# BPF for storage: an exokernel-inspired approach

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.12922 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.12922/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 25 Feb 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Treehouse: A Case For Carbon-Aware Datacenter Software](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.02120/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The overhead of the kernel storage path accounts for half of the access latency for new NVMe storage devices. We explore using BPF to reduce this overhead, by injecting user-defined functions deep in the kernel's I/O processing stack. When issuing a series of dependent I/O requests, this approach can increase IOPS by over 2.5× and cut latency by half, by bypassing kernel layers and avoiding user-kernel boundary crossings. However, we must avoid losing important properties when bypassing the file system and block layer such as the safety guarantees of the file system and translation between physical blocks addresses and file offsets. We sketch potential solutions to these problems, inspired by exokernel file systems from the late 90s, whose time, we believe, has finally come!