Sanos: A Core For Java-Based Appliances

Iman Habib writes "Sanos is a minimalistic 32-bit x86 OS kernel for jbox appliances. A jbox is a JavaOS server appliance running on standard PC hardware. This enables you to run Java server applications without the need to install a traditional host operating system like Windows or Linux. Only a standard Java HotSpot VM and the sanos kernel are needed. The kernel was developed as part of an experiment on investigating the feasibility of running Java server applications without a traditional operating system only using a simple kernel. The kernel implements basic operating system services like booting, memory management, thread scheduling, local and remote file systems, TCP/IP networking and DLL loading and linking. A thin win32 wrapper allows the Windows version of the standard HotSpot JVM to run under Sanos, essentially providing a JavaOS platform for server applications. This enables you to run java based server applications, like Tomcat and Jboss, under Sanos. Sanos is open source under a BSD-style license."

Why a new OS?

[Fished]

Why bother creating a whole new OS kernel for this? Why not just put together a Linux distribution, compile a statically linked JVM (if you can - do they still make the JDK source available?) and have nothing but a kernel and a jvm binary?

That would give you all the drivers for free, and you would have a stable and proven reliable operating system instead.

How about embedding a JVM into the Linux kernel?

[mnmn]

Or even running the JVM instead of init.

With a minimal kernel, this could be quite small.

Re:Sanos implementation

[mbogosian]

+1 Interesting? Did I miss something? How is some overweight naked amature a "good example of Sanos implementation together with the description of APIs and server-side architecture"?

I really hope this doesn't slip through on Meta-Moderation [slashdot.org]....

Re:Sanos implementation

[Anonymous Coward]

1) Why wasn't it interesting? Your disagreement would be apt, if the comment was modded as 'Insightful' or 'Funny', as the linked page is not. However, I personally found it interesting.

2) You've used the word 'overweight'. Now, judging from this example [pwgalleries.com] I would say your standards of slimness and thinness are rather high. That high, in fact, that there are maybe two or three hundred people who can fit it, and they are hunger victims or something. The girl is just fine, she's nowhere near over-weight.

I really hope this doesn't slip through on Meta-Moderation.....