Tock: From Research to Securing 10 Million Computers

Abstract

Tock 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.