M
ASCOT defines a MASCOT machine as a virtual execution environment for
systems designed according to the MASCOT methodology. MASCOT Machines
The machine is an interface that
implements MASCOT Machine
primitives in terms of an
underlying OS or kernel. No
runtime configuration but
possibly more control functions
when compared to a bare
machine.
Essentially a minimal OS or
kernel executive. Implements
the MASCOT Machine primitives
& a minimal control functionality
on bare hardware. No runtime
configuration.
The most complex of the general
machine classifications, this
machine would be expected to
implement the full control set
plus runtime configuration.
As with a bare machine but with
the ability to read SET
documents and configuration
data at runtime. The application
can be updated on the fly.
come in various sizes and exhibit different levels of complexity, but all implement
MASCOT’s primary synchronization structure, the Control Queue (CQ). Control Queues
lie at the heart of the machine’s virtualization of inter-process communication and
synchronization and provide a strictly defined mechanism for this purpose.
MASCOT machines are generally classified according to the following table: