The Rux Kernel

Rux - An x86_64 toy operating system kernel written in Rust. Rux is a port of the Hux kernel, my x86 32-bit single-CPU toy kernel written in C, following the OSTEP book structure and terminology.

Development Doc

I document the porting process from Hux to Rux, especially the unique challenges and design choices exposed by porting a legacy C kernel to a modern memory-safe programming language, in the WIKI pages 📝 of this GitHub repository ✭.

It is recommended to also take a look at the wiki pages of Hux to know about its basic design and structure.

If there are any typos / mistakes / errors, please raise an issue!

Playing with Rux

Requires a Linux host development environment. Tested on Ubuntu Focal.

Clone the repo, set up the Rust development toolchain following this wiki page, then build Rux by:

$ make [debug|release]  # defaults to debug

To run Rux in QEMU >= v6.2.0, install QEMU & GRUB following this wiki section, then do:

$ make qemu     # opens a VGA GUI window

If you are in a non-GUI environment, it is recommended to redirect VGA output to built-in VNC server, and connect to that server from a VNC client:

$ make qemu_vnc     # redirects VGA output to VNC server
                    # from VNC client, connect to 'hostname:5901'

You will see the QEMU GUI popping up with GRUB loaded. Choose the "Rux" option with Enter to boot into Rux.

For a taste of what a minimal C kernel looks like, please check out the wiki pages of Hux (recommended). I have every single detail documented there.

References

Main references:

• The OSDev Wiki (IMPORTANT ✭)
• Writing an OS in Rust by Philipp (IMPORTANT ✭, still updating...)
• The Hux Kernel by me, an x86 32-bit toy kernel in C

OS conceptual materials:

• Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (OSTEP) by Prof. Arpaci-Dusseaus
• My reading notes on OSTEP book & lectures

Check the "References" section of Hux here for the full list. You will also need some understanding of and a passion for the Rust language, a great next-gen system programming language.

TODO List

• Dev setup following Philipp's blog
• Enter long mode in boot.s (w/ dummy paging)
• Start the porting of Hux kernel