Multikernel System Design And Roadmap

多内核系统设计与路线图

Summary
摘要

The Multikernel project implements a novel operating system architecture that runs multiple Linux kernel instances without relying on virtualization, each core or core group runs dedicated kernel instances independently. This approach addresses scalability limitations in traditional monolithic and microkernel designs while providing superior performance isolation, elastic resource allocation, and zero-downtime upgrades.
Multikernel 项目实现了一种新颖的操作系统架构，它能够在不依赖虚拟化的情况下运行多个独立的 Linux 内核实例，每个 CPU 核心或核心组独立运行专属的内核实例。该设计旨在解决传统单体内核和微内核架构在可扩展性方面的局限，同时提供更优的性能隔离、弹性资源分配以及零停机升级能力。

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1. Design Philosophy

1. 设计理念

1.1 Flexibility-First

1.1 灵活性优先

The design aims to maximize the flexibility through programmable interfaces, leveraging eBPF extensively for dynamic behavior modification without kernel recompilation.
该设计目标是通过可编程接口最大化系统灵活性，广泛利用 eBPF 实现动态行为修改，而无需重新编译内核。

1.2 Freedom of Choice

1.2 自由选择

The design must preserve and respect users’ choice, including enabling and disabling this feature, using this feature with all reasonable existing competitive solutions, like using SR-IOV or general virtualization on top.
该设计必须保留并尊重用户的选择，包括启用或禁用该功能，以及与现有的竞争性解决方案（例如 SR-IOV 或通用虚拟化技术）配合使用的能力。

1.3 Simplicity and Minimalism

1.3 简洁与极简主义

The design maintains architectural simplicity by avoiding complex abstraction layers that plague current virtualization stacks.
该设计通过避免当前虚拟化堆栈中复杂的抽象层来保持架构的简洁性。

1.4 Infrastructure Reuse

1.4 基础设施复用

The design should leverage existing kernel subsystems wherever possible, including kexec for kernel loading, CPU/memory hotplug for resource management, existing driver frameworks for I/O, and standard eBPF infrastructure for programmability.
该设计应尽可能复用现有的内核子系统，包括用于加载