Date: Mon, 03 Oct 1994 17:56:10 EST From: "Rob Slade, Ed. DECrypt & ComNet, VARUG rep, 604-984-4067" Subject: "UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures" by Schimmel BKUNXSMA.RVW 940722 Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. Kelly Ford, Promotion/Publicity Coordinator P.O. Box 520 26 Prince Andrew Place Don Mills, Ontario M3C 2T8 416-447-5101 fax: 416-443-0948 Heather Rignanesi, Marketing, x340, 73171.657@Compuserve.com Tiffany Moore, Publicity tiffanym@aw.com "UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures", Schimmel, 1994, 0-201-63338-8, U$47.50 schimmel@aw.com This book addresses the gap between basic texts in UNIX implementation which don't deal with advanced computer architecture, and guides to building advanced computer hardware, which don't discuss operating systems. Using UNIX, which has advanced and demonstrated so many operating system concepts, the book explains the fundamental issues and problems to be dealt with in caching and multiprocessing systems. After chapter one reviews UNIX kernel concepts, part one addresses cache memory, virtual caches, keys, physical address tags, physical caches and cache management. Part two introduces multiprocessor systems, and then deals with master-slave, spin-locked and semaphored kernels, as well as other primitives and memory models. Part three looks at the inter-relationships in advanced architectures, with multiprocessor cache consistency and hardware cache consistency. The book works both as a self-study guide and as a course text. The topic is obviously demanding, but the text is clear and builds logically from one point to the next. The questions at the end of each chapter are not simply designed to check whether you have read the text: correct answers require a thorough understanding of the concepts involved and usually some creative thinking, as well. Those chosen for the answers at the back of the book are well selected. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994 BKUNXSMA.RVW 940722 ============= Vancouver ROBERTS@decus.ca | "Remember, by the Institute for Robert_Slade@sfu.ca | rules of the game, I Research into rslade@cue.bc.ca | *must* lie. *Now* do User p1@CyberStore.ca | you believe me?" Security Canada V7K 2G6 | Margaret Atwood