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xv6

{{Short description|Modern reimplementation of Sixth Edition Unix}}

{{Lowercase title}}

{{Infobox OS

| name = xv6

| logo =

| screenshot = Xv6 LS Command Output.png

| caption = xv6 startup, and using the "ls" command

| developer = MIT

| family = Unix-like

| released =

| language = English

| ui = Command-line interface

| license = MIT license

| website = {{URL|https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.1810/2024/xv6.html}}

| source_model = Open source

| kernel_type = Monolithic

| supported_platforms = multiprocessor Intel x86 and RISC-V

| latest_release_version = {{multiple releases

| branch1 = RISC-V:

| version1 = rev4

| date1 = {{Start date and age|2024|08|31}}

| branch2 = x86 (EOL):

| version2 = rev11

| date2 = {{Start date and age|2018|09|02}}

}}

| marketing_target =

| programmed_in = C and assembly

| prog_language =

| updatemodel =

| package_manager =

| working_state =

}}

xv6 is a modern reimplementation of Sixth Edition Unix in ANSI C for multiprocessor x86 and RISC-V systems. It was created for educational purposes in MIT's Operating System Engineering course in 2006.{{cite web

| url = https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.1810/2024/

| title = Xv6, a simple Unix-like teaching operating system

| quote = Xv6 is a teaching operating system developed in the summer of 2006

| access-date = 2025-05-06

}}

Purpose

MIT's Operating System Engineering course formerly used the original V6 source code. xv6 was created as a modern replacement, because PDP-11 machines are not widely available and the original operating system was written in archaic pre-ANSI C. Unlike Linux or BSD, xv6 is simple enough to cover in a semester, yet still contains the important concepts and organization of Unix.

Self-documentation

One feature of the Makefile for xv6 is the option to produce a PDF of the entire source code listing in a readable format. The entire printout is only 99 pages, including cross references.{{cite web

| url = https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.828/2018/xv6/xv6-rev11.pdf

| title = xv6 source listing (x86 only, not available for RISC-V)

| format = pdf

| access-date = 2018-01-10

}} This is reminiscent of the original V6 source code, which was published in a similar form in Lions' Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition, with Source Code.

Educational use

xv6 has been used in operating systems courses at many universities, including:

