Issues in kernel design

Abstract

Considerable activity recently has been devoted to the design and development of operating system kernels, as part of efforts to provide much more reliably secure systems than heretofore available. The resulting kernel architectures differ substantially from more traditional systems of similar function and, in particular, appear superior with respect to reliability, simplicity, and security. Understanding of the intrinsic characteristics of kernel architectures, including design principles, costs and values, is just now being developed. This paper considers these issues in general, as well as in the context of specific systems.