Xen Project Summit 2024

Xen is a type 1 hypervisor supported on x86, Arm (soon RISC-V and PPC) platforms. Certain aspects of Xen, such as its dom0less configuration, make it suitable for use in automotive and embedded systems. As an open-source project with ongoing development, aligning it with functional safety standards presents a perpetual challenge. To address this challenge, we adopted a stepwise approach. Initially, we are integrating MISRA C rules into Xen. Over 80 rules have been accepted, and violations are being fixed. We are undertaking reverse engineering of the code to establish requirements. We delineate top-level market requirements, provided by partners, which are then refined into product requirements and subsequently into software safety requirements (SSR). Each SSR can be translated into one or more test cases. Comprehensive traceability is maintained throughout, ensuring alignment between requirements, test cases, test implementations, and test jobs. Additionally, architectural specifications are being drafted to elucidate how features operate within Xen. We are also exploring additional testing methodologies, including hardware functionality testing and fault injection techniques.