  • Adolfo Ibanez University
  • University of the Andes (Colombia)
  • Ben-Gurion University{{cite web | url = http://www.cs.bgu.ac.il/~os122/Main | title = Operating Systems – 2012/Spring – Main | access-date = 2012-03-26 }}
  • Binghamton University
  • Boston College
  • CentraleSupélec
  • Columbia University{{cite web | url = https://www.cs.columbia.edu/~junfeng/13fa-w4118/index.html | title = COMS W4118: Operating Systems I, Fall 2013 | access-date = 2013-09-09 }}
  • Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute{{cite web | url = https://giki.edu.pk/ | title = Operating Systems, Fall 2022 | access-date = 2022-12-09 }}
  • Federico Santa María Technical University
  • George Washington University{{cite web | url = https://www2.seas.gwu.edu/~gparmer/classes/2018-08-01-Operating-Systems.html | title = CSCI 3411 – Operating Systems, Fall 2018 | access-date = 2018-09-27}}
  • Nile University{{cite web | url = http://www.nu.edu.eg/ | title = ECEN427 - Operating Systems, Fall 2023 | access-date = 2023-09-27}}
  • Georgia Tech{{Cite web|title=General Information — CS-3210, Fall 2017 1 documentation|url=https://cs3210.cc.gatech.edu/info.html|access-date=2019-06-21|website=cs3210.cc.gatech.edu}}
  • IIIT Allahabad
  • IIT Bhubaneswar and PEC Chandigarh
  • IIT Bombay{{Cite web|title=Lecture Notes on Operating Systems|url=https://www.cse.iitb.ac.in/~mythili/os/|access-date=2020-09-28|website=www.cse.iitb.ac.in}}
  • IIT Delhi
  • IIT Madras
  • IIIT Delhi
  • IIIT Bangalore
  • IIIT Hyderabad
  • Iran University of Science and Technology{{Cite web|title=iust os|url=http://os-course.github.io/fall19/|access-date=2020-11-14|website=os-course.github.io}}
  • Johns Hopkins University{{cite web | url = http://gaming.jhu.edu/~phf/2015/fall/cs318/ | title = 600.318/418: Operating Systems | access-date = 2015-11-07 }}
  • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology{{cite web | url = https://os.itec.kit.edu/3942.php | title = Basispraktikum Betriebssystementwicklung, ST 2024 | access-date = 2024-11-13}}
  • Linnaeus University{{cite web | url = https://coursepress.lnu.se/kurs/operativsystem/ | title = 1DV201: Operating system | access-date = 2013-03-14 }}
  • Milwaukee School of Engineering
  • Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad
  • National Taiwan University{{cite web |title=課程大綱 |url=https://nol.ntu.edu.tw/nol/coursesearch/print_table.php?course_id=902%2036700&class=01&dpt_code=9020&ser_no=86710&semester=109-2}}
  • National University of Córdoba{{cite web | url = http://www.famaf.proed.unc.edu.ar/course/view.php?id=171 | title = SistOp14: Operating Systems | access-date = 2015-08-06 }}
  • National University of Río Cuarto{{cite web | url = http://dc.exa.unrc.edu.ar/moodle/course/view.php?id=4 | title = Operating Systems | access-date = 2015-08-06 }}
  • New York University
  • Northeastern University{{cite web | url = http://www.ccs.neu.edu/course/cs3650/ | title = CS 3650: Computer Systems, Fall 2014 | access-date = 2014-12-09 }}
  • Northwestern University{{cite web | url = http://www.aqualab.cs.northwestern.edu/class/333-eecs343-xv6 | title = EECS 343: Operating System, Fall 2016–17 | access-date = 2018-11-11}}
  • Portland State University{{cite web | url = https://www.pdx.edu/computer-science/cs333 | title = CS 333 Introduction to Operating Systems | access-date = 2018-04-10 }}
  • Rutgers University{{cite web | url = http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/~iftode/cs416_2008.html | title = 01:198:416: Operating Systems Design | access-date = 2010-02-05 }}
  • Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava{{Cite web|url=https://uim.fei.stuba.sk/predmet/b-os/|title=Operačné systémy|website=UIM|language=sk-SK|access-date=2019-10-28}}
  • Southern Adventist University{{cite web | url = http://www.southern.edu/academics/academic-sites/computing/ | title = School of Computing at Southern Adventist University | access-date = 2017-12-10}}
  • Stony Brook University{{Cite web|title=CSE 306 -- Course Information|url=https://bsd7.cs.stonybrook.edu/~cse306/syllabus.html|access-date=2021-04-14}}
  • Technion – Israel Institute of Technology{{cite web | url = https://moodle.technion.ac.il/course/view.php?id=642 | title = 094210 Computer Organization and Operating System, Spring 2020 | access-date = 2020-05-14}}
  • Télécom SudParis{{cite web | url = https://www-inf.telecom-sudparis.eu/COURS/CSC4508/Supports/ | title = CSC 4508 - Operating Systems | access-date = 2024-06-26}}
  • Tsinghua University{{cite web | url = http://os.cs.tsinghua.edu.cn/oscourse | title = FrontPage – OS Teaching Wiki | access-date = 2010-03-18 }}
  • Federal University of Minas Gerais{{cite web | url = http://homepages.dcc.ufmg.br/~cunha/teaching/20132/os.html | title = DCC605: Sistemas Operacionais | access-date = 2015-11-16}}
  • University College Dublin{{cite web | url = https://hub.ucd.ie/usis/!W_HU_MENU.P_PUBLISH?p_tag=MODULE&MODULE=COMP20180 | title = COMP20180 Intro to Operating Systems | access-date = 2023-04-04}}
