Redox OS Now Runs On RISC-V

Redox OS, a Rust-based microkernel operating system, now officially supports the RISC-V architecture. This significant update encompasses the kernel, toolchain, build system, and even the Orbital Desktop environment.

Table of Contents

- What is Redox OS?

• What is RISC-V?
• Why is RISC-V Support Crucial for Redox?
• The Team Behind the Achievement
• Key Enhancements and New Features
• Future Development Plans

What is Redox OS?

Redox is a Unix-like OS leveraging Rust's strengths within a modern microkernel design. Its goal is to offer a robust alternative to established systems like Linux and BSD, drawing inspiration from Plan 9, Minix, seL4, BSD, and Linux itself.

What is RISC-V?

RISC-V is an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) adhering to RISC principles. Its open nature allows for unrestricted use, fostering innovation in chip design and software development.

Why is RISC-V Support Crucial for Redox?

RISC-V's open ethos perfectly complements Redox's own open-source philosophy. This support dramatically expands Redox's hardware compatibility, enabling it to run on a wider array of devices.

The Team Behind the Achievement

Andrey Turkin made substantial contributions to the kernel, toolchain, and other key components to achieve RISC-V compatibility. Jeremy Soller played a vital role in integrating RISC-V support into the toolchain and build process, along with significant kernel and driver refactoring. Soller also successfully enabled the Orbital Desktop within the QEMU emulator.

Key Enhancements and New Features (October 2024)

October 2024 saw several major advancements:

• Raspberry Pi 4 Boot Support: Redox now boots on the Raspberry Pi 4, displaying the Orbital login screen (USB support is still under development).
• COSMIC Store Integration: The COSMIC Store package manager has been ported, enabling easy package browsing and installation.
• pkgar Package Format: The default package format is now pkgar, replacing tar.gz.
• ARM64 Package Support: ARM64 packages are now enabled on the build server.
• New Software and Libraries: Several new programs and libraries were added, including RVVM (RISC-V emulator), LuaJIT, QuakeSpasm, OpenTyrian, and the GLEW library.
• Community Enhancements: A new Matrix channel for architectural discussions was established, alongside numerous bug fixes, optimizations, and refactoring across the kernel, drivers, RedoxFS, and relibc. The build system, CI, and documentation also received updates. A new "From Nothing To Hello World" tutorial was added to the Redox Book.

Future Development Plans

While still under development, Redox's RISC-V support marks a significant milestone. Future efforts will concentrate on enhancing RISC-V support, including driver development and performance optimization. The Redox team actively welcomes contributions from individuals with expertise in capability-based security, sandboxing, and microkernel performance.

Resource:

• This Month in Redox - October 2024

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