MINIX: A UNIX Clone with Source Code

摘要

MINIX is a complete rewrite of UNIX. Neither the kernel nor the utility programs contains any AT&T code, so the source code is free of the AT&T licensing restrictions and may be studied by individuals or in a course. The system runs on the IBM PC, XT, or AT, and does not require a hard disk, thus making it possible for individuals to acquire a UNIX-like system for home use at a very low cost. Internally, MINIX is structured completely differently from UNIX. It is a message passing system on top of which are memory and file servers. User processes can send messages to these servers to have system calls carried out. The paper describes the motivation and intended use of the system, what the distribution contains, and discusses the system architecture in some detail.