genode/doc/components.txt

                      ==========================
                      Genode components overview
                      ==========================

                             Norman Feske


Abstract
########

Genode comes with a growing number of components apparently scattered across
various repositories. This document provides an overview of these components
and outlines the systematics behind them.


Categorization of components
############################

Genode components usually fall into one of four categories, namely device
drivers, resource multiplexers, protocol stacks, and applications. Each
of them is briefly characterized as follows:

:Device drivers: translate hardware resources into device-independent
  session interfaces. Naturally, a device driver is specific to a
  particular hardware platform. The hardware resources are accessed
  via core's IO_MEM, IO_PORT, and IRQ services. The functionality of
  the driver is made available to other system components by announcing
  one of Genode's device-independent session interfaces, which are
  'pci_session', 'framebuffer_session', 'input_session', 'block_session',
  'audio_out_session', 'log_session', 'nic_session', and 'timer_session'
  (see 'os/include/' for the interface definitions). Those interfaces are
  uniform across hardware platforms and kernel base platforms. Usually,
  each device driver can accommodate only one client at a time.

:Resource multiplexers: provide mechanisms to multiplex device resources
  to multiple clients. A typical resource multiplexer requests one
  of Genode's device-independent session interface (usually connected
  to a device driver) and, in turn, announces a service of the same kind.
  However, in contrast to a device driver, a resource multiplexer is able
  to serve more than one client at the same time.

:Protocol stacks: translate low-level interfaces to higher-level
  interfaces (or sometimes vice versa). Typically, a protocol stack comes
  in the form of a library, which uses a device-independent session
  interface as back end and provides a high-level library interface as
  front end. However, protocol stacks also exist in the form of
  distinct components that implement translations between different
  session interfaces.

:Applications: implement functionality using APIs as provided by
  protocol stacks.

:Runtime environments: enable existing 3rd-party software to be executed
  as a Genode sub systems.


Device drivers
##############

Device drivers usually reside in the 'src/drivers' subdirectory of source-code
repositories. The most predominant repositories hosting device drivers are
'os', 'linux_drivers', 'dde_ipxe'.


Platform devices
================

:'os/src/drivers/pci':
  Implements the PCI-session interface using the PCI controller as found on
  x86 PC hardware. Using this interface, a client can probe for a particular
  device and request information about physical device resources (using the
  'pci_device' interface). These information are subsequently used to request
  respective IO_MEM, IRQ, and IO_PORT sessions at core.


UART devices
============

The UART device drivers implement the terminal-session interface.

:'os/src/drivers/uart/pl011':
  Driver for the PL011 UART as found on many ARM-based platforms.

:'os/src/drivers/uart/i8250':
  Driver for the i8250 UART as found on PC hardware.


Framebuffer and input drivers
=============================

Framebuffer and input drivers implement the framebuffer-session interface and
input-session interfaces respectively.

:'os/src/drivers/input/dummy':
  Pseudo input driver without accessing any hardware. This component is useful
  to resolve a dependency from an input session for scenarios where no user
  input is required.

:'os/src/drivers/input/fiasco_ux':
  Driver for the virtual hardware provided by the user-mode version of the
  Fiasco kernel.

:'os/src/drivers/input/ps2/x86':
  Driver for the 'i8042' PS/2 controller as found in x86 PCs. It supports both
  mouse (including ImPS/2, ExPS/2) and keyboard.

:'os/src/drivers/input/ps2/pl050':
  Driver for the PL050 PS/2 controller as found on ARM platforms such as
  VersatilePB. The physical base address used by the driver is obtained at
  compile time from a header file called 'pl050_defs.h'. The version of the
  VersatilePB platform can be found at 'os/include/platform/vpb926/' and
  is made available to the driver via the SPECS machinery of the Genode build
  system.

:'os/src/drivers/framebuffer/vesa':
  Driver using VESA mode setting on x86 PCs. For more information, please refer
  to the README file in the driver directory.

:'os/src/drivers/framebuffer/pl11x':
  Driver for the PL110/PL111 LCD display.

