Impact of Operating Systems on Edge Device: Benchmarking Performance, Reliability, and Post-Quantum Readiness
Guihard, Fabien (2025-06-25)
Impact of Operating Systems on Edge Device: Benchmarking Performance, Reliability, and Post-Quantum Readiness
(25.06.2025)
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on:
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025063076123
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2025063076123
Tiivistelmä
As edge computing advances, the growing threat of quantum computers is driving public key cryptographic standards toward deprecation by 2030. Many studies focus on postquantum algorithms for constrained devices, and others tackle scalable edge management, yet very few examine the edge operating system as the point where performance, reliability, and post-quantum security converge.
This thesis begins by outlining a framework of key requirements for reliable and scalable edge operating systems, then addresses the research gap through an empirical comparison of three OS architectures (mutable, immutable, and container-based) using six Linux distributions deployed on a Raspberry Pi 4B edge node. A reproducible testbed was used to conduct three evaluations. The first measured system-level performance, including CPU, RAM, and disk I/O. The second assessed the operating system’s resilience during system updates interrupted by power loss. The third evaluated the latency of two NIST
post-quantum cryptography standards: ML-KEM and ML-DSA.
Statistical analysis revealed that the immutable design of NixOS provides the best overall balance, offering top-tier throughput with atomic and declarative updates that withstood every fault-injection scenario. The container-based system openSUSE MicroOS matched NixOS in automated rollback capability and passed every power-failure test,
yet introduced higher PQC latencies and disk-I/O overhead. Mutable systems (Ultramarine Linux, Manjaro ARM, DietPi, Raspberry Pi OS Lite) showed varied performance strengths but shared a critical weakness. Ultramarine delivered the fastest post-quantum operations, Manjaro offered a well-rounded balance, DietPi excelled in RAM throughput thanks to its minimal footprint, and Raspberry Pi OS Lite provided a stable baseline. Yet every one of these mutable distributions failed to reboot cleanly after power-cut interruptions and required manual repair.
These results confirm that OS architecture directly affects system performance, operational resilience, and the runtime cost of quantum-safe cryptography. OS choice must be treated as a primary design decision for future edge deployments rather than a question of convenience or familiarity.
This thesis begins by outlining a framework of key requirements for reliable and scalable edge operating systems, then addresses the research gap through an empirical comparison of three OS architectures (mutable, immutable, and container-based) using six Linux distributions deployed on a Raspberry Pi 4B edge node. A reproducible testbed was used to conduct three evaluations. The first measured system-level performance, including CPU, RAM, and disk I/O. The second assessed the operating system’s resilience during system updates interrupted by power loss. The third evaluated the latency of two NIST
post-quantum cryptography standards: ML-KEM and ML-DSA.
Statistical analysis revealed that the immutable design of NixOS provides the best overall balance, offering top-tier throughput with atomic and declarative updates that withstood every fault-injection scenario. The container-based system openSUSE MicroOS matched NixOS in automated rollback capability and passed every power-failure test,
yet introduced higher PQC latencies and disk-I/O overhead. Mutable systems (Ultramarine Linux, Manjaro ARM, DietPi, Raspberry Pi OS Lite) showed varied performance strengths but shared a critical weakness. Ultramarine delivered the fastest post-quantum operations, Manjaro offered a well-rounded balance, DietPi excelled in RAM throughput thanks to its minimal footprint, and Raspberry Pi OS Lite provided a stable baseline. Yet every one of these mutable distributions failed to reboot cleanly after power-cut interruptions and required manual repair.
These results confirm that OS architecture directly affects system performance, operational resilience, and the runtime cost of quantum-safe cryptography. OS choice must be treated as a primary design decision for future edge deployments rather than a question of convenience or familiarity.