Microkernel Construction
| Lecturer | Dr. Nils Asmussen |
| Module | INF-25-Ma-FSA-MKC, INF-BAS4, INF-VERT4, MINF-04-FG-SAT, INF-DSE-20-E-BDSE |
| Scope and Type |
2 SWS lecture, 2 SWS exercises (both in English) |
| Cycle |
Summer semester Start: 2026-04-16 |
| Time and Place |
Thu, 13:00-14:30 (4. DS), APB E08, hybrid |
| Mailing List | |
| Feedback | via email or the anonymous mailbox |
Organization
During this term, both lecture and exercises will be offered as hybrid events (in person + live stream via BBB). More details about the organization and all future announcements will be made via the Mailing List.
Topics
This lecture focuses on current developments in the area of 2nd generation microkernels. After introducing microkernel-based operating systems in general, it dives into the construction of the microkernel itself by looking at the design of, e.g., interprocess communication, threads, and address spaces. The exercises provide hands-on experience by allowing students to hack on a stripped-down microkernel. Finally, the lecture presents multiple case studies of microkernels used in academia and industry.
We recommend to visit the lecture Microkernel-based Operating Systems first, but this is no requirement. However, we do assume basic knowledge of Linux and programming skills of C/C++ language.
Lectures
Slides will be published here shortly before the lectures.
- 16.04.: Introduction
- 23.04.: Threads
- 30.04. Kernel Entry/Exit
- 07.05. Address Spaces
- 21.05. IPC
- 04.06. Capabilities
- 11.06. seL4
Exercises
- 30.04. Kernel Entry/Exit (Solution)
- 07.05. Multiboot (Solution)
- 21.05. Threads (Solution)
- 04.06. IPC (Solution)
- 11.06. Capabilities (Solution)
- 18.06. Delegate and Revoke
Additional Documentation
Operating System Basics:
- Modern Operating Systems: Andrew S. Tanenbaum (OS Concepts, OS Structures, Virtual Memory)
Further information about the discussed OSes: