In the previous two chapters, one on kernel internal aspects and architecture and the other on the essentials of memory management internals, we covered key aspects that serve as required background information for this and the following chapter. In this and the next chapter, we will get down to the actual allocation and freeing of kernel memory by various means. We will demonstrate this via kernel modules that you can test and tweak, elaborate on the whys and hows of it, and provide many real-world tips and tricks to enable a kernel or driver developer like you to gain maximum efficiency when working with memory within your kernel module.

In this chapter, we will cover the kernel's two primary memory allocators – the Page Allocator (PA) (aka Buddy System Allocator (BSA)) and the slab allocator...