Genode OS Framework version 13.02 released Mar 11, 2013

Among the many improvements of version 13.02 are the use of IOMMUs, vastly enhanced x86-virtualization support, and a new audio interface.

During the release cycle for version 13.02, the Genode project focused its attention on improving the base platforms of the framework. In particular, we addressed the use of Genode combined with the NOVA hypervisor. Even though Genode used to support this kernel since the beginning of 2010, most of NOVA's unique properties remained largely unused. This changes with the current version, which facilitates the use of NOVA's modern kernel features such as IOMMUs and virtualization support. Feature-wise, NOVA has become Genode's most sophisticated base platform for x86-based hardware.

Besides the x86 architecture, Genode 13.02 improves the support for ARM-based hardware. By using our custom kernel platform, the framework has become able to run on ARM Cortex-A15 CPUs such as the Samsung Exynos 5250 SoC. In the course of this work, we also enabled the Fiasco.OC kernel for this hardware platform.

With regard to functional additions, the most prominent improvements are a new audio interface designed from the ground up to accommodate streamed audio along with sporadic sounds. As another significant functional addition, the file-system interface has been enhanced with a new notification mechanism that allows clients to respond to file or directory changes and thereby clears the way for new sophisticated dynamic usage scenarios.

Those and many more topics are covered in full detail in the release notes of version 13.02...