Exokernel: An Operating System Architecture for Application-Level Resource Management

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Exokernel: An Operating System Architecture for Application-Level Resource Management (1995)

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by Dawson R. Engler , M. Frans Kaashoek , James O’toole

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732 - 24 self

BibTeX

@INPROCEEDINGS{Engler95exokernel:an,
    author = {Dawson R. Engler and M. Frans Kaashoek and James O’toole},
    title = {Exokernel: An Operating System Architecture for Application-Level Resource Management},
    booktitle = {},
    year = {1995},
    pages = {251--266}
}

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Abstract

We describe an operating system architecture that securely multiplexes machine resources while permitting an unprecedented degree of application-specific customization of traditional operating system abstractions. By abstracting physical hardware resources, traditional operating systems have significantly limited the performance, flexibility, and functionality of applications. The exokernel architecture removes these limitations by allowing untrusted software to implement traditional operating system abstractions entirely at application-level. We have implemented a prototype exokernel-based system that includes Aegis, an exokernel, and ExOS, an untrusted application-level operating system. Aegis defines the low-level interface to machine resources. Applications can allocate and use machine resources, efficiently handle events, and participate in resource revocation. Measurements show that most primitive Aegis operations are 10–100 times faster than Ultrix,a mature monolithic UNIX operating system. ExOS implements processes, virtual memory, and inter-process communication abstractions entirely within a library. Measurements show that ExOS’s application-level virtual memory and IPC primitives are 5–50 times faster than Ultrix’s primitives. These results demonstrate that the exokernel operating system design is practical and offers an excellent combination of performance and flexibility. 1

Keyphrases

operating system architecture application-level resource management machine resource traditional operating system abstraction unprecedented degree application-specific customization ipc primitive primitive aegis operation untrusted application-level operating system exos implement process system design mature monolithic unix prototype exokernel-based system untrusted software virtual memory resource revocation exokernel architecture inter-process communication abstraction physical hardware resource excellent combination application-level virtual memory low-level interface ultrix primitive handle event

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