SilverOS is a from-scratch, bare-metal x86_64 operating system built with GCC, NASM, and GNU LD. It boots via GRUB2 with a Multiboot2 header, initialises all x86 hardware structures (GDT, IDT, PIC), manages physical memory with a bitmap allocator, runs a custom SilverFS filesystem over ATA storage, and presents a fully windowed graphical desktop environment — all without depending on any external OS libraries.Documentation Index
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Introduction
Learn what SilverOS is, what it includes, and what hardware it targets.
Building SilverOS
Set up the toolchain and compile the kernel, ISO image, and virtual disk.
Running in QEMU
Launch SilverOS in QEMU with KVM acceleration and a virtual RTL8139 NIC.
Architecture Overview
Explore the high-level design: boot sequence, subsystem layout, and source tree.
What’s inside SilverOS
SilverOS is organised into well-defined subsystems. Each has its own source directory and public C header.Kernel
GDT, IDT, PIC, timer, physical memory manager, and kernel heap allocator.
Drivers
Double-buffered framebuffer, PS/2 keyboard and mouse, ATA storage, RTC, and serial.
SilverFS
Custom inode-based filesystem stored on a virtual ATA disk, with a host-side mkfs tool.
Networking
RTL8139 Ethernet driver with ARP, IPv4, and ICMP (ping) support.
Desktop Environment
Windowed GUI with a taskbar, login screen, Z-ordering window manager, and built-in terminal.
Boot Sequence
GRUB2 Multiboot2 boot path from BIOS hand-off through to the desktop event loop.
Quick start
Run in QEMU
SilverOS targets x86_64 and is developed and tested on QEMU 7+. Running on real hardware is possible but untested — ensure your machine supports legacy BIOS/GRUB2 boot and has a compatible framebuffer.