Technology
Multikernel Technologies Releases First Public Linux Tree to Run Multiple Kernels on Bare Metal
The mklinux v7.0-mk2 release allows independent Linux kernels to run side by side without a hypervisor.
The short version
- Multikernel Technologies has released mklinux v7.0-mk2, allowing a single bare-metal server to run multiple independent Linux kernels side-by-side without a hypervisor.
- The software assigns dedicated CPU, memory, and PCI resources to each kernel instance using Linux's kexec mechanism.
- The initial release supports x86_64 architecture, with commercial offerings targeting live-patching and direct-GPU access for AI agents.
Key facts
- Multikernel Technologies published mklinux v7.0-mk2, its initial public multikernel Linux release.[Slashdot]
- The setup operates by running a host kernel that partitions hardware and uses the kexec mechanism to boot additional native kernels with dedicated CPU and memory allocations.[Slashdot]
- Resource allocation across active instances is managed by the host kernel via device tree overlays in /sys/fs/multikernel/.[Slashdot]
- The release currently supports x86_64 hardware platforms only.[Slashdot]
- Multikernel Technologies is selling commercial tools built on the architecture, including live kernel patching and AI agent execution with direct GPU access.[Slashdot]
What remains uncertain
- The timeframe for expanding support to hardware architectures beyond x86_64 remains unspecified, though the company claims the codebase is modular enough for future ports.[Slashdot]