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Genode OS Framework release 20.11
Nov 27, 2020
Genode 20.11 brings Sculpt OS to 64-bit ARM hardware, introduces dynamic
CPU-load balancing, and enables multicore virtualization on ARM. Driver-wise,
the release improves audio on PC hardware, and adds VirtIO networking support.
ARM 64-bit has been a recurring theme of the Genode releases this year and the
just released version 20.11 is no exception. We are proud to announce that our
Genode-based custom general-purpose OS called Sculpt has come to life on
64-bit ARM hardware, namely the NXP i.MX8 EVK board. This is the result of
intensive work on the framework's driver architecture for ARM and several
SoC-specific device drivers. Closely related to this line of work is the new
ability to run multicore virtual machines on ARM.
Another highlight of version 20.11 is a new CPU balancing mechanism, which
automates the dynamic assignment of threads to CPU cores for complex
workloads. With traditional operating systems, such policies are normally part
of the OS kernel. Thanks to Genode's component architecture, we are able to
implement such potentially complex policies in the form of an optional
component, which offers ultimate flexibility while keeping the kernel
untainted by complex heuristics.
Further topics of the current release are improved power management and audio
support on PC hardware, a new OSS API emulation that allows for the
reuse of popular audio applications on Genode, and new support for VirtIO
networking. The full picture is given by the
release documentation of version 20.11...
Sculpt OS release 20.08
Sep 17, 2020
Version 20.08 of the Sculpt operating system refines the user experience
and becomes able to host the Chromium-based Falkon web browser.
The new version of Sculpt OS is based on the latest Genode release
20.08.
In particular, it incorporates the
redesigned GUI stack
to the benefit of quicker boot times, improved interactive responsiveness, and
better pixel output quality.
It also removes the last traces of the
noux runtime.
Fortunately, these massive under-the-hood changes do not disrupt the
user-visible surface of Sculpt. Most users will feel right at home.
Upon closer inspection, there are couple of new features to appreciate. The
CPU-affinity of each component can now be restricted interactively by the user,
components can be easily restarted via a click on a button, font-size changes
have an immediate effect now, and the VESA driver (used when running Sculpt in
a virtual machine) can dynamically change the screen resolution.
Thanks to our continuous efforts of strengthening of the base system, Sculpt
OS has become able to host a first version of the Chromium-based Falkon web
browser from an installable package. Even though this version is still rough
around the edges and unoptimized, it already enables Sculpt users to casually
browse the modern web without the need for a virtual machine.
The updated manual
goes into detail about the use of the new system.
The ready-to-use system image for version 20.08 is available at the
Sculpt download page.
Genode OS Framework release 20.08
Aug 28, 2020
With Genode 20.08, the low-level GUI stack underwent a profound redesign,
the Chromium web engine comes to life, the i.MX8 support covers clock and
power management, and the CBE block encrypter becomes highly modular.
The most stunning feature of Genode 20.08 is most certainly the new ability
to host the Chromium web engine as native component in the form of the Falkon
web browser. This long-time project involved overcoming countless road
blocks along the way to the great benefit of Genode's users at large: building
bridges between 3rd-party build systems and Genode, covering seemingly obscure
corner cases of POSIX, solving instruction-cache invalidation issues on ARM -
just to name a few.
Under the hood, we took the release cycle as opportunity to tackle a major
surgery of the low-level GUI stack that we planned for more than two years.
The architectural change lays the groundwork for swapping out graphics and
input drivers on the fly without reboot. It also paves the ground for features
like screen capturing and remote desktop scenarios in a privacy-protecting
way.
On our mission of bringing the driver support for the 64-bit ARM-based i.MX8
SoC on par with our driver coverage on Intel PCs, the release introduces a
platform driver specifically for this SoC that covers clock and power
management. One step closer to using Sculpt OS on the MNT Reform laptop.
Furthermore, Genode's custom block encrypter called CBE received continuous
development. In particular, the cryptographic algorithm and trust anchor
have become pluggable modules. This will allow for tailoring the CBE to
custom products - like hardware trust anchors - without changing its
implementation.
These and many more improvements are covered in detail in the
release documentation of version 20.08...
Genode OS Framework release 20.05
May 28, 2020
Version 20.05 wraps up the consolidation of Noux with the C runtime,
advances the device-driver infrastructure and virtualization support on ARM,
reaches feature-completion of our block encryptor, and leverages seccomp for
sandboxing components on top of Linux.
