[Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] UniLinux -- Unikernelized Linux Exploration

[Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] UniLinux -- Unikernelized Linux Exploration

[Theodore Ts'o]

From: Tiejun Chen <tiejunc@vmware.com>

[ Note: The following abstract was submitted via the Linsux Plumbers
  Conference website.  Per the instructions that were posted for the
  Maintainer's / Kernel Summit Call for Proposals[1], the proposal
  should also be posted on the ksummit-discuss list, so that people
  can comment on the proposal, and perhaps start a discussion before
  the summit.

  [1] https://lwn.net/Articles/788378/

  Please note that topic proposals for both the Kernel Summit and the
  Maintainer's Summit are still welcome, and the deadline has been
  extended to June 3rd. -- Ted ]

Unikernel is relatively a novel software technology that links an
application with OS in the form of a library and packages them into a
specialized image that facilitates direct deployment on a
hypervisor. And the reality is that no matter what we are talking the
cloud infrastructure, or IoT edge systems, etc, we really need this
across a variety of areas, buy those existing unikernels have yet to
gain large popularity. So what if we can convert Linux to Unikernel or
Unikernel-like? Here I'll talk what challenges Unikernels are facing,
and discuss my proposal of if-how we could convert Linux as Unikernel
like to make all kernel and user stuff working only kernel mode, how
to manage interrupt, how to further reduce memory size and footprint,
how to improve IO performance with light weight network stack, should
we support multiple processes in some light weight ways, etc. These
problem could be addressed but also need to further discuss during
LPC.

In terms of UniLinux, IoT and Serverless could be a valuable candidate
to make Unikernel succeed. Meantime, it should be a potential vessel
by replacing container, because compared to traditional container,
Unikernel is small, fast and more secure as a lightweight VM. So it is
really worthy fitting Unilinux into a variety of areas like IoT,
Serverless and so on.

Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] UniLinux -- Unikernelized Linux Exploration

[Theodore Ts'o]

On Thu, May 30, 2019 at 02:01:11AM -0400, Theodore Ts'o wrote:
> From: Tiejun Chen <tiejunc@vmware.com>
> 
> Unikernel is relatively a novel software technology that links an
> application with OS in the form of a library and packages them into a
> specialized image that facilitates direct deployment on a
> hypervisor....

Tiejun, could you give some details regarding how your proposed
presentation would differ from the one you gave at the OSS NA in Los
Angelos?

https://ossna2017.sched.com/event/BDpy/unikernels-and-explorations-tiejun-chen-vmware

Many thanks!

						- Ted

Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] UniLinux -- Unikernelized Linux Exploration

[Tiejun Chen]

Hi Ted,

Looks I missed this email so really sorry for this delay response. When I went through ksummit-discuss today and just noticed this ☹

Overall, I didn't refactor too much into the big architecture of my proposal. But I'd like to 1>. go into something in detail with the participants ; 2>. talk a little bit new implementations. So besides of my original version, this time we would review-discuss them
1.  Reduce the source code
For example, I'm thinking if we can remove unnecessary kernel parameter sections while compiling. Furthermore, we need to extend this to syscall.
2.  Decouple the scheduler 
Do we still need to keep all schedulers work in terms of those unikernel cases running one process? Even this process is running with one thread or few threads sometime.
3.  Any refactors to some valuable use cases like a safety-critical application. What about classifying syscall to different levels?
4.  Others

Instead of making out my solution simply during those summits, plus, each part in the original version is not be implemented generally, so I think ksummit is supposed to a good chance to help me address these challenges properly. So this time, in terms of my proposal, I'm open to any technical solutions.

