★★★★★ 5
Broad, detailed and comprehensible book on Linux Kernel Programming
Format: Paperback, Format: Paperback
I got on my desk a copy of "Linux Kernel Programmin (2E)" by Kaiwan N. Billimoria
and will shortly mention what this book is about.
It is a book that you can read cover-to-cover to have a better understanding of kernel development,
but I see also how it can be used as a reference when you are going to throw C code at your compiler
and build a linux kernel.
There is a number of scenario why you might want to do that:
- You are recompiling the kernel for a new machine that needs better support
- You are going to implement a kernel module and you need some context
- You are going to work on the kernel yourself
While all of those use-cases for the book are technically a fit, apart from gaining some
higher understanding I see the most out of it if you are going to code on the kernel itself.
There you have everything that is needed. You can go back and forth between your code
and the book, and still learn by doing.
What mostly impressed me is the breath of the topics: the chapter about writing
a config file for the kernel enlists a total of seven (7!) different strategies
to get started with a configuration file for your kernel.
Also a lot of side tools are mentioned to help out with kernel development and
debugging.
Quite some module development can be in theory done without fully understanding
the details of the kernel itself, but the deeper you reach, the more you will
need the details that are well discussed in the book.
Memory allocation, CPU scheduling algorithms, the book does not try to save
words and describe in detail and plain language most things there is to know,
not sparing plenty of references to other books and articles.
Also, the material is up-to-date with the latest kernel.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2024
