Exokernel is a type of operating system developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that seeks to provide application-level hardware resource management.
The exokernel architecture is designed to separate resource protection from administration to facilitate application-specific customization.
Exokernels are typically small in size due to their limited operability.
Details about exokernel
Conventional operating systems always have an impact on the performance, functionality, and scope of the applications that are based on them, since the operating system sits between the applications and the physical hardware.
The exokernel operating system tries to solve this problem by eliminating the notion that an operating system must provide abstractions on which to build applications. The idea is to impose as few abstractions as possible on developers and give them the freedom to use abstractions when needed.
The exokernel architecture is built in such a way that a small kernel moves all hardware abstractions into unreliable libraries known as library operating systems.
The main goal of an exokernel is to ensure that there is no forced abstraction, which is what makes an exokernel different from micro and monolithic kernels.
Characteristics of exokernel operating systems
Some of the features of exokernel operating systems include:
• Better support for application control
• Separate security from management
• Abstractions are safely transferred to an untrusted library operating system
• Provides a low level interface
• Library operating systems offer portability and compatibility
Advantages and disadvantages of exokernel
The benefits of the exokernel operating system include:
• Improved application performance
• More efficient use of hardware resources through accurate allocation and revocation of resources
• Easier development and testing of new operating systems
• Each user space application can apply its own optimized memory management
Some of the drawbacks of the exokernel operating system include:
• Reduced consistency
• Complex design of exokernel interfaces
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