Topics included:

• How the kernel is organized (scheduler, virtual memory system, filesystem layers, device driver layers, networking stacks)
  • The interface between each module and the rest of the kernel
  • Kernel support functions and algorithms used by each module
  • How modules provide for multiple implementations of similar functionality
• Ground rules of kernel programming (races, deadlock conditions)
• Implementation and properties of the most important algorithms
  • Portability
  • Performance
  • Functionality
• Comparison between Linux and UNIX kernels, with emphasis on differences in algorithms
• Details of the Linux scheduler
  • Its VM system
  • The ext2fs filesystem
• The requirements for portability between architectures

Topics not covered:
This class will not contain a detailed examination of the kernel source, but will rather offer an overview and roap of Linux's design and functionality, as the ground work for future exploration.

Who should attend:
Application programmers and beginning kernel developers. You should be reasonably familiar with C programming in the UNIX environment, but no prior experience with the UNIX or Linux kernel code is assumed.