How to Add New System Calls to Minix 3.1.8

There are some tutorials on the Internet on how to add new system calls to Minix; however, they are out-dated. The latest version of Minix is 3.1.8, which incorporates new features, such as a virtual file system. The changes in Minix demands a newer tutorial. This article is such a tutorial.

This article also shows how to add system calls to servers that are not visible to users. For example, users cannot call the functions in MFS directly because there is a middleware layer, VFS, between them. In order to call a function in MFS, one need to add a system call to MFS and then call it from VFS. The steps of adding system calls to MFS are slightly different.

I had an Operating System Design and Implementation class last semester, which required us modify Minix kernel. I learned a lot from that class.

Here are the steps to add a new system call to Minix 3.1.8.

Suppose we need to add a system call, setmgroup(), to Process Manager(PM).

Find an unused entry in /usr/src/include/minix/callnr.h, add a line. For example
```
#define SETMGROUP 70
```
In /usr/src/servers/pm/table.c, find the corresponding entry (with the same number) in the table and change its name to setmgroup

Add

_PROTOTYPE( int do_setmgroup, (void) );

to /usr/src/servers/pm/proto.h.

Add the function body of do_setmgroup() to /usr/src/servers/pm/misc.c.
Go to /usr/src/servers/pm/, and execute (command line)
```
make
```
to check if it can pass the compilation.
Create file mcastlib.h in /usr/include/, add setmgroup(int, int) to this file, which includes _syscall()

 cd /usr/src/tools
 make hdboot
 reboot

Test it by using the system call. The mcastlib.h is like this:

#include <lib.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#define setmgroup _setmgroup

PUBLIC int setmgroup ( int _groupid )
{
 message m;
 m.m1_i1 = _groupid;
 return( _syscall( PM_PROC_NR, SETMGROUP, &m) );
}

Add a System Call to MFS

Suppose we need to add a system call named listblocknum() to MFS.

Add an entry in /usr/src/include/minix/vfsif.h.

Add this line:
```
#define REQ_LISTBLOCKNUM (VFS_BASE + 33)
```
and add 1 to the number of request
```
 #define NREQS 34
```
Find the entry in the table and change its name to fs_listblocknum in /usr/src/servers/mfs/table.c
Find the entry in the table and change its name to no_sys in /usr/src/servers/hgfs/table.c and other file systems like ext2, etc. If you have already changed NREQS and still get the error “array size is negative”. Try the command $ make includes in /usr/src. Then try to make in hgfs again.
Add _PROTOTYPE( int fs_listblocknum, (void) ); to /usr/src/servers/mfs/proto.h
Add the function body of fs_listblocknum() to /usr/src/servers/mfs/misc.c
Do
```
 $cd /usr/src/servers/mfs/
 $make
```
Go to /usr/src/tools,
```
 $make hdboot
```

After this, VFS can send a message to MFS to call a function, just like USER can send a message to VFS to call a function. Refer to request.c in VFS to see how to call functions in MFS.