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diff --git a/docs/src/user/glossary.tex b/docs/src/user/glossary.tex deleted file mode 100644 index 6ff9799f97..0000000000 --- a/docs/src/user/glossary.tex +++ /dev/null @@ -1,84 +0,0 @@ -\chapter{Glossary of Terms} - -\begin{description} - -\item[Atropos] One of the CPU schedulers provided by Xen. Atropos - provides domains with absolute shares of the CPU, with timeliness - guarantees and a mechanism for sharing out `slack time'. - -\item[BVT] The BVT scheduler is used to give proportional fair shares - of the CPU to domains. - -\item[Exokernel] A minimal piece of privileged code, similar to a {\bf - microkernel} but providing a more `hardware-like' interface to the - tasks it manages. This is similar to a paravirtualising VMM like - {\bf Xen} but was designed as a new operating system structure, - rather than specifically to run multiple conventional OSs. - -\item[Domain] A domain is the execution context that contains a - running {\bf virtual machine}. The relationship between virtual - machines and domains on Xen is similar to that between programs and - processes in an operating system: a virtual machine is a persistent - entity that resides on disk (somewhat like a program). When it is - loaded for execution, it runs in a domain. Each domain has a {\bf - domain ID}. - -\item[Domain 0] The first domain to be started on a Xen machine. - Domain 0 is responsible for managing the system. - -\item[Domain ID] A unique identifier for a {\bf domain}, analogous to - a process ID in an operating system. - -\item[Full virtualisation] An approach to virtualisation which - requires no modifications to the hosted operating system, providing - the illusion of a complete system of real hardware devices. - -\item[Hypervisor] An alternative term for {\bf VMM}, used because it - means `beyond supervisor', since it is responsible for managing - multiple `supervisor' kernels. - -\item[Live migration] A technique for moving a running virtual machine - to another physical host, without stopping it or the services - running on it. - -\item[Microkernel] A small base of code running at the highest - hardware privilege level. A microkernel is responsible for sharing - CPU and memory (and sometimes other devices) between less privileged - tasks running on the system. This is similar to a VMM, particularly - a {\bf paravirtualising} VMM but typically addressing a different - problem space and providing different kind of interface. - -\item[NetBSD/Xen] A port of NetBSD to the Xen architecture. - -\item[Paravirtualisation] An approach to virtualisation which requires - modifications to the operating system in order to run in a virtual - machine. Xen uses paravirtualisation but preserves binary - compatibility for user space applications. - -\item[Shadow pagetables] A technique for hiding the layout of machine - memory from a virtual machine's operating system. Used in some {\bf - VMMs} to provide the illusion of contiguous physical memory, in - Xen this is used during {\bf live migration}. - -\item[Virtual Block Device] Persistant storage available to a virtual - machine, providing the abstraction of an actual block storage device. - {\bf VBD}s may be actual block devices, filesystem images, or - remote/network storage. - -\item[Virtual Machine] The environment in which a hosted operating - system runs, providing the abstraction of a dedicated machine. A - virtual machine may be identical to the underlying hardware (as in - {\bf full virtualisation}, or it may differ, as in {\bf - paravirtualisation}). - -\item[VMM] Virtual Machine Monitor - the software that allows multiple - virtual machines to be multiplexed on a single physical machine. - -\item[Xen] Xen is a paravirtualising virtual machine monitor, - developed primarily by the Systems Research Group at the University - of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. - -\item[XenLinux] Official name for the port of the Linux kernel that - runs on Xen. - -\end{description} |