understanding the linux kernel university course

#Understanding the linux kernel university course drivers#

Finally, we present an overview of Windows, UNIX, and Linux this discussion establishes the general architecture of these systems, providing context for the detailed discussions to follow. The idea was to encourage students to read the source code. The discussion in this chapter alerts the reader to this blend of established and recent design approaches that must be addressed. In the spring semester of 1997, we taught a course on operating systems based on Linux 2.0. Throughout the book, as various topics are discussed, it is necessary to talk about both fundamental, well-established principles as well as more recent innovations in OS design. The chapter next highlights important characteristics of modern operating systems. This discussion allows us to present some fundamental OS design principles in a simple environment so that the relationship among various OS functions is clear.

#Understanding the linux kernel university course drivers#

Then some historically important systems and OS functions are described. This course provides an introduction to Kernel programming for the Linux operating system, and the development of Linux kernel drivers for Embedded devices. We begin with a statement of the objectives and functions of an operating system. Chapter 2 provides an overview to which the reader can return at any point in the book for context. Torvalds enrolled in a Unix course as a student at the University of Helsinki. The topic of operating system (OS) design covers a huge territory, and it is easy to get lost in the details and lose the context of a discussion of a particular issue. Several times, Linus Torvalds, the main developer of the Linux kernel. Chapter 1 provides a brief survey of the processor, memory, and Input/Output (I/O) elements of a computer system. To appreciate the functionality of the operating system and the design issues involved, one must have some appreciation for computer organization and architecture. In effect, the Linux kernel powers almost all of the worlds top supercomputers, android phones, and an innumerable variety of other computers.

An operating system mediates among application programs, utilities, and users, on the one hand, and the computer system hardware on the other.