Rustpi: A Rust-powered Reliable Micro-kernel Operating System

Abstract

Rustpi is a micro-kernel operating system implemented in Rust to explore how modern language features can help to build a reliable operating system. In our system, isolations between micro-kernel servers are achieved by Rust language instead of expensive hardware mechanisms. Moreover, Rust language features such as control-flow integrity and unwinding enable hardware transient fault detection and error recovery without resource leaking. Rustpi creatively integrates these features to enhance its reliability. Moreover, our design is also applicable to other Rust micro-kernel systems or even the Linux kernel.