:'os/src/drivers/framebuffer/sdl':
  Serves as both framebuffer and input driver on Linux using libSDL. This
  driver is only usable on the Linux base platform.

:'os/src/drivers/framebuffer/fiasco_ux':
  Driver for the virtual framebuffer device provided by the user-mode Fiasco
  kernel.

:'linux_drivers/src/drivers/usb':
  USB driver that makes USB HID devices available as input sessions.
  For an example of using this driver, refer to the run script at
  'linux_drivers/run/usb_hid'.


Timer drivers
=============

All timer drivers implement the timer-session interface. Technically, a timer
driver is both a device driver (accessing a timer device) and a resource
multiplexer (supporting multiple timer-session clients at the same time). The
timer implementations differ in their use of different time sources and the
mode of internal operation of the timer sessions. Time sources are either
hardware timers, a time source provided by the kernel, or a pseudo time source
(busy).

The internal operation of the timer session depends on the kernel. On kernels
with support for out-of-order RPCs, all timer sessions are handled by a single
thread. Otherwise, each timer session uses a dedicated thread.

:'timer/nova':      PIT as time source,         multi-threaded
:'timer/codezero':  busy time source,           single-threaded
:'timer/okl4_arm':  busy time source,           single-threaded
:'timer/okl4_x86':  PIT as time source,         single-threaded
:'timer/foc':       IPC timeout as time source, multi-threaded
:'timer/fiasco':    IPC timeout as time source, single-threaded
:'timer/pistachio': IPC timeout as time source, single-threaded
:'timer/linux':     nanosleep as time source,   single-threaded


Audio output drivers
====================

All audio-output drivers implement the audio session interface defined at
'os/include/audio_out_session/'.

:'os/src/drivers/audio_out/linux':
  Uses ALSA as back-end on the Linux base platform.

:'linux_drivers/src/drivers/audio_out':
  Sound drivers for the most common PC sound hardware, ported from the Linux
  kernel.


Block drivers
=============

All block drivers implement the block-session interface defined at
'os/include/block_session/'.

:'os/src/drivers/atapi':
  Driver for ATAPI CD-ROM devices on x86 PCs.

:'os/src/drivers/sd_card':
  Driver for SD-cards connected via the PL180 device as found on the PBX-A9
  platform.

:'linux_drivers/src/drivers/usb':
  USB driver that makes USB storage devices available as block sessions.
  For an example of using this driver, refer to the run script at
  'linux_drivers/run/usb_storage'.

:'os/src/drivers/ahci':
  Driver for SATA disks on x86 PCs.


Network interface drivers
=========================

All network interface drivers implement the NIC session interface
defined at 'os/include/nic_session'.

:'os/src/drivers/nic/linux':
  Driver that uses a Linux tap device as back end. It is only useful on the
  Linux base platform.

:'os/src/drivers/nic/lan9118':
  Native device driver for the LAN9118 network adaptor as featured on the
  PBX-A9 platform.

:'dde_ipxe/src/drivers/nic':
  Device drivers ported from the iPXE project. Supported devices are Intel
  E1000 and pcnet32.

:'linux_drivers/src/drivers/madwifi':
  The MadWifi wireless stack ported from the Linux kernel.


Resource multiplexers
#####################

By convention, resource multiplexers are located at the 'src/server'
subdirectory of a source repository.

:Framebuffer and input: The framebuffer and input session interfaces can be
  multiplexed using the Nitpicker GUI server, which allows multiple clients to
  create and manage rectangular areas on screen. Nitpicker uses one input
  session and one framebuffer session as back end and, in turn, provides
  so-called nitpicker sessions to one or multiple clients. Each nitpicker
  session contains a virtual framebuffer and a virtual input session. Nitpicker
  (including a README file) is located at 'os/src/server/nitpicker'.

:Audio output: The audio mixer located at 'os/src/server/mixer' enables
  multiple clients to use the audio-out interface. The mixing is done by simply
  adding and clamping the signals of all present clients.

