Namespaces from Outer Space

Process-Specific Namespaces

In Morinaga OS, processes can create their own namespaces, allowing for isolated environments and secure resource access. This is achieved by linking processes with tags, enabling controlled inter-process communication.

Implementation in Morinaga OS

Utilizing Linux Namespaces

Leverage existing Linux namespaces:

• Mount Namespace: Isolate file system views.
• IPC Namespace: Separate inter-process communication channels.
• PID Namespace: Provide independent process trees.

Creating Namespaces per Process

Use the unshare system call or command:

unshare --mount --ipc --pid --fork /bin/bash

Within the new namespace, processes can only access resources tagged accordingly.

Secure Tag Linking

Implement policies to control which tags a process can access:

1. Authentication: Verify process credentials before granting access.
2. Capability Checks: Use Linux capabilities to enforce permissions.
3. Audit Trails: Log access attempts for security monitoring.

Benefits

• Security: Prevent unauthorized access to resources.
• Flexibility: Customize environments for different applications.
• Isolation: Reduce interference between processes.

Example: Setting Up a Process Namespace

// Example in C
#include <sched.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    if(unshare(CLONE_NEWNS | CLONE_NEWPID | CLONE_NEWIPC) == -1) {
        perror("unshare");
        return 1;
    }
    pid_t pid = fork();
    if(pid == 0) {
        // Child process in new namespace
        // Execute process-specific initialization
        execlp("/bin/bash", "/bin/bash", NULL);
    } else {
        // Parent process
        waitpid(pid, NULL, 0);
    }
    return 0;
}

This code creates a new namespace and launches a shell within it.