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NOVA Microhypervisor

The NOVA OS Virtualization Architecture is a research project aimed at constructing a secure virtualization environment with a small trusted computing base. NOVA consists of a microhypervisor and a deprivileged multi-server user-mode environment running on top of it.

Like third-generation microkernels, the NOVA microhypervisor uses a capability-based authorization model and provides only basic mechanisms for virtualization, spatial and temporal separation, scheduling, communication, and management of platform resources. The disaggregated multi-server environment implements additional operating-system services in user mode, such as device drivers, protocol stacks, and policies. On machines with hardware virtualization features, NOVA can run multiple unmodified guest operating systems concurrently. Each VM has its own associated virtual-machine monitor (VMM) that runs as an unprivileged user application on top of the microhypervisor.

Supported Hardware Platforms

• NOVA runs on multi-core 64-bit x86 and ARMv8 machines that support ACPI.
• It also runs under QEMU (including VM support), and as a microkernel in a virtual machine on top of itself.
• On x86, a platform with Intel VT-x or AMD-V is required for running guest operating systems in VMs.

Download

The source code of the NOVA microhypervisor is available as a git repository at https://github.com/udosteinberg/NOVA.

NOVA is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2.

Deployments

• NOVA is the foundation for the BlueRock Trusted Runtime, which combines a formally verified secure trusted computing base with VM introspection and policy enforcement.
• The Genode Operating System Framework, a highly dynamic user-level environment, uses the NOVA microhypervisor as the default kernel for the Sculpt general-purpose OS.
• The Hedron Hypervisor is a derivative of the NOVA microhypervisor.
• The NOVA User-Level Environment (NUL) includes the virtual-machine monitor, a partition manager, and host device drivers.
• The NOVA Runtime Environment (NRE) is being developed as a potential successor of NUL.

Presentations

• U. Steinberg @ Charter of Trust Meetup Braunschweig 2024
  Minimize your TCB using a Microkernel-Based System


• U. Steinberg @ TU Dresden 2023
  NOVA Microhypervisor: Measured Launch


• U. Steinberg @ FOSDEM 2026
  Making the NOVA Microhypervisor fit for thousands of Devices and Interrupts


• H. Dang @ FOSDEM 2025
  A Formal Specification of the NOVA Microhypervisor


• U. Steinberg @ FOSDEM 2024
  Using the NOVA Microhypervisor for Trusted Computing at Scale


• U. Steinberg @ FOSDEM 2023
  NOVA Microhypervisor: Feature Update


• U. Steinberg @ FOSDEM 2020
  NOVA Microhypervisor on ARMv8-A


• U. Steinberg @ FOSDEM 2013
  The NOVA Microhypervisor

Publications

• U. Steinberg, B. Kauer @ Eurosys 2010
  NOVA: A Microhypervisor-Based Secure Virtualization Architecture


• U. Steinberg, B. Kauer @ IIDS 2010
  Towards a Scalable Multiprocessor User-Level Environment


• U. Steinberg, A. Böttcher, B. Kauer @ OSPERT 2010
  Timeslice Donation in Component-Based Systems

Posters

• U. Steinberg, B. Kauer @ OSDI 2008 Poster Session
  NOVA: Virtualization with a Small Trusted Computing Base


• B. Kauer, U. Steinberg, J. Stecklina @ Eurosys 2010 Poster Session
  Rapid I/O: Improving the Efficiency of I/O Virtualization

Theses

• M. Partheymüller (Diploma Thesis)
  Adding SMP Support to a User-Level VMM


• J. Galowicz (Master Thesis)
  Live Migration of Virtual Machines between Heterogeneous Host Systems