It has become almost a tradition to dedicate the spring release to topics
under the hood of the Genode OS framework, taking the time for careful
consolidation, and architectural improvements.
On the latter account, the Linux version gained an architectural revamp of its
inter-component communication model, leveraging the combination of the
seccomp and epoll kernel mechanisms to enable Genode's capability-based
security concept on this kernel. The new version applies strict sandboxing
to each component individually. In particular, the host file system is
shielded from Genode components and Genode's least-privilege access-control
scheme comes into effect.
As the second prominent architectural topic, the release features new
device-driver infrastructure for the ARM universe along with a unified
version of the formerly distinct virtual machine monitors for ARMv7 and
ARMv8. These are important steps to bring Genode on ARM to parity with the
x86 version.
Further highlights of the release are the first feature-complete version
of our custom block-encryption component, the improved management of CPU
affinities on x86, and new tracing utilities. Last but not least, the
release is accompanied with an updated version of the Genode Foundations
book, reflecting the changes of the framework since one year ago.
Read the details of the new release in the
release documentation of version 20.05...
Sculpt OS release 20.02
Mar 10, 2020
Version 20.02 of the Sculpt operating system revisits the administrative
user interface for a more intuitive and logical user experience.
With the release of Sculpt version 20.02, we follow our
roadmap's mission to make Sculpt OS
easier to approach. In particular, we
identified the
reliance on a command-line interface as a potential barrier of entry. As
Sculpt OS is not a Unix-like system, it should not require any Unix know-how
from the user. To relieve users from this burden, Sculpt 20.02 introduces
a custom graphical file browser and editor that can be used for interactively
inspecting and tweaking the state of the system. The traditional command-line
interface is still present as a fallback for advanced tasks though.
The updated manual
goes into detail about the use of the new system.
Thanks to the work of seasoned Genode developers, many software packages are
already available for the new version. These include virtual machine monitors
like VirtualBox, performance-monitoring tools, GUI components, Genode's custom
Unix runtime, and several applications and games. In particular, the software
depots offered by alex-ab, cnuke, skalk are worth exploring.
The ready-to-use system image for version 20.02 can be obtained from the
Sculpt download page and is
accompanied by matching
documentation.
Genode OS Framework release 20.02
Feb 28, 2020
With version 20.02, Genode makes Sculpt OS fit for running on i.MX 64-bit
ARM hardware, optimizes the performance throughout the entire software stack,
and takes the next evolutionary step of the user-facing side of Sculpt OS.
Without any doubt, Sculpt OS has been the driving motivation behind most
working topics featured by the new release. One particularly exciting line
of work is the enabling of Sculpt on i.MX-based 64-bit ARM hardware, which
touched the framework on all levels, from the boot loader, over the kernel,
device drivers, libraries, system management, up to the application level.
The work goes as far as supporting Sculpt OS as a hypervisor platform for
hosting Linux in a virtual machine.
As a second Sculpt-related development, we strive to make the user-visible
side of the operating system better approachable and more logical. With this
background, the current release comes with a profound redesign of the
administrative user interface of Sculpt OS. An updated downloadable system
image will follow soon.
Also related to Sculpt are an updated audio driver based on OpenBSD 6.6,
the support of virtual desktops, and performance optimization of the
Seoul virtual machine monitor on x86 hardware.
Regarding the framework API, the release introduces a new library for
building multi-component applications. It aims to bring the benefits of
Genode's unique security architecture from the operating-system level to the
application level.
These topics are only the tip of the iceberg. For the complete picture,
please consult the
release documentation of version 20.02...
Road Map for 2020
Jan 20, 2020
In 2020, we will be concerned about dwarfing the barrier of entry into
the Genode world.
Following the last year's leitmotif of "bridging worlds", we turn our
attention to the removal of the hurdles faced by aspiring developers and
users. During the annual road-map
discussion
on our mailing list, we identified four tangible approaches towards that
goal. First, making Sculpt OS more user friendly. Second, reinforcing trust in
Genode by fostering the framework's high quality. Third, making the tooling
around Genode a joy to use. And finally, the illustration of Genode's
versatility in the form practical use cases.
Besides this overall theme, we plan to continue our commitment to the
NXP i.MX SoC family, revisit Genode's low-latency audio support, and
extend the cultivation of Ada/SPARK within (and on top of) Genode.
More background information about the new road map and a rough schedule are
presented at our official road-map page.
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