Bringing Genode to the OKL4 kernel May 06, 2009We have enhanced the range of supported kernel platforms by bringing Genode to the OKL4 kernel developed by Open Kernel Labs. With the port of Genode to the OKL4 kernel, we have taken another step to reach a broader user base of the framework. In contrast to the already supported microkernels L4ka::Pistachio and L4/Fiasco, the OKL4 kernel developed by Open Kernel Labs is largely deployed in commercial settings. Even though being a member of the L4 family of kernels, OKL4 has a much modernized kernel API that fits quite well with the Genode architecture. For example, OKL4 does not rely on an in-kernel mapping database, frees the IPC operation from wall-clock timeouts, supports asynchronous notifications, and provides kernel support for user-level synchronization. In the process of porting Genode to OKL4 version 2.1, we took the chance of generalizing a lot of former L4-specific code such that the remaining platform-specific code is now in the order of less than 2,000 lines of code for each kernel platform. To ease future ports of the frameworks to other kernels, we have documented our work in detail. If you are interested in learning more about the OKL4 kernel from our perspective, or if you like to dive right into the inner parts of the Genode OS Framework, read on about Bringing the Genode OS Framework to the OKL4 kernel... The OKL4 version is available at our subversion repository and will be included in the upcoming release 9.05. For further information about building and using Genode on OKL4, please refer to the new Genode on OKL4 Wiki page... |
