Glossary

Microkernel

A kernel design that keeps only the most fundamental mechanisms and moves as many other system functions as possible into user-space services.

Message passing

A mechanism in which components cooperate through explicit messages; it is a key connective pattern in the MINIX 3 architecture.

System server

A user-space system process that handles core responsibilities such as process management, virtual memory, and the file system.

User-space driver

A device driver that runs in user space instead of kernel space.

RS

Short for Reincarnation Server, which monitors and, when necessary, restarts critical system services.

PM

Short for Process Manager, responsible for process-lifecycle duties.

VM

Short for Virtual Memory, responsible for address-space and virtual-memory duties.

VFS

Short for Virtual File System, which provides a unified entry point for file-system operations.

Fault isolation

Keeping the effect of an error inside a smaller boundary so that one component failure does not spread into a whole-system failure.

Least privilege

Granting a component only the minimum permissions needed to do its job, reducing the scope of damage from bugs and attacks.