About TEKlib

TEKlib is an open-source library project under the terms of the free MIT software license. By picking from its facilities, it can serve as a

middleware
embedded operating system
virtual OS target for applications and libraries that would have to be ported to many individual hosts
component architecture and hosting environment that allows plug-ins and their hosts to be written in a platform-independent way

TEKlib is designed to be largely agnostic as to whether it runs in a shared or seperate address spaces. Its freestanding nature, small footprint and absence of global data recommend it as a layer for portability and code reuse in a wide range of environments; it can be used in userspace applications, kernel modules, plug-ins, in device drivers and on raw hardware.

Architecture overview

TEKlib is grouped into small compartments in a common namespace. These modules are built on a component architecture, on top of which all of TEKlib's own and third-party functionality is implemented. Regardless whether they are dynamically loaded or linked into a monolithic application, their usage remains consistent. Also, modules provide the interface for device drivers and are an architectural means for object orientation.

Portability and plug-in scenario

In this scenario, a regular application uses TEKlib as a cross-platform plug-in mechanism. From the programmer's point of view, TEKlib provides the component interface, on top of which modules can be written for the application at hand.

Embedded scenario

Moreover, TEKlib offers mechanisms for the creation of low-level services, such as hardware abstraction layers, device drivers and file systems. This allows applications and compontents to be ported to embedded hardware directly.

Middleware scenario

Protocols and protocol stacks can be implemented as modules on top of TEKlib's module and component interface — the resulting architecture would then be called a Middleware.

Features

Recursive memory management: Allocators can be stacked on top of each other and carry attributes for automatic cleanup and thread-safety; special allocators can implement tighter packing, custom allocation strategies, leak tracking, or operate in user-supplied memory
TEKlib threads (tasks) are 'heavy-weight', or process-like. They are equipped with means for local storage, individual file descriptors, a reserved set of signals and endpoints for communication. User signals can be synchronized on individually, in sets or by using messages and I/O packets
TEKlib provides strict asynchronoucy and atomicity throughout its API; the core as a whole never blocks due to latency inflicted by I/O, and it never imposes polling as an inevitable mechanism
The module interface is inherently thread-safe and provides a referencing scheme for any number of tasks requesting a component, library or device driver at the same time
Recursive mutexes and an extension thereof, atoms, allow for lookup by name, locking attempts and shared resource arbitration
An asynchronous device driver interface can be utilized by applications for overlapping I/O; using this interface, TEKlib also implements a portable timer device
File systems are an extension to device drivers. TEKlib provides a file system namespace for any number of mountpoints (devices) and logical roots (assigns). Handlers are modules implementing roots in the file system; they can be mounted explicitely or initialize themselves on demand. In hosted scenarios, the file system is initially populated with a default handler to occupy the root node, thus abstracting from a host's native file system.
Inbuilt data structures such as doubly-linked lists, arrays of key/value pairs, nodes with userdata and destructor, hashes and callback hooks
TEKlib comes with its own, entirely self-contained makefile generator.