Implement Xen PV network device driver

[Jakub Jermář]

Implement a set of native HelenOS drivers to allow use of Xen PV network device.

Details

The Xen hypervisor provides ​paravirtualized (PV) network devices to fully-virtualized domains (HVM) in order to enable fast and efficient network communications without the overhead of emulating a real network device.

The new functionality should be achieved via a hierarchy of device drivers that implement the Xen PCI Platform device, XenBus virtual bus and the Xen netfront device. These drivers should plug themselves into the HelenOS Device Driver Framework (DDF) and (the latter also) to the networking stack, and implement the network interface card interface (NICF) in the Xen netfront specific way.

What Gains and Benefits will this bring?

HelenOS might need a Xen PV network device driver if we want to run it in a Xen-based hosting (e.g. Amazon E2C) and serve some web content (e.g. microkernel.info) to the public from it.

Difficulty

medium to high

Required skills

A successful applicant will have good skills of programming in the C language and the ability to learn and use HelenOS specific I/O functions. A successful applicant should have a fair understanding of the workings of the networking stack and the DDF and NICF too.

Documentation

• ​PV on HVM Linux PV drivers on HVM
• ​GPL PV drivers for Windows
• ​HelenOS NICF documentation
• ​Dive into HelenOS Device Drivers
• ​Writing Device Drivers for HelenOS

Possible mentors

HelenOS Core Team, Jakub Jermar