SoulPad
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SoulPad is an IBM-developed mobile computing project that aims to allow computer users to transfer their operating systems from one computer to another via a USB stick.
Background
[edit]The SoulPad project is the subject of a 2004 paper entitled Reincarnating PCs with Portable SoulPads.[1]
The project's researchers have suggested that SoulPad could boot one's operating environment from USB-compatible storage devices such as cell phones and iPods.
The name SoulPad is derived from the project's aim to separate the underlying computer hardware (the "body" of the computer) from the user's operating environment (the "soul" of the computer).
Usage
[edit]To use SoulPad, the user first transfers their operating system to the USB storage device. The user then takes their USB storage device, connects it to another computer, and boots from the device. The user's operating system is restored to its running state from the last saved; all applications and services are resumed as if the operating environment had not ceased operation.[2]
Implementation
[edit]The technology implementation is outlined in the SoulPad software stack, a model for the project's layers of abstraction. SoulPad uses the Live Linux distribution Knoppix as the "host" operating system; the computer system boots to Knoppix to recognize any devices the system has attached to it. The host then runs the VMware virtual machine, which resumes the user's last session in their operating system.
Issues
[edit]Issues addressed in the paper include the many resources necessary to use SoulPad. In addition, the paper mentions the long time it takes to resume from SoulPad (around two minutes), contrasted with the small amount of time it takes to suspend the operating environment; this is attributed to the need for Knoppix to recognize all the devices attached to the current machine. A solution suggested to correct this problem is to provide the user with a set of system profiles from which to choose. Security concerns regarding access to the local disk on the temporary computer have also been raised.
References
[edit]- ^ Ebling, Maria R. (October 2005). "MOBISYS 2005: THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MOBILE SYSTEMS, APPLICATIONS, AND SERVICES". ;login:. 30 (5): 66.
- ^ SoulPad
External links
[edit]- Cáceres, Ramón; Carter, Casey; Narayanaswami, Chandra; Raghunath, Mandayam T. (November 8, 2004). "Reincarnating PCs with Portable SoulPads" (Proceedings of ACM/USENIX MobiSys 2005). IBM Research Division: 65–78. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Cáceres, Ramón; Carter, Casey; Narayanaswami, Chandra; Raghunath, Mandayam T. (June 2005). "SoulPad". IBM Research. Pervasive, Mobile, Wearable Computing. Archived from the original on March 12, 2006. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- Singer, Michael (August 12, 2005). "IBM brains capture a PC's soul". CNET. CNET News. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
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