arXiv subjects

Dan O'Keeffe

Publications and source records attributed to Dan O'Keeffe.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

FlintKV: A Fast Durable Storage Engine for Modern Databases

Byte-addressable non-volatile memory (NVM) offers an opportunity to rethink storage engine architectures. While recent NVM key-value stores achieve high throughput for ingestion and point lookups, they omit or under-specify the support for the richer interface guarantees required by modern databases. Production key-value engines (e.g., RocksDB) provide point-in-time snapshots, consistent iterators, and atomic batches-features essential for implementing transactions and concurrency control. We present FlintKV, an NVM-optimized skiplist-based storage engine that natively supports the full API of production key-value stores. FlintKV supports both atomic batch writes and snapshot-consistent iteration efficiently while guaranteeing durable linearizability. FlintKV can be deployed standalone or its durable skiplist can be integrated into existing NVM stores to enhance their capabilities. Central to FlintKV is a novel flat-combining based concurrency control algorithm that leverages multi-versioning and carefully co-designed persistence mechanisms to ensure high performance and scalability. Our empirical evaluation shows that FlintKV can achieve up to a 75% improvement in end-to-end throughput over prior work.

cs.DC↗

arXiv2025

RustMC: Extending the GenMC stateless model checker to Rust

RustMC is a stateless model checker that enables verification of concurrent Rust programs. As both Rust and C/C++ compile to LLVM IR, RustMC builds on GenMC which provides a verification framework for LLVM IR. This enables the automatic verification of Rust code and any C/C++ dependencies. This tool paper presents the key challenges we addressed to extend GenMC. These challenges arise from Rust's unique compilation strategy and include intercepting threading operations, handling memory intrinsics and uninitialized accesses. Through case studies adapted from real-world programs, we demonstrate RustMC's effectiveness at finding concurrency bugs stemming from unsafe Rust code, FFI calls to C/C++, and incorrect use of atomic operations.

cs.PL↗

arXiv2024

Securing Monolithic Kernels using Compartmentalization

Monolithic operating systems, where all kernel functionality resides in a single, shared address space, are the foundation of most mainstream computer systems. However, a single flaw, even in a non-essential part of the kernel (e.g., device drivers), can cause the entire operating system to fall under an attacker's control. Kernel hardening techniques might prevent certain types of vulnerabilities, but they fail to address a fundamental weakness: the lack of intra-kernel security that safely isolates different parts of the kernel. We survey kernel compartmentalization techniques that define and enforce intra-kernel boundaries and propose a taxonomy that allows the community to compare and discuss future work. We also identify factors that complicate comparisons among compartmentalized systems, suggest new ways to compare future approaches with existing work meaningfully, and discuss emerging research directions.

cs.CR↗