Software development for an embedded Linux system in most cases requires a free license of GCC (GNU C/C++ compiler) and accessories. Many developers find it disconcerting that the GNU tools are primarily available for Linux-based PCs. Any attempt to make GCC run under Windows in order to program an embedded Linux system has been fraught with problems until now. The popular Cygwin ? as a Unix/Linux emulation environment under Windows ? is much too slow and in most cases causes significant library and version conflicts. Despite the high costs, commercial attempts by some companies to provide GCC as a Windows application have not lead to any practical solutions. Even here, there are typically significant library problems. As a result, many users have no other alternative than to use a Linux distribution as a second operating system on the Windows PC to be able to use GCC tools. Without some effort, this technically straightforward solution is not feasible for large companies in particular, because an IT department is responsible for the PCs. Users are not able to just install a new operating system to boot instead of Windows.
Another obstacle is often times getting familiar with a new PC operating system.Many questions can arise, such as: How can I change the network settings (e.g. IP address, etc.)? Where can I find a Telnet client? Which editor should I use? How can I later install other software components? The list could go on ad nauseam. The bottom line is that significant orientation time is required
for a knowledgeable Windows user to get familiar with the new environment.
In this report we?ll describe Cooperative Linux, a port of the Linux kernel that allows it to run as an unprivileged lightweight virtual machine in kernel mode, on top of another OS kernel. It allows Linux to run under any operating system that supports loading drivers, such as Windows or Linux, after minimal porting efforts. The report includes the present and future implementation details, its applications, and its comparison with other Linux virtualization methods. Among the technical details I?ll present the CPU-complete context switch code, hardware
Cooperative Linux
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interrupt forwarding, the interface between the host OS and Linux, and the
management of the VM?s pseudo physical RAM.
An alternative to using a Linux PC is a free license of Cooperative Linux (coLinux).This Linux project is a new approach to getting the Linux kernel to run under Windows XP. CoLinux contains special Windows drivers, which allow it to run under Windows XP as a guest operating system with all privileges.
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