:Networking: The NIC bridge located at 'os/src/server/nic_bridge' multiplexes
  one NIC session to multiple virtual NIC sessions using a proxy-ARP
  implementation. Each client has to obtain a dedicated IP address visible to
  the physical network. DHCP requests originating from the virtual NIC sessions
  are delegated to the physical network.

:Block: The block-device partition server at 'os/src/server/part_blk' reads
  the partition table of a block session and exports each partition found as
  separate block session. For using this server, please refer to the run
  script at 'os/run/part_blk'.


Protocol stacks
###############

Protocol stacks come either in the form of separate components that translate
one session interface to another, or in the form of libraries.

Separate components:

:'os/src/server/nit_fb':
  Translates a nitpicker session to a pair of framebuffer and input sessions.
  Each 'nit_fb' instance is visible as a rectangular area on screen presenting
  a virtual frame buffer. The area is statically positioned. For more
  information, please refer to 'os/src/server/nit_fb/README'.

:'demo/src/server/liquid_framebuffer':
  Implements the same translation as 'nit_fb' but by presenting an interactive
  window rather than a statically positioned screen area.

:'os/src/server/tar_rom':
  Provides each file contained in a tar file obtained via Genode's ROM session
  as separate ROM session.

:'os/src/server/iso9660':
  Provides each file of an ISO9660 file system accessed via a block session as
  separate ROM session.

:'os/src/server/rom_loopdev':
  Provides the content of a ROM file as a block session, similar to the
  loop-mount mechanism on Linux

:'demo/src/server/nitlog':
  Provides a LOG session, printing log output on screen via a nitpicker
  session.

Libraries:

:'libports/lib/mk/libc_log':
  Redirects the standard output of the libc to Genode's LOG session interface.

:'libports/lib/mk/libc_lwip_nic_dhcp':
  Translates the BSD socket API to a NIC session using the lwIP stack.

:'libports/lib/mk/gallium' + 'linux_drivers/lib/mk/gpu_i915_drv':
  Translates the OpenGL API to a framebuffer session using the MESA OpenGL
  stack and the Intel GEM GPU driver.

:'libports/lib/mk/sdl':
  Translates the libSDL API to framebuffer and input sessions.

:'qt4':
  Qt4 framework, using nitpicker session and NIC session as back end.


Applications
############

Applications are Genode components that use other component's services but
usually do not provide services. They are typically located in the 'src/app/'
subdirectory of a repository. Most applications come with README files
located in their respective directory.

:'demo/src/app/backdrop':
  Nitpicker client application that sets a PNG image as desktop background.

:'demo/src/app/launchpad':
  Graphical application for interactively starting and killing subsystems.

:'demo/src/app/scout':
  Graphical hypertext browser used for Genode's default demonstration scenario.

:'libports/src/app/eglgears':
  Example program for using OpenGL via the Gallium3D graphics stack.

:'ports/src/app/arora':
  Arora is a Qt4-based web browser using the Webkit engine.

:'ports/src/app/gdb_monitor':
  Application that allows the debugging of a process via GDB over a remote
  connection.

:'qt4/src/app/qt_launchpad':
  Graphical application starter implemented using Qt4.

:'qt4/src/app/examples/':
  Several example applications that come with Qt4.

:'os/src/app/xvfb':
  Is a proxy application that enables the integration of a virtual X server
  into a Nitpicker session on the Linux base platform.


Runtime environments
####################

:'ports/src/noux': Noux is an experimental implementation of a UNIX-like API
  that enables the use of unmodified command-line based GNU software. For using
  noux, refer to the run script 'ports/run/noux.run'.

:'ports-okl4/src/oklinux': OKLinux is a paravirtualized Linux kernel that
  enables the use of Linux-based OSes as subsystems on the OKL4 kernel. For
  using OKLinux, refer to the run script 'ports-okl4/run/lx_block.run'.

:'ports-foc/src/l4linux': L4Linux is a paravirtualized Linux kernel that
  enables the use of Linux-based OSes as subsystems on the Fiasco.OC kernel.
  For using L4Linux, refer to the run script 'ports-foc/run/l4linux.run'.