Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | FOSD '09: Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Feature-Oriented Software Development |
| Pages | 81-86 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 1st International Workshop on Feature-Oriented Software Development, FOSD in conjunction with MODELS/GPCE/SLE 2009 - Denver, CO, United States Duration: 6 Oct 2009 → 6 Oct 2009 |
Abstract
Variability management in operating systems is an error-prone and tedious task. This is especially true for the Linux operating system, which provides a specialized tool called Kconfig for users to customize kernels from an impressive amount of selectable features. However, the lack of a dedicated tool for kernel developers leads to inconsistencies between the implementation and the variant model described by Kconfig. This results in real bugs like features that cannot be either enabled or disabled at all; the so called zombie features. For both in the implementation and the variant model, these inconsistencies can be categorized in referential and semantic problems. We therefore propose a tool approach to check the variability described by conditional compilation in the implementation with the variant model for both kinds of consistency. Our analysis of the variation points show that our approach is feasible for the amount of variability found in the Linux kernel.
Keywords
- Features, Linux, Preprocessor, Software product lines
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computer Science(all)
- Software
- Computer Science(all)
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Computer Science(all)
- Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
- Computer Science(all)
- Computer Networks and Communications
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
FOSD '09: Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Feature-Oriented Software Development. 2009. p. 81-86 1629732.
Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Research › peer review
}
TY - GEN
T1 - Dead or Alive: Finding Zombie Features in the Linux Kernel
AU - Tartler, Reinhard
AU - Sincero, Julio
AU - Schröder-Preikschat, Wolfgang
AU - Lohmann, Daniel
PY - 2009/10
Y1 - 2009/10
N2 - Variability management in operating systems is an error-prone and tedious task. This is especially true for the Linux operating system, which provides a specialized tool called Kconfig for users to customize kernels from an impressive amount of selectable features. However, the lack of a dedicated tool for kernel developers leads to inconsistencies between the implementation and the variant model described by Kconfig. This results in real bugs like features that cannot be either enabled or disabled at all; the so called zombie features. For both in the implementation and the variant model, these inconsistencies can be categorized in referential and semantic problems. We therefore propose a tool approach to check the variability described by conditional compilation in the implementation with the variant model for both kinds of consistency. Our analysis of the variation points show that our approach is feasible for the amount of variability found in the Linux kernel.
AB - Variability management in operating systems is an error-prone and tedious task. This is especially true for the Linux operating system, which provides a specialized tool called Kconfig for users to customize kernels from an impressive amount of selectable features. However, the lack of a dedicated tool for kernel developers leads to inconsistencies between the implementation and the variant model described by Kconfig. This results in real bugs like features that cannot be either enabled or disabled at all; the so called zombie features. For both in the implementation and the variant model, these inconsistencies can be categorized in referential and semantic problems. We therefore propose a tool approach to check the variability described by conditional compilation in the implementation with the variant model for both kinds of consistency. Our analysis of the variation points show that our approach is feasible for the amount of variability found in the Linux kernel.
KW - Features
KW - Linux
KW - Preprocessor
KW - Software product lines
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70350676601&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/1629716.1629732
DO - 10.1145/1629716.1629732
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:70350676601
SN - 9781605585673
SP - 81
EP - 86
BT - FOSD '09: Proceedings of the First International Workshop on Feature-Oriented Software Development
T2 - 1st International Workshop on Feature-Oriented Software Development, FOSD in conjunction with MODELS/GPCE/SLE 2009
Y2 - 6 October 2009 through 6 October 2009
ER -