Hardware Podcasts

The Pragmatism of Hubris

Oxide and Friends · 14 Dec 2021 · 2h 03m · Episode 26

What this episode covers

Cliff Biffle, principal engineer at Oxide Computer Company, explains the origins of Hubris, an embedded operating system designed for Oxide's rack-scale computers, drawing on his prior experience with Project Loon at Google. The team evaluated existing options like Tock and QNX but chose to build Hubris in Rust to ensure memory safety and value alignment, leveraging a software-hardware co-design approach to bypass the risks of secure FPGAs. Key technical decisions include using a minimal kernel, self-describing build archives, and advanced debugging tools like Humility to manage complex embedded systems without dynamic loading or self-hosting constraints.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Oxide Computer Company
Products
Hubris, Humility, Project Loon, Tock, QNX
Chips
RISC-V, STM32, LPC55
Tools
LLVM, Cargo
Also
DWARF

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Amp Hour · 57m

    Finding Hardware Flaws with Laura Abbott

    Laura Abbott, an engineer at Oxide Computer, discusses her accidental discovery of a buffer overflow vulnerability in the ROM update mechanism of the NXP LPC55S69 microcontroller while working on Oxide's server root of trust. She explains how Oxide is rebuilding the server from the ground up with a focus on hardware security, utilizing their open-source operating system Hubris and the Rust programming language to mitigate risks like memory safety issues. The conversation covers the architecture of the server's secure components, including the service processor and TrustZone-M, as well as the challenges of remote hardware debugging and contributing to the Linux kernel community.

    Security & privacyMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    6 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 57m

    342: That Girl's Brain

    Jessie Frazelle, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Oxide Computer, explains how the company builds open-source, rack-scale servers for enterprises by adopting hyperscaler-style hardware design. She details the decision to open-source firmware and hardware to eliminate vendor finger-pointing and security vulnerabilities inherent in proprietary BMCs. The discussion covers their use of Rust for firmware and control plane software, power efficiency metrics like PUE, and the challenges of deploying high-density compute in traditional colocation environments.

    Embedded firmwareSecurity & privacy
    7 chapters

  • The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast · 50m

    Exploring Rust for Embedded Systems with Philip Markgraf

    Philip Markgraf, an experienced software developer and technical leader, discusses his recent experience building an embedded device for Kelvin, a green energy company, using the Rust programming language. He contrasts Rust's memory safety, sophisticated type system, and excellent tooling with the complexities and legacy constraints of C and C++. Markgraf highlights how Rust's borrow checker and standardized libraries simplify development, improve reliability, and attract motivated engineers, while noting that adoption is still in the early stages for embedded systems compared to cloud computing.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    9 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 13m

    290: Rule of Thumbs

    Phillip Johnston, founder of Embedded Artistry, discusses embedded software consulting, the importance of upfront design to avoid costly rewrites, and best practices for code reviews and testing. He analyzes the Boeing 737 MAX crashes as a systemic failure driven by business pressures and poor risk analysis, and explains the challenges of retargeting C++ standard libraries like libc++ to RTOS environments such as FreeRTOS and ThreadX.

    Embedded firmwareDebugging & failure analysis
    9 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 56m

    256: Agglomeration

    Chris White and Elecia White discuss the ST Micro F1 series, comparing the use of HAL, Cube, and bare metal programming for embedded systems. They review the Hippocratic Oath for Connected Medical Devices from IAmTheCalvary.org and Make Magazine's tips for securing DIY IoT projects. The hosts also explore the Rockstar Programming Language specification, C++ expressiveness, and Elecia's recent work with Python and JSON.

    Microcontrollers & dev platformsSecurity & privacy
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Oxide and Friends. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.