This week brought an exciting proposal to the Linux world: multi-kernel architecture.
Yes, you read that right — multiple independent Linux kernels, running side by side, on the same physical machine. Each kernel would get its own dedicated CPU cores but still share the same hardware.
If this sounds wild, that’s because it is. And it could unlock some very cool possibilities.
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Why This Matters
Traditionally, a machine runs one kernel at a time. That kernel manages everything — processes, memory, device drivers — across all CPU cores.
But what if you could split a system into multiple, isolated kernels?
That’s what this proposal suggests.
With this approach, one kernel could handle real-time workloads while another kernel handles general-purpose tasks. Or you could dedicate an entire kernel to security-critical applications. The possibilities are intriguing.
The Announcement
Cong Wang from Multikernel Technologies Inc. announced the release of the open-source patches to the Linux Kernel Mailing List (LKML) as a Request for Comments (RFC).
The company says this is a “community-first” effort. They’ve even published more technical details and background on their official blog.
How It Works
The implementation builds on Linux’s kexec infrastructure.
See also: Mastering the Linux Command Line — Your Complete Free Training Guide
Here’s the big idea:
- Multiple kernels can be loaded on the same machine.
- Each kernel gets its own CPU core assignments.
- They can communicate through a special IPI (Inter-Processor Interrupt) framework, sharing data when needed.
In other words, you can carve up a machine into multiple “mini-OS” instances — all running in parallel.
The Benefits
This multi-kernel setup offers some exciting advantages:
- Better fault isolation — if one kernel crashes, others can keep running.
- Improved security — workloads are separated at the kernel level, not just with containers or VMs.
- Efficient resource usage — potentially lighter than running full virtual machines like KVM or Xen.
- Kernel Hand-Over (KHO) — the ability to update the kernel with minimal downtime.
What’s Next
Some developers have experimented with similar ideas before, especially on x86 hardware. But pushing this beyond a proof-of-concept will be challenging.
Will the Linux kernel community embrace it?
That’s the big question.
If there’s enough interest, this could open the door to a new class of workloads where multiple kernels cooperate instead of competing.
For now, the patches are out there, the discussion has begun, and the Linux community is watching closely.
This is fascinating! The idea of multiple isolated kernels running on the same machine sounds incredibly powerful for security and performance, though I wonder how complex it will be to manage and implement in practice.