Linux kernel update adds Rust language support and starts providing networking and async features
2 min readLinux kernel update adds Rust language support and starts providing networking and async features
Linux kernel update adds Rust language support and starts providing networking and async features
On an exciting Saturday morning, Miguel Ojeda released the latest patch series, historically bringing Rust language support into the Linux kernel.
The “Rust for the Linux kernel” patch, now in its sixth version, adds the necessary support for this second optional language and continues to add more sample code/basic functionality to demonstrate this memory-focused The use of safe languages in the kernel.
Meanwhile, the Rust for Linux effort continues, with many developers and organizations interested in seeing the ability to start using Rust code in the kernel, especially in areas prone to memory safety issues.
In the v6 patch released today, toolchain support has been updated for Rust 1.60, with support for running documentation tests in the kernel, and other Rust infrastructure improvements.
Speaking of Rust code being used in the kernel, the start of networking support can be seen in this patch series. net” module supports Namespace, SkBuff, Ipv4Addr, SocketAddrV4, TcpListener, etc. types. There is also “async” which starts to support asynchronous kernel programming.
The current state is already working on allowing asynchronous TCP socket code.
The new Rust code also adds Support for network packet filters and other new features.
From this Rust for Linux v6 series, Rust support is still considered “experimental”, but is performing well enough that kernel developers can start developing Rust abstractions for other kernel subsystems if needed, and add more The driver is ported to Rust.
For more details on the updated Rust code for the Linux kernel, see this patch series:
https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/ 20220507052451.12890-1-ojeda@kernel.org/
The current Rust kernel effort reaches 379,000 lines of code, including the low-level, subsystem abstractions started so far, sample code, and converting some Android and GPIO driver code to Rust as additional examples.
