The OSGi framework is a Java-based, centralized, component oriented platform. It is being widely adopted as an execution environment for the development of extensible applications. However, current Java Virtual Machines are unable to isolate components from each other. For instance, a malicious component can freeze the complete platform by allocating too much memory or alter the behavior of other components by modifying shared variables. This paper presents I-JVM, a Java Virtual Machine that provides a lightweight approach to isolation while preserving compatibility with legacy OSGi applications. Our evaluation of I-JVM shows that it solves the 8 known OSGi vulnerabilities that are due to the Java Virtual Machine and that the overhead of I-JVM compared to the JVM on which it is based is below 20%.
Writing efficient applications is difficult for two reasons. A given problem domain often demands a particular programming language and execution environment. Together these provide a "paradigm" in which the programmer can concentrate on the problem rather than the implementation. Secondly, most operating systems have a rigid architecture. Adapting them to the needs of modern applications, such as cooperative work, embedded systems, and multimedia, requires ad-hoc solutions, increasing development costs and reducing both reliability and efficiency. We present a multi-language, hardware independent, execution platform, that is dynamically extensible and adaptable to each application's needs. An application is associated with a virtual machine decription, that allows to translate the application into a language neutral internal representation. The novel virtual machine architecture described in this paper allows programs written in an arbitrary bytecoded language to be executed safely and efficiently. Its single execution model provides interoperability, and effectively promotes reuse of existing software modules.
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