cost since it is only done in cpu_switch(), not for every exception.
The extra state is kept in the pcb, and handled much like the npx state,
with similar deficiencies (the state is not preserved across signal
handlers, and error handling loses state).
This will make a number of things easier in the future, as well as (finally!)
avoiding the Id-smashing problem which has plagued developers for so long.
Boy, I'm glad we're not using sup anymore. This update would have been
insane otherwise.
The following patch adds the addr argument to signal handlers.
The kernel with the patch is no more and no less in compliance or in
violation of POSIX and ANSI C than the kernel before the patch.
The added functionality this addr argument provides is quite useful. It
enables an entire class of algorithms which use mprotect to trace memory
references. Beside garbage collectors, I have heard of this technique being
applied to debuggers and profilers. The only benchmarking I've performed is
using akcl to compile maxima: without the kernel patch, it takes 7 hours to
compile maxima, while with stratified garbage collection, it only takes 50
minutes.
Basically, I can't think of a reason not to add the addr argument and there
is a compelling need for it.
If you find the patch acceptable, please let me know so I can send my
FreeBSD akcl config files to wfs for inclusion in the core akcl release.
The old 386BSD config files there won't work on either NetBSD or FreeBSD.
