Mastering Linux Kernel Development looks at the Linux kernel, its internal arrangement and design, and various core subsystems, helping you to gain significant understanding of this open source marvel. You will look at how the Linux kernel, which possesses a kind of collective intelligence thanks to its scores of contributors, remains so elegant owing to its great design. This book also looks at all the key kernel code, core data structures, functions, and macros, giving you a comprehensive foundation of the implementation details of the kernel’s core services and mechanisms. You will also look at the Linux kernel as well-designed software, which gives us insights into software design in general that are easily scalable yet fundamentally strong and safe.
Chapter 1, Comprehending Processes, Address Space, and Threads, looks closely at one of the principal abstractions of Linux called the process and the whole ecosystem, which facilitate this abstraction. We will also spend time in understanding address space, process creation, and threads.
Chapter 2, Deciphering the Process Scheduler, explains process scheduling, which is a vital aspect of any operating system. Here we will build our understanding of the different scheduling policies engaged by Linux to deliver effective process execution.
Chapter 3, Signal Management, helps in understanding all core aspects of signal usage, their representation, data structures, and kernel routines for signal generation and delivery.
Chapter 4, Memory Management and Allocators, traverses us through one of the most crucial aspects of the Linux kernel, comprehending various nuances of memory representations and allocations. We will also gauge the efficiency of the kernel in maximizing resource usage at minimal costs.
Chapter 5, Filesystems and File I/O, imparts a generic understanding of a typical filesystem, its fabric, design, and what makes it an elemental part of an operating system. We will also look at abstraction, using the common, layered architecture design, which the kernel comprehensively imbibes through the VFS.
Chapter 6, Interprocess Communication, touches upon the various IPC mechanisms offered by the kernel. We will explore the layout and relationship between various data structures for each IPC mechanism, and look at both the SysV and POSIX IPC mechanisms.
Chapter 7, Virtual Memory Management, explains memory management with details of virtual memory management and page tables. We will look into the various aspects of the virtual memory subsystem such as process virtual address space and its segments, memory descriptor structure, memory mapping and VMA objects, page cache and address translation with page tables.
Chapter 8, Kernel Synchronization and Locking, enables us to understand the various protection and synchronization mechanisms provided by the kernel, and comprehend the merits and shortcomings of these mechanisms. We will try and appreciate the tenacity with which the kernel addresses these varying synchronization complexities.
Chapter 9, Interrupts and Deferred work , talks about interrupts, which are a key facet of any operating system to get necessary and priority tasks done. We will look at how interrupts are generated, handled, and managed in Linux. We will also look at various bottom halve mechanisms.
Chapter 10,Clock and Time Management, reveals how kernel measures and manages time. We will look at all key time-related structures, routines, and macros to help us gauge time management effectively.
Chapter 11, Module Management, quickly looks at modules, kernel's infrastructure in managing modules along with all the core data structures involved. This helps us understand how kernel inculcates dynamic extensibility.
Apart from a deep desire to understand the nuances of the Linux kernel and its design, you need prior understanding of the Linux operating system in general, and the idea of an open-source software to start spending time with this book. However, this is not binding, and anyone with a keen eye to grab detailed information about the Linux system and its working can grab this book.
- This book is for system programming enthusiasts and professionals who would like to deepen their understanding of the Linux kernel and its various integral components.
- This is a handy book for developers working on various kernel-related projects.
- Students of software engineering can use this as a reference guide for comprehending various aspects of Linux kernel and its design principles.
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning. Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "In the loop() function, we read the value of the distance from the sensor and then display it on the serial port."
A block of code is set as follows:
/* linux-4.9.10/arch/x86/include/asm/thread_info.h */
struct thread_info {
unsigned long flags; /* low level flags */
};New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "Go to Sketch | Include Library | Manage Libraries and you will get a dialog."
Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book-what you liked or disliked. Reader feedback is important for us as it helps us develop titles that you will really get the most out of. To send us general feedback, simply email [email protected], and mention the book's title in the subject of your message. If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide at www.packtpub.com/authors.
Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.
Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books-maybe a mistake in the text or the code-we would be grateful if you could report this to us. By doing so, you can save other readers from frustration and help us improve subsequent versions of this book. If you find any errata, please report them by visitinghttp://www.packtpub.com/submit-errata, selecting your book, clicking on the Errata Submission Form link, and entering the details of your errata. Once your errata are verified, your submission will be accepted and the errata will be uploaded to our website or added to any list of existing errata under the Errata section of that title. To view the previously submitted errata, go to https://www.packtpub.com/books/content/support and enter the name of the book in the search field. The required information will appear under the Errata section.
Piracy of copyrighted material on the internet is an ongoing problem across all media. At Packt, we take the protection of our copyright and licenses very seriously. If you come across any illegal copies of our works in any form on the internet, please provide us with the location address or website name immediately so that we can pursue a remedy. Please contact us at [email protected] with a link to the suspected pirated material. We appreciate your help in protecting our authors and our ability to bring you valuable content.
If you have a problem with any aspect of this book, you can contact us at [email protected], and we will do our best to address the problem.