Rump Kernels

"Rump kernels enable you to build the software stack you need without forcing you to reinvent the wheels. The key observation is that a software stack needs driver-like components which are conventionally tightly-knit into operating systems — even if you do not desire the limitations and infrastructure overhead of a given OS, you do need drivers.

We solve the problem by providing free, reusable, componentized, kernel quality drivers such as file systems, POSIX system calls, PCI device drivers and TCP/IP and SCSI protocol stacks. For examples of what you can achieve with rump kernels, see the repositories we provide. There is also a wiki page for 3rd party projects using rump kernels.

The article Rise and Fall of the Operating System provides an extended high-level motivation for rump kernels. The book Design and Implementation of the Anykernel and Rump Kernels gives a technical description of the fundamental operating principles and terminology. Further information is available on the wiki or interactively via the community. You can also hire consultants for commercial support."

http://rumpkernel.org/

http://unikernel.org/projects/