Skip to content

ROADMAP.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
142 lines (104 loc) · 4.93 KB

ROADMAP.md

File metadata and controls

142 lines (104 loc) · 4.93 KB

Research Roadmap — Rust in the Linux Kernel

Last Updated: January 2026

This roadmap outlines the research phases for understanding and documenting Rust's integration into the Linux kernel. The project spans from foundational knowledge through advanced analysis and future planning.

Current Status

  • ✅ Phase 1-2: Completed - Foundation and history documented
  • ✅ Phase 3-4: Completed - Technical integration and toolchain documented
  • 🔄 Phase 5: Ongoing - Continuous updates with kernel releases
  • 🆕 Phase 6: Active - Real-world impact analysis and case studies

Phase 1 — Foundations (Week 1–2) ✅ Completed

  • ✅ Read and summarize motivation & goals (docs/01-intro-and-motivation.md).
  • ✅ Build a timeline of key discussions and milestones (docs/02-history.md).
  • ✅ Understand the security implications and memory safety benefits

Phase 2 — Technical Integration (Week 3–4) ✅ Completed

  • ✅ Kbuild integration, supported subsystems, Rust↔C FFI (docs/03-technical-overview.md).
  • ✅ Toolchain matrix and reproducible build notes (docs/04-toolchain-and-deps.md).
  • ✅ Document the build system and compiler requirements

Phase 3 — Contribution & Practice (Week 5–6) ✅ Completed

  • ✅ Env setup for Rust-in-kernel builds; sample Rust driver skeleton (docs/05-dev-and-contrib.md)
  • ✅ Create example code snippets (research/snippets/)
  • ✅ Document contribution guidelines and pathways

Phase 4 — Analysis (Week 7) ✅ Completed

  • ✅ Challenges, performance, code size, community debates (docs/06-challenges-and-limits.md).
  • ✅ Analyze adoption barriers and technical limitations
  • ✅ Document community feedback and concerns

Phase 5 — Futures & Ongoing Updates (Week 8+) 🔄 Ongoing

  • ✅ Forecast and research questions (docs/07-future-directions.md).
  • ✅ Curated links and primary sources (docs/08-resources.md).
  • 🔄 Track kernel releases (6.11, 6.12, 6.13+)
  • 🔄 Monitor new subsystem support
  • 🔄 Update timeline with major milestones

Phase 6 — Real-World Impact (2026+) 🆕 Active

  • 🔄 Collect empirical data on security improvements
  • 🔄 Analyze production driver implementations
  • 🔄 Document enterprise adoption stories
  • 📋 Interview kernel maintainers and Rust developers
  • 📋 Performance benchmarking and comparison studies
  • 📋 Track academic research and publications

Research Areas

Technical Deep Dives

  • Memory allocator integration patterns
  • Lock-free data structure implementations
  • DMA and hardware interaction safety
  • Interrupt handler patterns in Rust
  • Error propagation mechanisms

Community & Process

  • Contribution workflow analysis
  • Code review process for Rust patches
  • Community growth metrics
  • Learning resources effectiveness
  • Maintainer perspectives and experiences

Performance & Optimization

  • Compile time impact analysis
  • Runtime performance comparisons
  • Code size measurements
  • Optimization opportunities unique to Rust
  • Cache behavior and memory layout

Security Analysis

  • CVE rate comparison: Rust vs C modules
  • Unsafe code audit methodology
  • Formal verification attempts
  • Attack surface analysis
  • Security certification paths

Contribution Opportunities

Documentation Enhancements

  • Expand code examples in research/snippets/
  • Add more academic references in research/references/
  • Create tutorial series for common patterns
  • Document real-world driver case studies
  • Translate documentation to other languages

Research Tasks

  • Analyze Linux kernel mailing list for Rust discussions
  • Compile statistics on Rust adoption by subsystem
  • Survey kernel developers about Rust experience
  • Benchmark Rust vs C driver implementations
  • Study long-term maintenance implications

Code Examples

  • Platform device driver templates
  • Character device implementations
  • Network driver patterns
  • Filesystem operation examples
  • Synchronization primitive usage

Timeline Tracking

2026 Goals

Q1: Update all documentation with latest kernel releases Q2: Add comprehensive code snippet library
Q3: Complete academic reference collection Q4: Publish research findings and analysis

Long-term Vision (2027+)

  • Establish as authoritative Rust-for-Linux knowledge base
  • Partner with academic institutions for formal research
  • Create interactive learning platform
  • Develop tooling for analyzing kernel Rust code
  • Contribute findings back to kernel community

Using the Roadmap

  • For Contributors: Pick tasks from any phase that interests you
  • For Researchers: Use as a guide for structured learning
  • For Maintainers: Track project progress and identify gaps
  • Labels: Use GitHub issue labels phase:1 through phase:6, research, documentation, code-examples

Questions or Suggestions?

Open an issue or discussion to propose new research directions or improvements to the roadmap.