The Linux Kernel Book


Book Description

Summary: The Linux Kernel Book allows you to delve into the heart of this operating system by means of an in-depth treatment of the internal functioning of the kernel. Each chapter deals in detail with the system components, including: process management, memory management, IPC Systems V, signals, pipes, POSIX tty, file systems, loadable modules, and administration.




Understanding the Linux Kernel


Book Description

To thoroughly understand what makes Linux tick and why it's so efficient, you need to delve deep into the heart of the operating system--into the Linux kernel itself. The kernel is Linux--in the case of the Linux operating system, it's the only bit of software to which the term "Linux" applies. The kernel handles all the requests or completed I/O operations and determines which programs will share its processing time, and in what order. Responsible for the sophisticated memory management of the whole system, the Linux kernel is the force behind the legendary Linux efficiency. The new edition of Understanding the Linux Kernel takes you on a guided tour through the most significant data structures, many algorithms, and programming tricks used in the kernel. Probing beyond the superficial features, the authors offer valuable insights to people who want to know how things really work inside their machine. Relevant segments of code are dissected and discussed line by line. The book covers more than just the functioning of the code, it explains the theoretical underpinnings for why Linux does things the way it does. The new edition of the book has been updated to cover version 2.4 of the kernel, which is quite different from version 2.2: the virtual memory system is entirely new, support for multiprocessor systems is improved, and whole new classes of hardware devices have been added. The authors explore each new feature in detail. Other topics in the book include: Memory management including file buffering, process swapping, and Direct memory Access (DMA) The Virtual Filesystem and the Second Extended Filesystem Process creation and scheduling Signals, interrupts, and the essential interfaces to device drivers Timing Synchronization in the kernel Interprocess Communication (IPC) Program execution Understanding the Linux Kernel, Second Edition will acquaint you with all the inner workings of Linux, but is more than just an academic exercise. You'll learn what conditions bring out Linux's best performance, and you'll see how it meets the challenge of providing good system response during process scheduling, file access, and memory management in a wide variety of environments. If knowledge is power, then this book will help you make the most of your Linux system.




Professional Linux Kernel Architecture


Book Description

Find an introduction to the architecture, concepts and algorithms of the Linux kernel in Professional Linux Kernel Architecture, a guide to the kernel sources and large number of connections among subsystems. Find an introduction to the relevant structures and functions exported by the kernel to userland, understand the theoretical and conceptual aspects of the Linux kernel and Unix derivatives, and gain a deeper understanding of the kernel. Learn how to reduce the vast amount of information contained in the kernel sources and obtain the skills necessary to understand the kernel sources.




Linux Kernel in a Nutshell


Book Description

This reference documents the features of the Linux 2.6 kernel in detail so that system administrators and developers can customise and optimise their systems for better performance.




Linux Kernel Programming


Book Description

Learn how to write high-quality kernel module code, solve common Linux kernel programming issues, and understand the fundamentals of Linux kernel internals Key Features Discover how to write kernel code using the Loadable Kernel Module framework Explore industry-grade techniques to perform efficient memory allocation and data synchronization within the kernel Understand the essentials of key internals topics such as kernel architecture, memory management, CPU scheduling, and kernel synchronization Book DescriptionLinux Kernel Programming is a comprehensive introduction for those new to Linux kernel and module development. This easy-to-follow guide will have you up and running with writing kernel code in next-to-no time. This book uses the latest 5.4 Long-Term Support (LTS) Linux kernel, which will be maintained from November 2019 through to December 2025. By working with the 5.4 LTS kernel throughout the book, you can be confident that your knowledge will continue to be valid for years to come. You’ll start the journey by learning how to build the kernel from the source. Next, you’ll write your first kernel module using the powerful Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) framework. The following chapters will cover key kernel internals topics including Linux kernel architecture, memory management, and CPU scheduling. During the course of this book, you’ll delve into the fairly complex topic of concurrency within the kernel, understand the issues it can cause, and learn how they can be addressed with various locking technologies (mutexes, spinlocks, atomic, and refcount operators). You’ll also benefit from more advanced material on cache effects, a primer on lock-free techniques within the kernel, deadlock avoidance (with lockdep), and kernel lock debugging techniques. By the end of this kernel book, you’ll have a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of writing Linux kernel module code for real-world projects and products.What you will learn Write high-quality modular kernel code (LKM framework) for 5.x kernels Configure and build a kernel from source Explore the Linux kernel architecture Get to grips with key internals regarding memory management within the kernel Understand and work with various dynamic kernel memory alloc/dealloc APIs Discover key internals aspects regarding CPU scheduling within the kernel Gain an understanding of kernel concurrency issues Find out how to work with key kernel synchronization primitives Who this book is for This book is for Linux programmers beginning to find their way with Linux kernel development. If you’re a Linux kernel and driver developer looking to overcome frequent and common kernel development issues, or understand kernel intervals, you’ll find plenty of useful information. You’ll need a solid foundation of Linux CLI and C programming before you can jump in.




The Art of Linux Kernel Design


Book Description

Uses the Running Operation as the Main Thread Difficulty in understanding an operating system (OS) lies not in the technical aspects, but in the complex relationships inside the operating systems. The Art of Linux Kernel Design: Illustrating the Operating System Design Principle and Implementation addresses this complexity. Written from the perspective of the designer of an operating system, this book tackles important issues and practical problems on how to understand an operating system completely and systematically. It removes the mystery, revealing operating system design guidelines, explaining the BIOS code directly related to the operating system, and simplifying the relationships and guiding ideology behind it all. Based on the Source Code of a Real Multi-Process Operating System Using the 0.11 edition source code as a representation of the Linux basic design, the book illustrates the real states of an operating system in actual operations. It provides a complete, systematic analysis of the operating system source code, as well as a direct and complete understanding of the real operating system run-time structure. The author includes run-time memory structure diagrams, and an accompanying essay to help readers grasp the dynamics behind Linux and similar software systems. Identifies through diagrams the location of the key operating system data structures that lie in the memory Indicates through diagrams the current operating status information which helps users understand the interrupt state, and left time slice of processes Examines the relationship between process and memory, memory and file, file and process, and the kernel Explores the essential association, preparation, and transition, which is the vital part of operating system Develop a System of Your Own This text offers an in-depth study on mastering the operating system, and provides an important prerequisite for designing a whole new operating system.




Linux Kernel Development


Book Description

An authoritative, practical guide that helps programmers better understand the Linux kernel and to write and develop kernel code.




Linux Kernel Networking


Book Description

Linux Kernel Networking takes you on a guided in-depth tour of the current Linux networking implementation and the theory behind it. Linux kernel networking is a complex topic, so the book won't burden you with topics not directly related to networking. This book will also not overload you with cumbersome line-by-line code walkthroughs not directly related to what you're searching for; you'll find just what you need, with in-depth explanations in each chapter and a quick reference at the end of each chapter. Linux Kernel Networking is the only up-to-date reference guide to understanding how networking is implemented, and it will be indispensable in years to come since so many devices now use Linux or operating systems based on Linux, like Android, and since Linux is so prevalent in the data center arena, including Linux-based virtualization technologies like Xen and KVM.




The Linux Kernel Primer


Book Description

Offers a comprehensive view of the underpinnings of the Linux kernel on the Intel x86 and the Power PC.




The Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide


Book Description

Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide is for people who want to write kernel modules. It takes a hands-on approach starting with writing a small "hello, world" program, and quickly moves from there. Far from a boring text on programming, Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide has a lively style that entertains while it educates. An excellent guide for anyone wishing to get started on kernel module programming. *** Money raised from the sale of this book supports the development of free software and documentation.