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Linux Kernel Programming

Linux Kernel Programming - Second Edition

By : Kaiwan N. Billimoria
4.8 (33)
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Linux Kernel Programming

Linux Kernel Programming

4.8 (33)
By: Kaiwan N. Billimoria

Overview of this book

The 2nd Edition of Linux Kernel Programming is an updated, comprehensive guide for those new to Linux kernel development. Built around the latest 6.1 Long-Term Support (LTS) Linux kernel, which is maintained until December 2026, this edition explores its key features and enhancements. Additionally, with the Civil Infrastructure Project extending support for the 6.1 Super LTS (SLTS) kernel until August 2033, this book will remain relevant for years to come. You'll begin this exciting journey by learning how to build the kernel from source. Step by step, you will then learn how to write your first kernel module by leveraging the kernel's powerful Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) framework. With this foundation, you will delve into key kernel internals topics including Linux kernel architecture, memory management, and CPU (task) scheduling. You'll finish with understanding the deep issues of concurrency, and gain insight into how they can be addressed with various synchronization/locking technologies (for example, mutexes, spinlocks, atomic/refcount operators, rw-spinlocks and even lock-free technologies such as per-CPU and RCU). By the end of this book, you'll build a strong understanding of the fundamentals to writing the Linux kernel and kernel module code that can straight away be used in real-world projects and products.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
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14
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15
Index

Introducing kernel memory allocators

Dynamically allocating, and subsequently freeing, kernel memory – both physical and virtual – is the key topic area here. The Linux kernel, like any other OS, requires a sturdy algorithm and implementation to perform this really key task. The primary (de)allocator engine in the Linux OS is referred to as the PA, or the BSA. Internally, it uses a so-called buddy system algorithm to efficiently organize and parcel out free chunks of system RAM. You will find more on the algorithm in the Understanding and using the kernel page allocator (or BSA) section of this chapter.

In this chapter and throughout this book, when we use the notation (de)allocate, please read it as both words: allocate and deallocate.

Of course, being imperfect, the page allocator is not the only or always the best way to obtain and subsequently release system memory. Other technologies exist within the Linux kernel to do so. High on the list of...

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