Why is Linux so efficient? Is it the right operating system for a particular application? What can be learned from looking at the kernel source code? These are the kinds of questions that Understanding the Linux Kernel takes in stride in this guided tour of the code that forms the core of all Linux operating systems.Linux is presented too often as a casual hacker experiment. It has increasingly become not only a mission-critical part of many organizations, but a sophisticated display of programming skill. It incorporates many advanced operating system concepts and has proven itself extremely robust and efficient for a wide range of uses.Understanding the Linux Kernel helps readers understand how Linux performs best and how it meets the challenge of different environments. The authors introduce each topic by explaining its importance, and show how kernel operations relate to the utilities that are familiar to Unix programmers and users.Major topics include:
<ul>
<li>Memory management, including file buffering, process swapping, and Direct Memory Access (DMA)</li>
<li>The Virtual File System and the Second Extended File System</li>
<li>Process creation and scheduling</li>
<li>Signals, interrupts, and the essential interfaces to device drivers</li>
<li>Timing</li>
<li>Synchronization in the kernel</li>
<li>Inter-Process Communication (IPC)</li>
<li>Program execution</li>
</ul>

Understanding the LINUX Kernel: From I/O Ports to Process Management

Computers & Technology

Marco Cesati

Daniel Pierre Bovet

Operating Systems

O'Reilly Media

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:
<ul>
<li>Memory management including file buffering, process swapping, and Direct memory Access (DMA)</li>
<li>The Virtual Filesystem and the Second Extended Filesystem</li>
<li>Process creation and scheduling</li>
<li>Signals, interrupts, and the essential interfaces to device drivers</li>
<li>Timing</li>
<li>Synchronization in the kernel</li>
<li>Interprocess Communication (IPC)</li>
<li>Program execution</li>
</ul>
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.

Understanding the Linux Kernel (2nd Edition)

Daniel P. Bovet

in-depth understanding of Linux kernel (third edition)(Chinese Edition)

Bovet

China Electric Power Press

The kernel handles all interactions between the CPU and the external world, and determines which programs will share processor time, in what order. It manages limited memory so well that hundreds of processes can share the system efficiently, and expertly organizes data transfers so that the CPU isn't kept waiting any longer than necessary for the relatively slow disks. The third edition of Understanding the Linux Kernel takes you on a guided tour of the most significant data structures, algorithms, and programming tricks used in the kernel. Probing beyond superficial features, the authors offer valuable insights to people who want to know how things really work inside their machine. Important Intel-specific features are discussed. Relevant segments of code are dissected line by line. But the book covers more than just the functioning of the code; it explains the theoretical underpinnings of why Linux does things the way it does.

Understanding the Linux Kernel

Shroff Publishers & Distributors Pvt Ltd

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Marco Cesati. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Marco Cesati