  • University of Belgrade School of Electrical Engineering{{cite web | url = http://os.etf.bg.ac.rs/OS2/projekat/ | title = Operativni sistemi 2 - Projektni zadatak | language = sr-RS | access-date = 2021-11-20 | quote = Zadatak studenta je da izmeni deo operativnog sistem xv6 tako da podrži raspoređivače čije je opis dat u ovom projektu. | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200922143449/http://os.etf.bg.ac.rs/OS2/projekat/ | archive-date = September 22, 2020 }}
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of California, Riverside{{cite web | url = http://www.cs.ucr.edu/~heng/teaching/cs202-fall17/ | title = CS 202: Advanced Operating System | access-date = 2017-12-02 }}
  • University of Delaware{{cite web | url = https://www.eecis.udel.edu/~cshen/361/ | title = CISC361: Operating Systems | access-date = 2025-03-31 }}
  • University of Hyderabad
  • University of Illinois at Chicago{{cite web | url = http://www.cs.uic.edu/CS385 | title = CS385 – Operating Systems Concepts and Design | access-date = 2015-03-18 }}
  • University of Leeds{{Cite web|title=Module and Programme Catalogue|url=http://webprod3.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/dynmodules.asp?Y=201718&M=COMP-2211|access-date=2020-10-14|website=webprod3.leeds.ac.uk}}
  • University of Modena and Reggio Emilia{{cite web | url = http://www.ingmo.unimore.it/site/home/didattica/insegnamento.html?P0_cds_cod=20-262&P0_aa_ord_id=2009&P0_pds_cod=20-262-1&P0_aa_off_id=2017&P0_lang=ita&P0_ad_cod=IIM-36&P0_aa_corso=1&P0_fac_id=10005&P0_coorte=2017&P0_pagpre=880010930 | title = Progettazione di Sistemi Operativi |access-date= 2017-10-09 }}
  • University of Otago{{cite web | url = http://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/cosc440/ | title = COSC440: Advanced Operating system | access-date = 2015-07-14 }}
  • University of Palermo{{cite web | url = https://classroom.google.com/c/MjQyMjM4ODM5 | title = Sistemi Operativi |access-date= 2015-10-18 }}
  • University of Pittsburgh{{Cite web|title=CS 1550 Introduction to Operating Systems (COE 1550) -Fall 2020|url=https://people.cs.pitt.edu/~skhattab/cs1550/|access-date=2020-09-28|website=people.cs.pitt.edu}}
  • University of Strasbourg{{cite web | title= Conception des Systèmes d'Exploitation | url=https://mathinfo.unistra.fr/formations/master/master-informatique/odf-parcours-science-et-ingenierie-des-reseaux-de-linternet-et-des-systemes-siris-PR12-18105/odf-cours-EN655-18105-PR12/}}
  • University of South Florida{{cite web | url= https://cse.usf.edu/~lohall/cop6611/ | title = COP6611 Operating Systems - Fall 2023}}
  • University of Tehran{{cite web | url = https://cecm.ut.ac.ir/course/view.php?id=2475 | title = Operating Systems instructed by Dr. Mehdi Kargahi }}
  • University of Texas at Austin{{Cite web |title=Master’s in Computer Science {{!}} Computer & Data Science Online |url=https://cdso.utexas.edu/mscs |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=cdso.utexas.edu}}
  • University of Utah{{cite web | url = https://utah.instructure.com/courses/272234 | title = CS 6460: Operating Systems | access-date = 2014-01-20 }}{{cite web | url = http://blog.regehr.org/archives/1114 | title = Embedded in Academia : Xv6 | access-date = 2014-04-08 }}
  • University of Virginia{{cite web | url = https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~cr4bd/4414/S2022/xv6intro.html | title = CS4414: XV6 introduction | access-date = 2022-02-27}}
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison{{cite web | url = http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/Classes/537/Fall2011/ | title = CS-537: Introduction to Operating Systems | access-date = 2011-11-04 }}
  • University of Kassel
  • Yale University{{cite web | url = http://zoo.cs.yale.edu/classes/cs422/2010/info | title = CS422/522: Operating Systems, Spring 2010 — Overview | access-date = 2010-02-05 }}

See also

{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.828/ 6.1810: Operating Systems Engineering]

RISC-V:

  • [https://github.com/mit-pdos/xv6-riscv xv6 source code]
  • [https://github.com/mit-pdos/xv6-riscv-book xv6 book source code]
  • [https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.828/2024/xv6/book-riscv-rev4.pdf xv6: a simple, Unix-like teaching operating system], xv6 book rev4.

x86 (unmaintained):

  • [https://github.com/mit-pdos/xv6-public xv6 source code]
  • [https://github.com/mit-pdos/xv6-book xv6 book source code]
  • [https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.828/2018/xv6/book-rev11.pdf xv6: a simple, Unix-like teaching operating system], xv6 book rev11.
  • [https://pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.828/2018/xv6/xv6-rev11.pdf Printable version of the xv6 source code], rev11.

{{FLOSS}}

{{unix-like}}

Category:Educational operating systems

Category:Free software operating systems

Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology software

Category:Software using the MIT license

Category:Unix variants

Category:X86 operating systems