# Helios

- Show: [Oxide and Friends](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends)
- Published: 2024-02-01
- Length: 1h 47m
- Episode: 4
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/d733e814

## Summary

Josh Clulow, a software engineer at Oxide Computer Company, explains the architecture and release of Helios, an illumos-based operating system designed for Oxide's rack-scale computers. He details the decision to bypass traditional UEFI firmware in favor of a custom Rust bootloader and kernel initialization to ensure deterministic, single-pass hardware bring-up. The team also discusses the challenges of integrating Rust Tier 2 support, managing the IPS packaging system, and maintaining a close relationship with upstream illumos to avoid the 'quality death spiral' associated with downstream forks.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=0) Introduction: Helios Release and Hacker News Reaction
- [7:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=466) Defining Helios as an illumos Distribution
- [12:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=770) Building Helios from OmniOS and Rust Integration
- [25:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=1525) Custom Boot Process: Bypassing UEFI and NOR Flash Constraints
- [38:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=2284) Running Helios on Commodity Hardware and Manufacturing Stations
- [46:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=2810) The IPS Packaging System and Immutable Images
- [58:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=3529) Upstreaming Changes and Avoiding the Quality Death Spiral
- [1:17:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=4642) Debugging a 1991 Memory Tunable Bug in ZFS ARC
- [1:31:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios#t=5468) RFD 26 and the Strategic Decision to Use illumos

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Open-source hardware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/open-source-hardware)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Helios (product)
- illumos (other)
- OpenSolaris (other)
- Solaris (other)
- OmniOS (product)
- OpenIndiana (product)
- Rust (other)
- ZFS (other)
- UEFI (other)
- IPS (other)
- Cockroach (product)
- ClickHouse (product)
- NOR Flash (other)
- NVMe (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [342: That Girl's Brain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-08-27-342-that-girls-brain) (Embedded.fm)
- [Finding Hardware Flaws with Laura Abbott](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2022-05-23-finding-hardware-flaws-with-laura-abbott) (The Amp Hour)
- [Offensive Cybersecurity with Ryan Torvik](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-04-09-offensive-cybersecurity-with-ryan-torvik) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [93: Delicious Gumbo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2015-03-18-93-delicious-gumbo) (Embedded.fm)
- [Zephyr with Luka Mustafa](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-11-09-zephyr-with-luka-mustafa) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-02-01-helios. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Oxide and Friends.