Cloud-Native Database Systems and Unikernels: Reimagining OS Abstractions for Modern Hardware

This paper explores the intersection of operating systems and database systems, focusing on the potential of specialized kernels for cloud-native database systems. Although the idea of custom, DBMS-optimized OS kernels is old, it is largely unrealized due to the demands of hardware compatibility and the reluctance of users to install specialized operating systems. However, the cloud and the database-as-a-service model make custom OS kernels realistic for the first time. Among specialized OS kernel architectures, unikernels stand out for relying on a single address space, eliminating the need for costly process isolation that is provided by general-purpose operating systems. They offer benefits such as the elimination of system call overhead, direct access to hardware, and reduced complexity. Beyond these immediate advantages, unikernels offer a unique opportunity: the possibility to revisit dated POSIX APIs. By allowing direct interaction with modern hardware primitives, unikernels pave the way for the development of novel abstractions that are not confined to the limitations of older APIs, opening doors to a new era of co-designed, high-performance cloud-native data processing systems and OS kernels.