Software ecosystem
Linux
Linux support is important for application-class CHERI adoption because many products depend on the kernel, drivers, GNU or BusyBox user space, containers and existing operational tooling.
Why it matters
Teams should evaluate the exact delivered stack rather than treating ‘Linux support’ as a binary label.
In brief
Linux support is important for application-class CHERI adoption because many products depend on the kernel, drivers, GNU or BusyBox user space, containers and existing operational tooling. CHERI Linux work exists across supplier SDKs and Alliance collaboration, with scope varying by architecture and release.
Key considerations
1. Kernel
Check architecture port, capability-aware memory and user interfaces, drivers, boot chain and maintenance branch.
2. User space
Identify ABI, C library, packages, toolchain and whether applications are conventional, hybrid or pure capability.
3. Operations
Test updates, debugging, build systems, security tooling and workload dependencies on the target platform.
Evidence and caveats
A booting Linux image does not establish broad package compatibility, upstream status or production support. Verify each layer.
Treat build, test, integration, upstream and maintained support as distinct states. Name the target and last verified date.