Re: Introduction and project intent: Emulating missing linux syscalls

[Ilia Javan <ilia.javan.eng%gmail.com@localhost>]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for the heads up. Sorry about the delayed response. I wanted to
take some time to review the other projects and determine the best fit
for me.

I'm interested in pivoting to the flash translation layer project in
the wiki (https://wiki.netbsd.org/projects/project/flash-translation/)
because it aligns more closely with my hardware experience and
interests. I'll start by educating myself more on raw flash chips and
the exact responsibilities of an FTL.

Could anyone on the list let me know if someone is actively working on this?

Thanks,
Ilia

On Mon, Jun 15, 2026 at 12:09 PM Ilia Javan <ilia.javan.eng%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:
>
> Hi Stephen,
>
> Thanks for the heads up. Sorry about the delayed response. I wanted to
> take some time to review the other projects and determine the best fit
> for me.
>
> I'm interested in pivoting to the flash translation layer project in
> the wiki (https://wiki.netbsd.org/projects/project/flash-translation/)
> because it aligns more closely with my hardware experience and
> interests. I'll start by educating myself more on raw flash chips and
> the exact responsibilities of an FTL.
>
> Could anyone on the list let me know if someone is actively working on this?
>
> Thanks,
> Ilia
>
> On Wed, Jun 3, 2026 at 5:07 AM Stephen Borrill <netbsd%precedence.co.uk@localhost> wrote:
> >
> > On Tue, 2 Jun 2026, Ilia Javan wrote:
> >
> > > Hello tech-kern,
> > >
> > > My name is Ilia, and I am an undergraduate computer engineering
> > > student. I am writing to introduce myself and declare my intent to
> > > spend my summer working on adding missing Linux syscalls to the
> > > compat_linux translation layer. While this is a personal project and
> > > not affiliated with Google Summer of Code, I plan to treat the time
> > > commitment and deliverables as seriously as though it were.
> >
> > Hi Ilia,
> >
> > There is currently a GSoC project in place relating to Linux emulation.
> > It is focussing on testing the framework and it is anticipated that this
> > will highlight broken/missing syscalls. There are syscalls that we know
> > will need to be added (based on a previous GSoC) and the testing will
> > help with that.
> >
> > Basically, what I'm saying is that I think it would be better to wait
> > until GSoC has completed as this will give plenty of tasks that need to be
> > done.
> >
> > > My background includes C programming and CPU hardware design on FPGAs,
> > > but this will be my first non-trivial contribution to an open-source
> > > project and my first dive into kernel development.
> > >
> > > To prepare, I have spent the past few weeks reading through texts on
> > > operating system fundamentals (Advanced Programming in the UNIX
> > > Environment, The Design and Implementation of the 4.4BSD Operating
> > > System, and Understanding the Linux Kernel). To get hands-on
> > > experience with the NetBSD ecosystem, CVS, and the GNATS system, I
> > > recently submitted a patch for a minor pluralization bug in the
> > > shutdown(8) utility (PR bin/60248). Going through the submission and
> > > getting feedback on it from the developers has been a great way to
> > > understand the workflow.
> > >
> > > My roadmap for the immediate future includes:
> > >
> > > - Finding the missing syscalls: I plan to start by investigating the
> > > y-cruncher binary, as reported in PR 59589 (Linux emulation fails on
> > > y-cruncher). I will trace its execution on my amd64 NetBSD QEMU
> > > environment to identify exactly which syscalls or features it is
> > > missing. I will also test other Linux binaries to map out additional
> > > gaps.
> > >
> > > - Finalizing a timeline: Once I have traced the missing syscalls for
> > > y-cruncher (or another suitable binary), I will share a detailed
> > > project timeline for the remaining 3 months of my summer.
> > >
> > > I am very open to suggestions if the community has a specific Linux
> > > binary or missing syscall they would prioritize for compatibility over
> > > y-cruncher.
> > >
> > > Thank you for your time. I am eagerly looking forward to any advice,
> > > feedback, or suggested reading materials as I begin this project.
> > >
> > > Best regards,
> > >
> > > Ilia
> > >