Trustworthy Systems

Towards a practical, verified kernel

Authors

Kevin Elphinstone, Gerwin Klein, Philip Derrin, Timothy Roscoe and Gernot Heiser

NICTA\ UNSW

Abstract

In the paper we examine one of the issues in designing, specifying, implementing and formally verifying a small operating system kernel -- how to provide a productive and iterative development methodology for both operating system developers and formal methods practitioners.

We espouse the use of functional programming languages as a medium for prototyping that is readily amenable to formalisation with a low barrier to entry for kernel developers, and report early experience in the process of designing and building seL4: a new, practical, and formally verified microkernel.

BibTeX Entry

  @inproceedings{Elphinstone_KDRH_07,
    address          = {San Diego, CA, USA},
    author           = {Elphinstone, Kevin and Klein, Gerwin and Derrin, Philip and Roscoe, Timothy and Heiser, Gernot},
    booktitle        = {Workshop on Hot Topics in Operating Systems (HotOS)},
    editor           = {{Galen Hunt}},
    keywords         = {sel4, microkernel, verification},
    month            = may,
    pages            = {6},
    paperurl         = {https://trustworthy.systems/publications/nicta_full_text/1157.pdf},
    publisher        = {USENIX},
    title            = {Towards a Practical, Verified Kernel},
    year             = {2007}
  }

Download