NOVA Microhypervisor

The NOVA OS Virtualization Architecture is a research project aimed at constructing a secure virtualization environment with a small trusted computing base. NOVA consists of a microhypervisor and an unprivileged multi-server user environment running on top of it.

Like third-generation microkernels, the NOVA microhypervisor uses a capability-based authorization model and provides only basic mechanisms for virtualization, spatial and temporal separation, scheduling, communication and delegation of platform resources. The disaggregated user environment implements additional functionality, such as device drivers, system services and policies. On machines with hardware virtualization features, NOVA can run multiple unmodified guest operating systems concurrently. Each VM has its own associated virtual-machine monitor (VMM) that runs as an unprivileged user application on top of the microhypervisor.

Supported Platforms

NOVA runs in 32-bit mode on x86 machines. SMP is supported, but not required.
A platform with Intel VT-x or AMD-V is required for running guest operating systems in VMs. Otherwise, only the user environment is supported.

Download

The source code of the NOVA microhypervisor is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2.

NOVA Microhypervisor 0.2 prerelease

Publications

U. Steinberg, B. Kauer
NOVA: A Microhypervisor-Based Secure Virtualization Architecture
Eurosys 2010
U. Steinberg, B. Kauer
Towards a Scalable Multiprocessor User-Level Environment
IIDS 2010
U. Steinberg, A. Böttcher, B. Kauer
Timeslice Donation in Component-Based Systems
OSPERT 2010
U. Steinberg, B. Kauer
NOVA: Virtualization with a Small Trusted Computing Base
OSDI 2008 Poster Session
B. Kauer, U. Steinberg, J. Stecklina
Rapid I/O: Improving the Efficiency of I/O Virtualization
Eurosys 2010 Poster Session

Homepage of Udo Steinberg