Genode OS Framework release 11.02 Feb 24, 2011

Version 11.02 of the framework adds support for the Fiasco.OC and NOVA v0.3 kernels as well as a new custom kernel platform targeted at softcore CPUs. Furthermore, we introduce the Noux execution environment for using GNU software natively on Genode.

The Genode project takes another leap forward regarding the use of different kernels as base platforms for using the framework. The new supported Fiasco.OC kernel offers a rich feature set that is unmatched by any other open-source microkernel. It works with the x86_32, x86_64, and ARM architectures, features capability-based security, scales to multiple CPUs, and provides special optimizations for running virtualized operating systems on top. Genode can now leverage the advanced features of this kernel, in particular those related to enforcing strict security policies.

With NOVA and Fiasco.OC, there have now become two kernels available that are capable of enforcing Genode's security architecture at kernel level. Speaking of NOVA, we are happy to report to have upgraded Genode's NOVA support to version 0.3 of the kernel. This version was released earlier this month and brings many of the features we desired, the most important being the revocation of resources. With the new version, NOVA has now become a base platforms that supports the entire Genode API without compromises.

In addition to broadening the support for existing kernels, we have started to reach out into kernel land for running Genode on softcore CPU as found in FPGA-based SoCs. Our custom kernel architecture achieves a further reduction of TCB complexity by consolidating kernel functionality with Genode's user-level core. The current implementation is able to run core and multiple instances of nested init processes on the Xilinx MicroBlaze CPU.

The most significant functional addition to the framework is a new execution environment called Noux that enables running unmodified GNU software on top of Genode. Even though in an early stage, Noux is already able to execute GNU coreutils without requiring manual porting work.

Read on about further details regarding the new kernel platforms, the vision behind Noux, and many more improvements of the framework in the release notes of version 11.02.