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http://aplawrence.com/Books/kernel-primer.html

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I've been less than happy with other kernel books I've read. Admittedly,it's a difficult subject: there's a lot to cover, and you really need quite a bit of programming and general Unix knowledge before you could even consider jumping into this area. But I have the background,have even written simple Unix drivers, and yet every other kernel programming book has disappointed me.

It's all so overwhelming: there are conventions and quirks that have developed over time and surely are second nature to the people who have been doing Linux kernels for years, but these things are baffling to the newcomer.

This book tries to get you past that. The authors specifically say that they have tried to cover the things that confused them when they first started looking at the kernel. I'm sure their efforts aren't perfect, but the effort does definitely show.

The authors present several programming projects to help explore the kernel concepts, and every chapter has review questions to help firm up your understanding. The approach is from user space when possible: the assumption is that you are comfortable with application programming and that is used as the base to lead you down into the work done by the kernel for your programs. There's plenty of annotated source code here, both for x86 and PowerPC architectures. The inclusion of PowerPC information was an unexpected bonus; other books I've read have usually ignored that entirely or glossed it over quickly.

Of course you need a background in C, and while this does try to cover general kernel subjects, it wouldn't hurt to have at least some prior reading there. A little familiarity with hardware and light assembly language will help also, although the authors do give some coverage there.

I'm looking forward to spending more time exploring this book.

 

Back Cover Copy


Learn Linux kernel programming, hands-on: a uniquely effective top-down approach

The Linux^® Kernel Primer is the definitive guide to Linux kernel programming. The authors' unique top-down approach makes kernel programming easier to understand by systematically tracing functionality from user space into the kernel and carefully associating kernel internals with user-level programming fundamentals. Their approach helps you build on what you already know about Linux, gaining a deep understanding of how the kernel works and how its elements fit together.

One step at a time, the authors introduce all the tools and assembly language programming techniques required to understand kernel code and control its behavior. They compare x86 and PowerPC implementations side-by-side, illuminating cryptic functionality through carefully-annotated source code examples and realistic projects. The Linux^® Kernel Primer is the first book to offer in-depth coverage of the rapidly growing PowerPC Linux development platform, and the only book to thoroughly discuss kernel configuration with the Linux build system. Coverage includes

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  Data structures
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  x86 and PPC assembly language
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  Viewing kernel internals
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  Linux process model
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  User and kernel space
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  Interrupts and exceptions
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  Memory allocation and tracking
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  Tracing subsystem behavior
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  I/O interactions
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  Filesystems and file operations
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  Scheduling and synchronization
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  Kernel boot process
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  Kernel build system
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  Configuration options
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  Device drivers
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  And more

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews & Comments
I've been less than happy with other kernel books before, so when this landed in my mailbox, I was prepared for disappointment. I've been down this road: it's too overwhelming a subject, authors typically assume far too much prior knowledge, and I'm left feeling puzzled and confused. Well, the subject is overwhelming, and it really can't be covered in one book. But you have to start somewhere, and this looks like the best place I've seen so far. Yes, of course you'll need and want other books, and you'll need to spend a lot of time experimenting on your own, but this is (as the title says) your primer: the book that introduces and explains all the confusing little conventions and quirks that you need to know to avoid being totally lost. I really like the approach of trying to relate everything to user space programs and of writing example code and drivers to illustrate concepts. The authors have also made an effort to point out and elucidate the things that confused them when they first started looking at the kernel. Every chapter has at least a few review questions at the end, and lots of annotated source code. Four projects get you started with actual kernel programming. There are, of course, ommissions and lightly covered areas. Six hundred pages aren't enough to cover everything in depth, and there has to be at least some basic assumption of programming knowledge. But overall, this looks great and I'm looking forward to spending more time with it. Comment | Permalink | (Report this)