Gastkernel

Gastkernel is not a widely documented term in operating system literature. In existing sources it appears mainly as a speculative or fictional concept, and it may also be a misspelling of “guest kernel” in virtualization contexts. This article summarizes how the term is used in those discussions and what a gastkernel is imagined to entail.

In speculative descriptions, gastkernel is envisioned as a small, modular kernel designed to minimize the trusted computing base and to support secure inter-process communication. It is typically described as a microkernel or near-microkernel design, with many services implemented in user space rather than inside the kernel proper.

Core concepts associated with gastkernel include a memory manager, an inter-process communication mechanism, a scheduler, and a hardware abstraction layer. A capability-based security model is often mentioned as a means to tightly control access to resources. Device drivers and system services would generally run in user space, communicating with the kernel through defined IPC endpoints, which can improve isolation and portability at the cost of potential performance overhead.

Development status and scope: there is no formal specification or widely used implementation under the name gastkernel. References are limited to forum posts, speculative analyses, and blog discussions. Consequently, gastkernel is primarily discussed as a theoretical exercise in kernel design rather than a concrete, production-ready project.

See also: microkernel, exokernel, monolithic kernel, guest kernel, virtualization.