FAQ

General Questions

What is VEKOS?

VEKOS (Verified Experimental Kernel Operating System) is an experimental operating system written in Rust that focuses on verification and security at its core. It implements cryptographic verification for filesystem and memory operations using a proof system.

What makes VEKOS different from other operating systems?

VEKOS's primary distinction is its integrated verification system that cryptographically verifies every filesystem and memory operation. This approach provides stronger security guarantees and helps prevent unauthorized changes or corruption. Additionally, it's written in Rust, which provides memory safety without a garbage collector.

What stage of development is VEKOS in?

VEKOS is currently in alpha stage (version 0.0.1). It demonstrates core functionality but should not be used in production environments. It's an experimental system focused on exploring verification techniques in operating system design.

Can I use VEKOS for production systems?

I do not reccomend to use the OS in its current state for production enviroments. VEKOS is an experimental research operating system and is not intended for production use. It lacks many features necessary for production deployments and has not undergone the rigorous testing required for such environments.

 

Technical Details

What architecture does VEKOS support?

Currently, VEKOS only supports the x86_64 architecture.

What is the verification system in VEKOS?

VEKOS implements a cryptographic proof system where operations that modify the state of the filesystem or memory generate cryptographic proofs. These proofs include cryptographic hashes of the previous and new states, and are signed using the system's verification key. The system can verify these proofs to ensure that only authorized and properly executed operations have occurred.

How does the proof system work?

The system maintains a chain of cryptographic proofs for operations. Each proof contains:

  • The previous state hash
  • The new state hash after the operation
  • A signature validating the transition
  • Operation-specific data

This allows verification of the entire chain of operations from system boot to the current state, ensuring integrity.

What kind of filesystem does VEKOS use?

VEKOS uses its own custom filesystem called VKFS (Verified Kernel File System) which incorporates Merkle tree verification for directory structures and maintains cryptographic proofs for all operations. Current version is 0.0.1.

What memory management features does VEKOS have?

VEKOS implements:

  • A buddy allocator system
  • Memory zones (DMA, Normal, HighMem)
  • Copy-On-Write (COW) support
  • Page table management
  • Memory pressure handling

Does VEKOS support multitasking?

Yes, VEKOS has basic process management with a simple scheduler, process creation/termination, signal handling, and process groups.