Linux Inside: how the kernel works
Summary
0xAX uses the real Linux source code to walk through the boot process, memory management, interrupts, system calls and synchronisation. Linux Inside is freely available on GitBook and GitHub. The series starts with x86-64 boot code.
Ideas
- The early boot code switches step by step to the final execution environment.
- Interrupt tables connect hardware events with kernel routines.
- Virtual memory separates address spaces and manages physical pages.
- System calls form the controlled transition from user space.
Insights
- Learning guided by source code connects abstract concepts with concrete implementation constraints.
- Understanding of the kernel grows better along one flow than through isolated APIs.
- Architecture-specific code explains many seemingly arbitrary start-up steps.
Facts
- Every chapter refers to kernel sources.
Recommendations
- Read the chapters together with the same kernel version in the source tree.
- Test your observations in a virtual machine with debug symbols.
References
Links to the original source and the Web Archive open in a new tab.