super root shell/mode/api

Andrea
2009-05-17T13:13:44Z

Hello!

I'm a C/C++ Open Source Software Developer / SysAdmin.

Excuse my English, it's not my first language.

First thank You for Linux, I'm using it since 1998!

Some days ago I've lost some important data on a Linux
machine, because of an out of memory and swap situation.

When I was coding on c-64 and it crashes I pressed my
Cartridge button and could save what I wanted, execute
code and so on. Some may remember this old school times :)

Now 20 years has passed and a web page can block my whole
machine?!?!?!?

1989 c-64 higher data safety then 2009 Linux?!?!?

I've read the OOM discussion and I know that it's not easy
to find a perfect solution, but don't implementing any
solution is the worst solution at all.

I know there is an OOM handling, but the only thing that
happened was the hard disk light flashing for more or less 30 minutes
and I was forced to press the reset button and my data was lost :(

I think it would be simply awesome to have a Linux Kernel mode
similar to the c-64 cartridge concept.

Maybe call it in honor to the c-64 'cartridge freeze mode' or so :)

You hit a button combination and you enter in a Linux Kernel ncurses menu
and/or shell and/or GUI, where you can for example:

save processes, memory e.g. from 0x00000 - 0xFFFFF
protected ssh/telnet access
examine memory dumps
hex editor
assembler/disassembler
statistics
password protected area
anti root-kit/virus tool (the 'cartridge freeze mode' can be loaded from protected memory or even protected media for this case)
anti virus modules
swap out processes that take too much memory
all thinks you can do with SysRq Keys
terminate processes
search for graphics
screen-shots
backup
hibernation
core dumps
top like screen
virtual machines
grep text in ascii, unicode
continue everything: freeze and defreeze
the shell could be accessible always without freezing everything, like a super root shell/mode/api
you can load user executables/modules for this mode too

That would rock!

Please consider doing something similar!

Thanks for reading!

Regards

Andrea Gedda