Tock: From Research to Securing 10 Million Computers
This paper analyzes the impact of Tock's secure technical design, built using Rust and hardware protection, on its successful transition from academic research to a widely adopted, production-grade open-source operating system.
Abstract
More Like ThisTock began 10 years ago as a research operating system developed by academics to help other academics build urban sensing applications. By leveraging a new language (Rust) and new hardware protection mechanisms, Tock enabled Multiprogramming a 64 kB Computer Safely and Efficiently. Today, it is an open source project with a vibrant community of users and contributors. It is deployed on root of trust hardware in data center servers and on millions of laptops; it is used to develop automotive and space products, wearable electronics, and hardware security tokens--all while remaining a platform for operating systems research. This paper focuses on the impact of Tock's technical design on its adoption, the challenges and unexpected benefits of using a type safe language (Rust)--particularly in security sensitive settings--and the experience of supporting a production open4source operating system from academia.