Secure Server Infrastructure with Microkernels: An Alternative to Linux for Data Centers
Our researcher Dipl.-Inf. Till Miemietz from the Composable Operating Systems group will present the paper "MettEagle: Costs and Benefits of Implementing Containers on Microkernels" at the 19th USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation (OSDI). In his talk, he will explain how the Barkhausen Institut is enhancing data center security by implementing a container runtime environment on the L4Re microkernel.
What is the paper about?
When we use online services such as social media, online banking, or video streaming, we access program code that runs on servers in data centers. In most cases, programs from different users run in parallel on the same server. A standard operating system for such use cases is Linux. A central challenge is that Linux must be specifically hardened to meet the security requirements of these server environments. This is where container technologies come in. They isolate applications and processes on a shared operating system. To do this, they use additional security mechanisms such as seccomp, namespaces, and cgroups. However, these additions increase the complexity of the overall system, and therefore also potentially enlarge the attack surface. In the worst-case scenario, this can undermine security rather than improve it.
What exactly has been developed?
Instead of Linux, we use a system based on the L4Re microkernel. Unlike Linux, this approach offers strong security properties by design and does not require the retrofitting of additional protection mechanisms. However, microkernel-based systems have not been deployed on typical server hardware or used with workloads common in data centers so far. That is why we not only developed a container environment for microkernels but also carried out extensive performance optimizations. This was necessary to make microkernels suitable for deployment in data centers.
What does this mean for us?
Our development creates an execution environment for server applications. By using a microkernel, it offers a significant security advantage over Linux. This makes it possible to protect data centers more effectively against attacks. At the same time, the L4Re system provides a domestically developed solution that can also help strengthen digital sovereignty in the data center domain.
Where can I read the paper?
Please read or download the paper at L4Re.org: MettEagle: Costs and Benefits of Implementing Containers on Microkernels
Till Miemietz, Viktor Reusch, and Matthias Hille, Barkhausen Institut; Lars Wrenger, Leibniz-Universität Hannover; Jana Eisoldt, Barkhausen Institut; Jan Klötzke, Kernkonzept GmbH; Max Kurze, Technische Universität Dresden; Adam Lackorzynski, Technische Universität Dresden and Kernkonzept GmbH; Michael Roitzsch, Barkhausen Institut; Hermann Härtig, Barkhausen Institut and Technische Universität Dresden.