Experimental x86 Microkernel

Licensed under the terms of the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

This project is an experimental microkernel built to explore operating system design and low-level x86 architecture. It is designed to run in Protected Mode and is compatible with GRUB and other Multiboot-compliant bootloaders.

While primarily an educational exercise in systems programming, the project implements foundational kernel concepts including memory management, basic multitasking, and a Virtual File System (VFS) layer.

Dependencies

The project was built and tested with the following toolchain:

• GNU GCC 4.7.2
• NASM 2.10.01
• GNU ld 2.22.90
• GNU Make 3.81

Optional Emulators:

• QEMU 1.2.0
• Bochs 2.4.6

Build Instructions

Compile the kernel source:

make kernel

Generate bootable images (requires genisoimage for CD-ROM):

make cdrom
make floppy

Run the compiled image in an emulator (requires qemu or bochs):

make run-cdrom
make run-floppy

Build configuration and options can be adjusted in common.mk.

Roadmap / Future Architecture Goals

Core System

• Refactor memory management unit (MMU) and descriptor tables
• Process synchronization primitives (mutexes, semaphores)
• Priority-based scheduling and tickless kernel design
• ELF executable loading and relocation
• Separation of architecture-specific code from common C abstractions

VFS and Storage

• Unified API for underlying filesystems
• Mount registry and vnode caching
• Block cache system and DMA support
• ATAPI (CD-ROM) and ATA interface drivers

Hardware and Drivers

• Driver manager and module registration
• IRQ and DMA allocation tracking
• Independent I/O request layer
• PCI configuration and bus enumeration
• Basic TCP/IP stack (Ethernet, ARP, IP, ICMP, UDP, TCP)

Userland

• Port Newlib (libc) and basic POSIX syscalls
• Port Bash shell and Binutils
• VESA driver and graphical interface prototyping

Resources

Development heavily referenced the architectural references and documentation available at OSdev.org.