Why doesn't Linux use the hardware context switch via the TSS?
- by smwikipedia
Hi guys! I read the following statement:
The x86 architecture includes a
specific segment type called the Task
State Segment (TSS), to store hardware
contexts. Although Linux doesn't use
hardware context switches, it is
nonetheless forced to set up a TSS for
each distinct CPU in the system.
I am wondering:
Why doesn't Linux use the hardware support for context switch?
Isn't the hardware approach much faster than the software approach?
Is there any OS which does take advantage of the hardware context switch? Does windows use it?
At last and as usual, thanks for your patience and reply.