Embedded Capability-Based Operating Systems

Embedded systems are commonly deployed in applications where reliability is critical to operations. More recently the interest in sensor networks has added a requirement for remote access, often over openly accessible or penetrable networks. This creates a need for a defensible embedded platform whose robustness is preserved in the face of external influences ranging from nuisance disruption to active compromise. The most appropriate software architecture for applications of this form is a system of software components, each of which communicates with other components through narrow, enforced interface boundaries using protocols that limit interactions. Capability-based systems were specifically conceived to support this type of system structure. AFCO Systems Development (ASD) will demonstrate that a capability-based operating system can be ported to an embedded system, and will deliver an exemplar critical commercial application using this platform. The Coyotos operating system, a successor to the EROS system cited in the solicitation has been selected for its combination of accumulated expertise and application flexibility. The team assembled to accomplish this effort has successfully completed a Phase I feasibility, and has subsequently been augmented to establish technical critical mass. The team is uniquely qualified to complete the Phase II effort because of its intimate knowledge of Coyotos and extended experience in designing embedded systems.