|
 |
|
 |
 |
Understanding the Linux Kernel (2nd Edition)
|
by Daniel P. Bovet and Marco Cesati
Sales Rank: 338896
|
$3.07
At Amazon

|
|
Paperback: 816 pages
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; 2 edition December 2002
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0596002130
ISBN-13: 978-0596002138
Product Dimensions:
11.1 x 7 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
Book Description
To thoroughly understand what makes Linux tick and why it's so efficient, you need to delve deep into the heart of the operating system--into the Linux kernel itself. The kernel is Linux--in the case of the Linux operating system, it's the only bit of software to which the term "Linux" applies. The kernel handles all the requests or completed I/O operations and determines which programs will share its processing time, and in what order. Responsible for the sophisticated memory management of the whole system, the Linux kernel is the force behind the legendary Linux efficiency. The new edition of Understanding the Linux Kernel takes you on a guided tour through the most significant data structures, many algorithms, and programming tricks used in the kernel. Probing beyond the superficial features, the authors offer valuable insights to people who want to know how things really work inside their machine. Relevant segments of code are dissected and discussed line by line. The book covers more than just the functioning of the code, it explains the theoretical underpinnings for why Linux does things the way it does. The new edition of the book has been updated to cover version 2.4 of the kernel, which is quite different from version 2.2: the virtual memory system is entirely new, support for multiprocessor systems is improved, and whole new classes of hardware devices have been added. The authors explore each new feature in detail. Other topics in the book include: - Memory management including file buffering, process swapping, and Direct memory Access (DMA)
- The Virtual Filesystem and the Second Extended Filesystem
- Process creation and scheduling
- Signals, interrupts, and the essential interfaces to device drivers
- Timing
- Synchronization in the kernel
- Interprocess Communication (IPC)
- Program execution
Understanding the Linux Kernel, Second Edition will acquaint you with all the inner workings of Linux, but is more than just an academic exercise. You'll learn what conditions bring out Linux's best performance, and you'll see how it meets the challenge of providing good system response during process scheduling, file access, and memory management in a wide variety of environments. If knowledge is power, then this book will help you make the most of your Linux system.
About The Author
received a degree in mathematics in 1992 and a Ph.D. in computer science (University of Rome, "La Sapienza") in 1995. He is now a research assistant in the computer science department of the School of Engineering (University of Rome, "Tor Vergata"). In the past, he served as system administrator and Unix programmer for the university (as a Ph.D. student) and for several institutions (as a consultant).
Customer Reviews & Comments
My interest Ranges from admin to security to <big focus> drivers. This book (or tome in many peoples eyes) is the utter definition of 'internals explained'. I sat with this book and Linux Device Drivers 2nd Edition (also from O'Reilly) and practically obsessed! It's generally very good for anyone who does /anything/ linux. You will learn how to communicate with the kernel, and get a great explanation of all kernel specific functions. Whether you talk to it, interprocess with it, whatever; this book will be a /major/ help for kernel related tasks, It was for me. As a bonus, in the back you can find all functions and headers by reference and alphabetic. In essence, i was very satisfied and glad i came upon this 'tome'. Hope this helps
Comment | Permalink |
(Report this)
|
Understanding the Linux Kernel (2nd Edition)
Available from Amazon
Price: $3.07

| |
|
|
|
|