Thanks
Tiejun 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Theodore Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 9:55 PM
> To: ksummit-discuss@lists.linuxfoundation.org
> Cc: Tiejun Chen <tiejunc@vmware.com>
> Subject: Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] UniLinux -- Unikernelized Linux
> Exploration
> 
> On Thu, May 30, 2019 at 02:01:11AM -0400, Theodore Ts'o wrote:
> > From: Tiejun Chen <tiejunc@vmware.com>
> >
> > Unikernel is relatively a novel software technology that links an
> > application with OS in the form of a library and packages them into a
> > specialized image that facilitates direct deployment on a
> > hypervisor....
> 
> Tiejun, could you give some details regarding how your proposed
> presentation would differ from the one you gave at the OSS NA in Los
> Angelos?
> 
> https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fossn
> a2017.sched.com%2Fevent%2FBDpy%2Funikernels-and-explorations-tiejun-
> chen-
> vmware&amp;data=02%7C01%7Ctiejunc%40vmware.com%7C1e77cc17ac614
> 0465ab408d6e5065bed%7Cb39138ca3cee4b4aa4d6cd83d9dd62f0%7C0%7C0
> %7C636948212810513960&amp;sdata=hzZ9MpsXHx%2BEiAe%2BrJwXBjWiwx
> gAWdd8h26R6FcCwTc%3D&amp;reserved=0
> 
> Many thanks!
> 
> 						- Ted

Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] UniLinux -- Unikernelized Linux Exploration

[Theodore Ts'o]

On Thu, Jun 13, 2019 at 02:36:31AM +0000, Tiejun Chen wrote:
> Hi Ted,
> 
> Looks I missed this email so really sorry for this delay response. When I went through ksummit-discuss today and just noticed this ☹
> 
> Overall, I didn't refactor too much into the big architecture of my proposal. But I'd like to 1>. go into something in detail with the participants ; 2>. talk a little bit new implementations. So besides of my original version, this time we would review-discuss them
> 1.  Reduce the source code
> For example, I'm thinking if we can remove unnecessary kernel parameter sections while compiling. Furthermore, we need to extend this to syscall.
> 2.  Decouple the scheduler 
> Do we still need to keep all schedulers work in terms of those unikernel cases running one process? Even this process is running with one thread or few threads sometime.
> 3.  Any refactors to some valuable use cases like a safety-critical application. What about classifying syscall to different levels?
> 4.  Others

Tiejun, this looks like it's only vaguely about Linux.  You may have
started with the Linux kernel code at one point, but you've made
sufficient changes that it's unclear to me how we could expect people
who have never heard of UniKernel before to be able to participate in
your these discussions.

If you had specific changes that you would like to be seen made to the
mainline Linux kernel, perhaps it might be more profitable for you to
make specific concrete suggestions, preferably backed up by code, and
send it to the Linux Kernel mailing list, cc'ed to ksummit-discuss?

Regards,

						- Ted

> 
> Instead of making out my solution simply during those summits, plus, each part in the original version is not be implemented generally, so I think ksummit is supposed to a good chance to help me address these challenges properly. So this time, in terms of my proposal, I'm open to any technical solutions.
> 
> Thanks
> Tiejun 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Theodore Ts'o <tytso@mit.edu>
> > Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2019 9:55 PM
> > To: ksummit-discuss@lists.linuxfoundation.org
> > Cc: Tiejun Chen <tiejunc@vmware.com>
> > Subject: Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [TECH TOPIC] UniLinux -- Unikernelized Linux
> > Exploration
> > 
> > On Thu, May 30, 2019 at 02:01:11AM -0400, Theodore Ts'o wrote:
> > > From: Tiejun Chen <tiejunc@vmware.com>
> > >
> > > Unikernel is relatively a novel software technology that links an
> > > application with OS in the form of a library and packages them into a
> > > specialized image that facilitates direct deployment on a
> > > hypervisor....
> > 
> > Tiejun, could you give some details regarding how your proposed
> > presentation would differ from the one you gave at the OSS NA in Los
> > Angelos?
> > 
> > https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fossn
> > a2017.sched.com%2Fevent%2FBDpy%2Funikernels-and-explorations-tiejun-
> > chen-
> > vmware&amp;data=02%7C01%7Ctiejunc%40vmware.com%7C1e77cc17ac614
> > 0465ab408d6e5065bed%7Cb39138ca3cee4b4aa4d6cd83d9dd62f0%7C0%7C0
> > %7C636948212810513960&amp;sdata=hzZ9MpsXHx%2BEiAe%2BrJwXBjWiwx
> > gAWdd8h26R6FcCwTc%3D&amp;reserved=0
> > 
> > Many thanks!
> > 
> > 						- Ted