Xv6

xv6
xv6 startup, and using the " ls " command
Developer	MIT
Written in	C and assembly
OS family	Unix-like
Source model	Open source
Latest release	RISC-V: rev5 / September 2, 2025;15 days ago (2025-09-02) x86-32 (EOL): rev11 / September 2, 2018;7 years ago (2018-09-02) x86-64: rev1 / September 1, 2025;16 days ago (2025-09-01)
Available in	English
Supported platforms	multiprocessor Intel x86 and RISC-V
Kernel type	Monolithic
Default user interface	Command-line interface
License	MIT license
Official website	pdos.csail.mit.edu/6.1810/2024/xv6.html

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. ^[1]

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. ^[1]

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. ^[2] 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 ^[3]
• Binghamton University
• Boston College
• CentraleSupélec
• Columbia University ^[4]
• Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute ^[5]
• Federico Santa María Technical University
• George Washington University ^[6]
• Nile University ^[7]
• Georgia Tech ^[8]
• IIIT Allahabad
• IIT Bhubaneswar and PEC Chandigarh
• IIT Bombay ^[9]
• IIT Delhi
• IIT Madras
• IIT Gandhinagar
• IIIT Delhi
• IIIT Bangalore
• IIIT Hyderabad
• Iran University of Science and Technology ^[10]
• Johns Hopkins University ^[11]
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology ^[12]
• Linnaeus University ^[13]
• Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad
• National Taiwan University ^[14]
• National University of Córdoba ^[15]
• National University of Río Cuarto ^[16]
• New York University
• Northeastern University ^[17]
• Northwestern University ^[18]
• Portland State University ^[19]
• Rutgers University ^[20]
• Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava ^[21]
• Southern Adventist University ^[22]
• Stony Brook University ^[23]
• Technion – Israel Institute of Technology ^[24]
• Télécom SudParis ^[25]
• Tsinghua University ^[26]
• Federal University of Minas Gerais ^[27]
• University College Dublin ^[28]
• University of Belgrade School of Electrical Engineering ^[29]
• University of California, Irvine
• University of California, Riverside ^[30]
• University of Delaware ^[31]
• University of Hyderabad
• University of Illinois at Chicago ^[32]
• University of Leeds ^[33]
• University of Modena and Reggio Emilia ^[34]
• University of Otago ^[35]
• University of Palermo ^[36]
• University of Pittsburgh ^[37]
• University of Strasbourg ^[38]
• University of South Florida ^[39]
• University of Tehran ^[40]
• University of Texas at Austin ^[41]
• University of Utah ^{[42] [43]}
• University of Virginia ^[44]
• University of Wisconsin–Madison ^[45]
• University of Kassel
• Yale University ^[46]

See also

• Free and open-source software portal

• Pintos
• Not Another Completely Heuristic Operating System (Nachos)
• Minix
• Xinu

References

1. "Xv6, a simple Unix-like teaching operating system" . Retrieved 2025-05-06. Xv6 is a teaching operating system developed in the summer of 2006
2. "xv6 source listing (x86 only, not available for RISC-V)" (pdf). Retrieved 2018-01-10.
3. "Operating Systems – 2012/Spring – Main" . Retrieved 2012-03-26.
4. "COMS W4118: Operating Systems I, Fall 2013" . Retrieved 2013-09-09.
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6. "CSCI 3411 – Operating Systems, Fall 2018" . Retrieved 2018-09-27.
7. "ECEN427 - Operating Systems, Fall 2023" . Retrieved 2023-09-27.
8. "General Information — CS-3210, Fall 2017 1 documentation". cs3210.cc.gatech.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
9. "Lecture Notes on Operating Systems". www.cse.iitb.ac.in. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
10. "iust os". os-course.github.io. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
11. "600.318/418: Operating Systems". Archived from the original on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
12. "Basispraktikum Betriebssystementwicklung, ST 2024". Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
13. "1DV201: Operating system" . Retrieved 2013-03-14.
14. "課程大綱".
15. "SistOp14: Operating Systems" . Retrieved 2015-08-06.
16. "Operating Systems" . Retrieved 2015-08-06.
17. "CS 3650: Computer Systems, Fall 2014" . Retrieved 2014-12-09.
18. "EECS 343: Operating System, Fall 2016–17". Archived from the original on 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
19. "CS 333 Introduction to Operating Systems". Archived from the original on 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
20. "01:198:416: Operating Systems Design". Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
21. "Operačné systémy". UIM (in Slovak). Retrieved 2019-10-28.
22. "School of Computing at Southern Adventist University". Archived from the original on 2018-10-20. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
23. "CSE 306 -- Course Information" . Retrieved 2021-04-14.
24. "094210 Computer Organization and Operating System, Spring 2020" . Retrieved 2020-05-14.
25. "CSC 4508 - Operating Systems" . Retrieved 2024-06-26.
26. "FrontPage – OS Teaching Wiki" . Retrieved 2010-03-18.
27. "DCC605: Sistemas Operacionais" . Retrieved 2015-11-16.
28. "COMP20180 Intro to Operating Systems" . Retrieved 2023-04-04.
29. "Operativni sistemi 2 - Projektni zadatak" (in Serbian). Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-20. Zadatak studenta je da izmeni deo operativnog sistem xv6 tako da podrži raspoređivače čije je opis dat u ovom projektu.
30. "CS 202: Advanced Operating System" . Retrieved 2017-12-02.
31. "CISC361: Operating Systems" . Retrieved 2025-03-31.
32. "CS385 – Operating Systems Concepts and Design". Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
33. "Module and Programme Catalogue". webprod3.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
34. "Progettazione di Sistemi Operativi". Archived from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
35. "COSC440: Advanced Operating system". Archived from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2015-07-14.
36. "Sistemi Operativi" . Retrieved 2015-10-18.
37. "CS 1550 Introduction to Operating Systems (COE 1550) -Fall 2020". people.cs.pitt.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
38. "Conception des Systèmes d'Exploitation".
39. "COP6611 Operating Systems - Fall 2023".
40. "Operating Systems instructed by Dr. Mehdi Kargahi".^{[ permanent dead link ]}
41. "Master's in Computer Science | Computer & Data Science Online". cdso.utexas.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
42. "CS 6460: Operating Systems" . Retrieved 2014-01-20.
43. "Embedded in Academia : Xv6" . Retrieved 2014-04-08.
44. "CS4414: XV6 introduction" . Retrieved 2022-02-27.
45. "CS-537: Introduction to Operating Systems" . Retrieved 2011-11-04.
46. "CS422/522: Operating Systems, Spring 2010 — Overview". Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2010-02-05.

External links

• 6.1810: Operating Systems Engineering

RISC-V:

• xv6 source code
• xv6 book source code
• xv6: a simple, Unix-like teaching operating system, xv6 book rev5.
• Printable version of the xv6 source code, rev5.

x86-32 (unmaintained):

• xv6 source code
• xv6 book source code
• xv6: a simple, Unix-like teaching operating system, xv6 book rev11.
• Printable version of the xv6 source code, rev11.

x86-64 (maintained by University of Strasbourg):

• xv6-64 source code
• xv6-64 book source code (EN)
• xv6-64 book source code (FR)
• xv6-64: a simple, Unix-like teaching operating system, xv6-64 EN book
• xv6-64: un système d’exploitation simple, proche d’Unix, pour l’enseignement, xv6-64 FR book