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14
Exokernel: An Operating System Architecture for Application-Level Resource Management
, 1995
"... 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 signifi ..."
Abstract
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Cited by 561 (20 self)
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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
Application performance and flexibility on Exokernel systems
- In Proceedings of the Sixteenth ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles
, 1997
"... The exokernel operating system architecture safely gives untrusted software efficient control over hardware and software resources by separating management from protection. This paper describes an exokernel system that allows specialized applications to achieve high performance without sacrificing t ..."
Abstract
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Cited by 168 (9 self)
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The exokernel operating system architecture safely gives untrusted software efficient control over hardware and software resources by separating management from protection. This paper describes an exokernel system that allows specialized applications to achieve high performance without sacrificing the performance of unmodified UNIX programs. It evaluates the exokernel architecture by measuring end-to-end application performance on Xok, an exokernel for Intel x86-based computers, and by comparing Xok’s performance to the performance of two widely-used 4.4BSD UNIX systems (Free-BSD and OpenBSD). The results show that common unmodified UNIX applications can enjoy the benefits of exokernels: applications either perform comparably on Xok/ExOS and the BSD UNIXes, or perform significantly better. In addition, the results show that customized applications can benefit substantially from control over their resources (e.g., a factor of eight for a Web server). This paper also describes insights about the exokernel approach gained through building three different exokernel systems, and presents novel approaches to resource multiplexing. 1
Protection
- Princeton University
, 1971
"... The following paper by Butler Lampson has been frequently referenced. Because the original is not widely available, we are reprinting it here. If the paper is referenced in published work, ..."
Abstract
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Cited by 76 (0 self)
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The following paper by Butler Lampson has been frequently referenced. Because the original is not widely available, we are reprinting it here. If the paper is referenced in published work,
Exterminate all operating system abstractions
- PROCEEDINGS OF THE 5TH WORKSHOP ON HOT TOPICS IN OPERATING SYSTEMS HOTOS-V
, 1995
"... The defining tragedy of the operating systems community has been the definition of an operating system as software that both multiplexes and abstracts the hardware is based on the assumption that it is possible both to define abstractions that are appropriate for all areas and to implement them to p ..."
Abstract
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Cited by 50 (0 self)
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The defining tragedy of the operating systems community has been the definition of an operating system as software that both multiplexes and abstracts the hardware is based on the assumption that it is possible both to define abstractions that are appropriate for all areas and to implement them to perform efficiently in all situations. We believe that the fallacy of this quixotic goal is self-evident, and that the operating system problems of the last two decades (poor performance, poor reliability, poor adaptability, and in exibility) can be traced back to it. The solution we propose is simple: complete elimination of operating system abstractions by lowering the operating system interface to the hardware level.
The Operating System Kernel as a Secure Programmable Machine
- In Proceedings of the Sixth SIGOPS European Workshop
, 1994
"... To provide modularity and performance, operating system kernels should have only minimal embedded functionality. Today's operating systems are large, inefficient and, most importantly, inflexible. In our view, most operating system performance and flexibility problems can be eliminated simply by pus ..."
Abstract
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Cited by 35 (4 self)
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To provide modularity and performance, operating system kernels should have only minimal embedded functionality. Today's operating systems are large, inefficient and, most importantly, inflexible. In our view, most operating system performance and flexibility problems can be eliminated simply by pushing the operating system interface lower. Our goal is to put abstractions traditionally implemented by the kernel out into user-space, where user-level libraries and servers abstract the exposed hardware resources. To achieve this goal, we have defined a new operating system structure, exokernel, that safely exports the resources defined by the underlying hardware. To enable applications to benefit from full hardware functionality and performance, they are allowed to download additions to the supervisor-mode execution environment. To guarantee that these extensions are safe, techniques such as code inspection, inlined cross-domain procedure calls, and secure languages are used. To test and ...
PSOS Revisited
, 2003
"... This paper provides a retrospective view of the design of SRI's Provably Secure Operating System (PSOS), a formally specified tagged-capability hierarchical system architecture. It examines PSOS in the light of what has happened in computer system developments since 1980, and assesses the relevance ..."
Abstract
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Cited by 7 (2 self)
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This paper provides a retrospective view of the design of SRI's Provably Secure Operating System (PSOS), a formally specified tagged-capability hierarchical system architecture. It examines PSOS in the light of what has happened in computer system developments since 1980, and assesses the relevance of the PSOS concepts in that light.
The design and implementation of a prototype exokernel operating system
- Master's thesis, MIT, 545 Technology Square, Boston MA 02139
, 1995
"... The Design and Implementation of a Prototype Exokernel Operating System ..."
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Cited by 6 (2 self)
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The Design and Implementation of a Prototype Exokernel Operating System
Steps Toward The Reinvention of Programming -- A Compact and Practical Model of Personal Computing as a Self-Exploratorium
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, 2006
"... ..."
Application Performance and Flexibility on Exokernel Systems
- In Proceedings of the Sixteenth ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles
, 1997
"... The exokernel operating system architecture safely gives untrusted software efficient control over hardware and software resources by separating management from protection. This paper describes an exokernel system that allows specialized applications to achieve high performance without sacrificing t ..."
Abstract
- Add to MetaCart
The exokernel operating system architecture safely gives untrusted software efficient control over hardware and software resources by separating management from protection. This paper describes an exokernel system that allows specialized applications to achieve high performance without sacrificing the performance of unmodified UNIX programs. It evaluates the exokernel architecture by measuring end-to-end application performance on Xok, an exokernel for Intel x86-based computers, and by comparing Xok's performance to the performance of two widely-used 4.4BSD UNIX systems (FreeBSD and OpenBSD). The results show that common unmodified UNIX applications can enjoy the benefits of exokernels: applications either perform comparably on Xok/ExOS and the BSD UNIXes, or perform significantly better. In addition, the results show that customized applications can benefit substantially from control over their resources (e.g., a factor of eight for a Web server). This paper also describes insights ab...

