VA Kernel

The VA Kernel is a set of programs, developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs of the United States Government, which provide an operating system and MUMPS implementation independent abstraction to the VistA Hospital Information System. These programs (called 'routines' in MUMPS) are the only programs which are expected to not be written in ANSI Standard MUMPS.

The MUMPS language used in the kernel is amazingly simple, consisting of a single language (MUMPS), a single data type (string), a single data storage mechanism (global arrays stored on disk), 19 commands and 22 functions. MUMPS is a symbolic language with linguistic roots closer to LISP than Fortran or COBOL. Because of this simple software layer, the VistA software architecture has been able to adapt to changing hardware environments over the decades with only the minimum amount of software changes at higher levels of abstraction.

The CHCS system and the RPMS system have a Kernel as well, which provides a similar degree of support to those systems as the VA Kernel does to VistA.

The VA Kernel provides abstractions for:

  • Menu Management (MenuMan)
  • Electronic mail, group conferencing, transaction processing (MailMan)
  • Login and Access Security
  • Task scheduling and Batch processing
  • Input/Output devices
  • Protocol and Event processing
  • Date processing and manipulation
  • Mathematical and common library functions

References

Video Interview of Tom Munnecke on the design of the kernel

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.