OK:Linux by Open Kernel Labs (acquired by General Dynamics)

OS/RTOS

Product Description

In OK:Linux, OK Labs supplies an OS support package for
Linux operating systems, enabled for use as a guest of the
OKL4 mobile virtualization platform. Starting with OK:Linux
deals the high cards to handset OEMs - mobile virtualization,
componentization, and security.

OK:Linux is compatible with most Linux distributions. The use
of OK:Linux with a compatible Linux distribution provides a
standard Linux user environment where existing Linux
applications and drivers run without modification, and new
applications can be developed using standard open-source
and commercial Linux development tools.

Using OKL4 and OK:Linux to host a Linux guest OS confers a
range of benefits:
Linux applications can run on the same processor side by
side with legacy applications and legacy OSes. Concurrent
support for two OS environments eliminates the need for
either multiprocessor hardware or porting the legacy system
to the Linux OS

OKL4 native cells can complement the Linux virtual machine
(VM) by providing an execution environment with better real-
time properties and stronger security

OKL4 native cells are well-suited to hosting real-time OSes,
easing implementation of latency-sensitive functions without
sacrificing the rich ecosystem support available for Linux

Device drivers represent a wildcard in mobile designs -
difficult to develop, they can be harder to maintain and
migrate forward. Drivers can also present openings for
security exploits. OKL4 makes drivers a safer bet by:

Offering an innovative device-driver approach with high-
performance, sharable, isolated, user-level device drivers for
improved reliability and security

Running device drivers at user level, and limiting privileged
code to the OKL4 Microvisor

Supporting device drivers running in any guest OS

The OKL4 Microvisor creates systems that are easier to
develop, easier to maintain, more secure, and more reliable.
The OKL4 building block approach combines, connects, and
manages VMs, native OKL4 subsystems, and device drivers.
OK:Linux adds ready-to-use Linux VMs to the standard set of
building blocks available to developers.

OK:Linux

Market Segment(s)

• Embedded
• Home
• Mobile

ARM Processor(s)

• Cortex-A53
• Cortex-A57
• ARMv8

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