Trustworthy Systems

Hype and virtue

Authors

Timothy Roscoe, Kevin Elphinstone and Gernot Heiser

NICTA\ ETH Zurich\ UNSW\ Open Kernel Labs

Abstract

In this paper, we question whether hypervisors are really acting as a disruptive force in OS research, instead arguing that they have so far changed very little at a technical level. Essentially, we have retained the conventional Unix-like OS interface and added a new ABI based on PC hardware which is highly unsuitable for most purposes. Despite commercial excitement, focus on hypervisor design may be leading OS research astray. However, adopting a different approach to virtualization and recognizing its value to academic research holds the prospect of opening up kernel research to new directions.

BibTeX Entry

  @inproceedings{Roscoe_EH_07,
    address          = {San Diego, USA},
    author           = {Roscoe, Timothy and Elphinstone, Kevin and Heiser, Gernot},
    booktitle        = {Workshop on Hot Topics in Operating Systems (HotOS)},
    editor           = {{Galen Hunt}},
    month            = may,
    pages            = {19--24},
    paperurl         = {https://trustworthy.systems/publications/nicta_full_text/1473.pdf},
    publisher        = {USENIX},
    title            = {Hype and Virtue},
    year             = {2007}
  }

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