Jochen Liedtke, Uwe Dannowski, Kevin Elphinstone, Gerd Liefländer, Espen Skoglund, Volkmar Uhlig, Christian Ceelen, Andreas Haeberlen, and Marcus Völp

White Paper, April 2001

Abstract:

Microkernels are minimal but highly flexible kernels. Both conventional and non-classical operating systems can be built on top or adapted to run on top of them. Microkernel-based architectures should particularly support extensibility and customizability, robustness including reliability and fault tolerance, protection and security.

After desastrous results in the early 90's, the microkernel approach now seems to be promising, although it still bears a lot of research risks. Currently, University of Karlsruhe's system architecture group is defining the state of the art in microkernel research.

The L4Ka research project aims at substantiating and establishing a new methodology for system construction that helps to manage ever-increasing OS complexity and minimizes legacy dependence. Our vision is a microkernel technology that can be and is used advantageously for constructing any general or customized operating system including pervasive systems, deep-computing systems, and huge servers.

The technology should help to manage ever-increasing OS complexity, enable stepwise innovations in OS technology while preserving legacy compatibility, and lead to a widely-accepted foundation of system architecture.

BibTex:

@Misc{liedtke01L4KaVision,
  author = {Jochen Liedtke and Uwe Dannowski and Kevin Elphinstone and Gerd Liefl\"ander and Espen Skoglund and Volkmar Uhlig and Christian Ceelen and Andreas Haeberlen and Marcus V\"olp},
  title = {The L4Ka Vision},
  type = {White Paper},
  month = apr,
  year = 2001,
  affiliation = {University of Karlsruhe, Germany},
  url = {http://l4ka.org/publications/}
}