FOSDEM
4 HN recommenders · recommended in 6 months, 2013–2023
56:19 · 90K views · Feb 14, 2010
Andrew Tanenbaum's FOSDEM 2010 talk on MINIX 3, a microkernel OS built for high reliability and security. It shows how the system detects and recovers from device driver crashes, and addresses microkernel performance concerns.
HN points to it as an accessible explanation of microkernel isolation and fault-tolerant design, and as Tanenbaum's answer to performance objections.
6 comments from Hacker News
Andrew Tanenbaum presenting on Minix 3's architecture: this video . Regardless of one's opinions on microkernels vs. monolithic kernels, it's a very interesting but accessible talk for those interested in lower-level systems and fault-tolerant architectures.
Writing OS's is hard and there are no shortcuts. You should take a look at microkernels and the work Andrew Tanenbaum did with Minix 3 [1] and his modular design as this is the sort of direction you're probably looking for with customisable OS's. [1] this video
It's also for security. If you find a security vulnerability in e.g. the sound driver, you're not going to get root access. Andrew Tanenbaum explains it well: this video
Here's Andy Tannenbaum's response to the performance issues of microkernels: this video (should start at about 47:15)
Here's you some examples to learn from. Most are old enough that patents have expired: Why Do Computers Stop and What Can Be Done About It? (1985) [LINK] Their NonStop Architecture [LINK] QNX's systems are ultra-reliable, too [LINK] OpenVMS clusters' uptime was years to decades & mixed CPU ISA's [LINK] Systems that run forever and self-heal (Armstrong) [LINK] Microreboots [LINK] Minix 3: Microkernel-based, self-healing, POSIX OS this video