Description
We will use the Thoth server (thoth.cs.pitt.edu) or the CS Department’s Linux cluster (linux.cs.pitt.edu) or Pitt’s Linux cluster (linux-ts.it.pitt.edu) as backup in case you have a problem accessing Thoth.
You can connect to Thoth without having to connect to Pitt VPN. However, to access the Linux clusters, you need to connect to [Pitt VPN](https://www.technology.pitt.edu/services/pittnet-vpn-pulse-secure).
1. These instructions will help you clone the Xv6 code of the lab from your Github Classroom private repository into your home folder on Thoth or the Linux clusters.
2. Whenever the amount of AFS free space in your account is less than 500MB, you can increase your disk quota from the [Accounts Self-Service](https://accounts.pitt.edu/Unix/) page.
3. Log in to the server using your Pitt account. From a UNIX box, you can type: ssh ksm73@thoth.cs.pitt.edu assuming ksm73 is your Pitt ID. From Windows, you may use PuTTY or the PowerShell ssh client.
4. Make sure that you are in a private directory (e.g., your private folder in your AFS space).
5. From the server’s command prompt, run the following command to download the Xv6 source code for the lab:
`git clone https://github.com/cs1550-2214/cs1550-lab1-USERNAME.git` where USERNAME is your Github username that you have used when accepting the Github Classroom assignment.
6. Enter your Github username and password. An alternative that is more secure is to [generate and use personal access tokens](https://docs.github.com/en/github/authenticating-to-github/creating-a-personal-access-token) instead of passwords.
7. Change directory into the xv6 folder using `cd cs1550-lab1-USERNAME` where again USERNAME is your Github username and `cd xv6` then type `make qemu-nox` to compile and run Xv6. To exit, press `CTRL+a` _then_ `x`.
8. **It is important for all labs and project of this class that you commit frequently into your Github Classroom repository.**
PART 2: Adding A System Call to Xv6
You’ll then add a new system call called `getcount` to Xv6, which, when passed a valid system call number (listed in the file `syscall.h`) as an argument, will return the number of times the referenced system call was invoked by the calling process.
For instance, consider the following test program (`getcount.c`) that should produce the following output (note that each character is output with a separate call to `write/printf` in Xv6):
“`c
include “types.h”
include “user.h”
include “syscall.h”
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
printf(1, “initial fork count %d\n”, getcount(SYS_fork));
if (fork() == 0) {
printf(1, “child fork count %d\n”, getcount(SYS_fork));
printf(1, “child write count %d\n”, getcount(SYS_write));
} else {
wait();
printf(1, “parent fork count %d\n”, getcount(SYS_fork));
printf(1, “parent write count %d\n”, getcount(SYS_write));
}
printf(1, “wait count %d\n”, getcount(SYS_wait));
exit();
}
“`
Output:
“`
initial fork count 0
child fork count 0
child write count 19
wait count 0
parent fork count 1
parent write count 41
wait count 1
“`
Hints
You will need to modify several files for this exercise, though the total number of lines of code you’ll be adding is quite small. At a minimum, you’ll need to alter `syscall.h`, `syscall.c`, `user.h`, and `usys.S` to implement your new system call. It may be helpful to trace how some other system call is implemented (e.g., `uptime`) for clues.
You will likely also need to update `struct proc`, located in `proc.h`, to add a syscall-count tracking data structure for each process. To re-initialize your data structure when a process terminates, you may want to look into the `exit` or `fork` functions in `proc.c`.
Chapter 3 of the Xv6 book (available in pdf in Canvas) contains details on traps and system calls (though most of the low-level details won’t be necessary for you to complete this exercise).
Testing
To test your implementation, you’ll run the `getcount` executable (after booting into Xv6), which is based on the program above. Because the program depends on your implementation, it isn’t compiled into Xv6 by default. When you’re ready to test, you should create the `getcount.c` file and add `getcount` to `UPROGS` declaration in the `Makefile`.
Note that while the getcount example only prints out counts for three different system calls, your implementation should support all the system calls listed in `syscall.h`. It is a good exercise to add tests to the test program, located in `getcount.c`, for other system calls.
Debugging
Here is a way to run gdb on Xv6:
1. Start Xv6 with the following command:
`make qemu-nox-gdb`
2. Note the server name to which you are connected. You can find the name in the server prompt. Examples of server names are thoth, thompson, kernighan, and ritchie. (Do you recognize the relationship between some of these names and the Linux operating system?)
3. Open a separate SSH connection (e.g., using another PuTTY session or another terminal) into the server name that you got in the previous step (e.g., thoth.cs.pitt.edu).
4. Change directory into the folder that has your Xv6 code.
5. Run gdb using the command:
`gdb -iex “set auto-load safe-path .”`
6. Feel free to use your GDB skills. For example, you can place a breakpoint at a given line in the Xv6 source code:
`(gdb) b proc.c:215`
7. Then continue running the kernel using the command
`(gdb) c`
8. To debug a user program (e.g., getcount), you can add the symbol table inside the user program to the GDB session as follows (note the underscore in front of the program name)
`(gdb) add-symbol-file _getcount 0`
9. You would then be able to add breakpoints in the user program:
`(gdb) b getcount.c:7`
10. Using the next command in the GDB prompt (`n`) you can trace inside kernel code and out to the user code.
11. Here is a nice page about [gdb commands](https://visualgdb.com/gdbreference/commands/).
Submission Instructions
Submit your Github repository to GradeScope. You should modify the following files only:
– `syscall.h`
– `syscall.c`
– `user.h`
– `usys.S`
– `proc.h`
– `proc.c`
– `sysproc.c`
– `Makefile`
Your submission will be auto-graded by compiling and running the test program more than once.