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arXiv · 2606.18958

Ossim: OS-Driven Live Simulation for Cluster-Scale Full-Stack Evaluation

Yiliang Wan·Haifeng Sun·Yihan Yang·Jonas Kaufmann·Antoine Kaufmann·Jialin Li
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Abstract

Cluster-scale full-stack simulation is essential for evaluating distributed software stacks and emerging hardware components before deployment. Such simulation must achieve both full-stack fidelity for the unmodified production stack and the simulation performance required for iterative configuration exploration. However, no existing method achieves both. We present Ossim, an OS-level approach to cluster-scale full-stack simulation built on top of the Linux virtualization stack. Ossim comprises four subsystems: simulation-oriented scheduling, live memory hierarchy management, simulation-aware IPC, and distributed simulation orchestration. Together, they coordinate live and modeled components under shared simulated time while controlling interference among co-located live hosts. These mechanisms point toward simulation-native OS support, where simulation control and orchestration become core OS responsibilities.

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Yiliang Wan, Haifeng Sun, Yihan Yang, Jonas Kaufmann, Antoine Kaufmann, Jialin Li. 2026-09-03. Ossim: OS-Driven Live Simulation for Cluster-Scale Full-Stack Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.1145/3838177.3841722

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