To truly understand how operating systems and network protocols work, I decided to combine two classic learning tools: the xv6 teaching OS and a from-scratch TCP/IP stack.
I'm excited to share the result: my own from-scratch TCP/IP networking stack running directly inside the xv6-riscv (https://github.com/pandax381/xv6-riscv-net) kernel.
The project uses a modern virtio-net driver, allowing it to run seamlessly in QEMU and communicate with the host machine.
Key features:
- From-Scratch Stack: The core is powered by microps (https://github.com/pandax381/microps), a TCP/IP stack I originally wrote to run in user-space as a personal project to learn the low-level details of networking.
- Kernel Integration: This project ports microps from user-space into the xv6-riscv kernel.
- Socket API: Implements standard system calls (socket, bind, accept, etc.) to enable network application development.
- User-level Tools: Comes with a simple ifconfig command, plus tcpecho and udpecho servers to demonstrate its capabilities.
This has been a fantastic learning experience. My goal was to demystify the magic behind network-aware operating systems by building the components myself.
I'd love to hear your feedback and answer any questions!