Operating Systems - Updating Without Shutting down?

[Panda]

If you had to write an operating system that updated without shutting down, what method would you use or how would you do it?

[Botsareus]

em, Panda that is like saying: "I am going to give this process to the cpu but it might change its commands during processing"
The way the cpu works right now it really cannot change the instructions of the process during the execution of the process itself.
If you figure out a way to work around that, let me know. 

I hope that was helpful.

[Shasta]

Search hot swapping for literature on what you are asking about. The current darwinbots server can update pretty much everything but the kernel without a full system restart, services do have to be restarted though.

[Panda]

I know with current operating systems you can't do any of this but if you were to re-write everything, how would you do it? :p I'm sure it would be possible, just have to use tricks...

[Botsareus]

I think by "Hot Swapping" Shasta meant:

When there is a need for an update:

A.) The OS loads a copy of all impotent process that maintain the system, with the update.
B.) The OS closes the old versions of those processes.

I just have no idea what the architecture of an OS such as Windows7 really is. You might want to look into Linux which is open source.

[Panda]

I don't need to do it. I was just thinking about it.