser platforms –Chrome, Google Wave Mobile Architectures for heterogeneous networks Ambient Networks, Y-Comm

Mega Trends (Big Wave) Moore’s law – silicon density doubles every 18 months (dual and quad processors) Cost of computing, memory and networking continue to fall One -> many computers Processor-centric -> network-centric Wired->wireless environments

Mega Trends (Small Wave) Integrated Processors –Death of NICs and I/O buses Embedded Networking Support for very small devices The rise and rise of Ethernet technology –From LAN to WAN, a/b/g -> n Heterogeneous Networking Devices connected to many networks at the same time

Effect on Network Operating Systems Mobile platform will become dominant –Android, Symbian, RIM Support for soft real time applications –More support for multimedia applications The rise in the use of server virtualisation –Vmware, Xen Support for asynchronous handling –Using events rather than RPC-like methods –Autonomy, etc.