Intel Publishes Linux Kernel Library LKL For Re-Using Kernel Code In POSIX & Windows App

Octavian Purdila of Intel has announced today the Linux Kernel Library, a.k.a. LKL, for re-using kernel code more easily in user-space.

Purdila announced:

LKL (Linux Kernel Library) is aiming to allow reusing the Linux kernel code as extensively as possible with minimal effort and reduced maintenance overhead.

Examples of how LKL can be used are: creating userspace applications (running on Linux and other operating systems) that can read or write Linux filesystems or can use the Linux networking stack, creating kernel drivers for other operating systems that can read Linux filesystems, bootloaders support for reading/writing Linux filesystems, etc.

With LKL, the kernel code is compiled into an object file that can be directly linked by applications. The API offered by LKL is based on the Linux system call interface.

LKL is implemented as an architecture port in arch/lkl. It relies on host operations defined by the application or a host library (tools/lkl/lib).

Linux Kernel Library is different from UML (User Mode Linux) as well as the LibOS Library Operating System, Octavian explains in the set of 28 patches implementing LKL. LKL is able to support POSIX and Windows user-space programs.

In total this current LKL implementation is just over 5,000 lines of new kernel code.