WinX

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About WinX

Working in coordination with Dr. Dennis Brylow a senior design project was set up to create a piece of software to allow the direct inclusion of Windows based computers in the development and testing of XINU operating systems. The goal is to create a front end program that has all the functionally of current shell based front end tied into a graphical user interface. The project codename, WinX, was installed at the beginning of the implementation phase; ultimately the software may be released under a different name for various legal reasons.


  • Working Objective Statement
    • Design and implement a Windows program to allow Windows-based computers to participate directly in the MSCS Systems Lab for remote testing and execution of embedded operating system kernels by 28 April 2008 at a cost of $0.
  • Current developers include:
    • Adam Koehler
    • Nicholas McMillan
    • Matthew Thomson
    • Christopher Swiderski


Phases of WinX

  • Design
    • The design phase spanned the whole first academic semester starting in September 2007 and ending in December 2007.
  • Implementation
    • The implementation stage will span the whole second academic semester starting in January 2008 and ending in late April 2008.
  • Major Implemenation Phases
    • Internal: January - Alpha Stage (Completed)
    • Alpha: March 12, 2008 (Completed)
    • Beta: April 9, 2008 April 16, 2008 (Active)
    • Live: April 28, 2008


WinX Development

WinX implementation is an ongoing process and members of the software development team can access the subversion repository at http://xinu.mscs.mu.edu/svn/winx/ to view the current status of the software.


WinXINU Testing

The team has uploaded several files for external beta testing of WinXINU.

  • Step 1: Copy the WinXINU-Installer folder via SSH to your desktop: web location ~ http://www.mscs.mu.edu/~nmcmilla/WinXINU-Installer/
  • Step 2: Go into Cygwin Install Folder
    • 2a) Run Setup.exe
    • 2b) Select Install from Local - Folder is the only other folder in the Cygwin Install directory
    • 2c) Click ALL to set it to Uninstall all packages its at top of package selection screen
    • 2d) Click Devel package to set it to Install it is found within in the package listings
  • Step 3: Change the first line of the compiler/makeVars file (found in your XINU code directory) to the location of the WinXINU cross compiler bin
  Example:
   MIPS_ROOT = "C:\Documents and Settings\nmcmilla\Desktop\winx\compiler\cross\bin"
  • Step 4: Run WinXINU executable
  • Step 5: Navigate to config tab, change location of cygwin\bin to location on local machine
  • Step 6: Navigate to config tab, change location of compile directory where the Makefile is located for final image build

WinXINU Testing Feedback

  Use a structure similar to the following:
   *name
   **Error/Comment Title
   ***Description of error/comment


mschul

  • Improve cygwin installation process.
    • (Didn't work very well on a computer that had already been setup.)

compile pane

  • I should be able to click 'make' or 'make clean' whenever a damn well feel like.
    • and there should be a mechanism for making other targets as well.
  • Implement 'Errors and Warnings' checkbox. Fixed: 4/19/08 by cswiders

xinu-status

  • Perhaps only query morbius at most once per second (disabling the 'update now' button for a second)

xinu interaction

  • Connect to backend, select mips-console, program complains and goes on anyway. No good.
  • Run 'testsuite' and compare output to linux version (ignoring the VT100 thing). Fixed: 4/16/08 by akoehler
    • also typing a single \ should produce a single slash. Not typing \\ to produce
  • Verify *ALL* control characters are not printed. Fixed: 4/16/08 by akoehler
  • Is there any way that hitting backspace won't jump to the top and back down?
  • Something with 'mips-console' and xinu just going, seems...odd.
    • if the download fails it still keeps on a truckin'.
  • Continue session doesn't continue session until a client side character is typed.
    • Also, I can backspace over previous characters after typing ctrl-space.
    • Perhaps, ctrl-space should also be the continue code (once will pause, twice will continue).
  • Clear history in the interaction tabs (or even have a value to specify lines of scrollback). Fixed: 4/18/08 by akoehler
  • xsh$ clear (makes WinX go boom). Fixed: 4/16/08 by akoehler
  • 'Command request timed out' ... clearly it did not.

serial port 2

  • Should have option to connect to same backend2 name as serial port 1 (if connected on 1). Fixed: 4/18/08 by akoehler
  • Clicking cancel in the select specific backend2 should not produce an error message.
  • Connect to preferred when already connected produces no warnings.
  • Connecting to backend2 hops to the top of the textbox.
  • Is there any way that hitting backspace won't jump to the top and back down?
  • Ctrl-space should work here too. And make sure continue session still works on this pane.

config

  • New user profile should auto-set in config after creation. Fixed: 4/18/08 by akoehler

GUI

  • The color seems funky (tab color doesn't match background color).
  • Needs icon.
  • Needs About.
  • Needs 'command descriptions'
  • Possibly needs a quick start guide in the help menu.
  • No keybindings for 'New Profile,' 'Save Profile,' etc.
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