OKL4
OKL4 is a high-performance system software platform, built using cutting-edge microkernel technology, which provides Trustworthy Virtualization and Secure Decomposition capability for embedded systems. OKL4 supports system virtualization, secure execution of components in an execution environment with a minimal trusted computing base, and fault isolation within complex systems using lightweight protected components. Used alone or as a complement to full-featured operating systems, OKL4 enables development teams to deliver systems that are more trustworthy in less time and at lower cost.
Open Kernel Labs OKL4 provides developers with the technologies and tools needed to build and deploy innovative, high-performance, and secure intelligent devices.
The primary components of the OKL4 product include:
- OKL4 target-resident system software, combining capabilities of a hypervisor and a lightweight operating system to support Trustworthy Virtualization and secure partitioning
- Board support and device drivers
- Development and configuration tools
OKL4 Features
Open Kernel Labs OKL4 meets a range of mobile and other embedded application requirements, offering developers the features and functionality they want and need.
- Support for key mobile, wireless subscriber, and other embedded system chipsets and CPUs
- Board support for silicon vendors' evaluation systems and COTS single-board computers
- Virtualization, with isolated partitions for guest OS's and lightweight execution contexts
- Low-overhead communications among guest OS•'s/lightweight execution contexts
- Support for sharable, isolated, user-level device drivers
- Cross development and configuration tools
- State-of-the-art microkernel technology
OKL4 Benefit
Open Kernel Labs OKL4 offers OEMs a unique mix of technical and economic benefits:
- Guest operating systems and device drivers execute in user-level, isolated domains, limiting privileged code to the OKL4 microkernel for better fault isolation.
- High-performance IPC ensures the ability to integrate isolated, user-level components into embedded systems that satisfy demanding performance requirements.
- Open-source code base lets developers evaluate and prototype OKL4 technology – "try before you buy. "
- Compact source code base and small-memory footprint support requirements for mobility and certification, while limiting BoM cost impact.
- Separation of lightweight trusted contexts and untrusted contexts significantly improve trustworthiness.
- Robust VM architecture isolates faults in guest OS, easing debugging and raising reliability of deployed systems.
- Isolation of high-value IP from open source, especially from code distributed under highly reciprocal licenses (e.g., GPLv3)
- Pre-built paravirtualized Linux (OK Linux) jumpstarts projects for shorter product cycles and faster time-to-market.
- Innovative device driver approach provides high-performance, sharable, isolated, user-level device drivers for improved reliability and security.
Hardware Support
OKL4 hardware support combines out-of-the-box support for specific off-the-shelf boards with customer-specific development to address additional requirements, from crafting device drivers to building new board support packages to adding support for new CPU and CPU family members.
Contact Open Kernel Labs for information on standard hardware support and customer-specific hardware support services. The current 1.5.2 release of OKL4 supports the following processor architectures and families:
ARM
For mobile and many consumer electronics applications, ARM represents the leading processor architecture, combining low power, performance, and deployment cost. Open Kernel Labs OKL4 supports a range of ARM family CPUs and SoCs, including
- ARM v5 architecture–ARM9 and XScale processor family-based CPUs and SOCs
- ARM v6 architecture–ARM11 processor family-based CPUs and SOCs
- Contact Open Kernel Labs for the up-to-date details on OKL4 for ARM architecture processors.
MIPS
MIPS architecture offers designers of networking, graphics, video, and other data-intensive embedded applications an ideal silicon platform for data and memory-intensive applications in broadband, consumer electronics, and imaging. OKL4 supports MIPS-architecture CPUs and SOCs.
Contact Open Kernel Labs for up-to-date details on OKL4 for MIPS-architecture processors.
Intel Architecture
Many embedded designs in communications infrastructure, industrial control, and instrumentation leverage the performance, ubiquity, and enterprise interoperability offered by single-board computers and industrial motherboards based on Intel Architecture processors. Open Kernel Labs OKL4 platform supports Intel-architecture processors.
Contact Open Kernel Labs for up-to-date details on OKL4 for Intel-architecture processors.
Power Architecture
Work to support OKL4 on Power-architecture processors is under way. Contact Open Kernel Labs for availability.
Guest OS Support
When used as a virtual machine monitor/hypervisor, OKL4 provides flexible and secure system virtualization for embedded systems. OKL4 supports the use of embedded operating systems and application operating systems (such as Linux, Windows, and Symbian OS) within its virtual machines.
In addition to OKL4, Open Kernel Labs offers OK Linux, a complementary product that facilitates rapid project start-up for projects requiring Linux within an OKL4 virtual machine.
Open Kernel Labs staff has 10+ years of experience with OKL4-based virtualization solutions and works closely with its customers to address their specific guest OS requirements.
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