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An Introduction to
Kernel Programming
Brief review
of basic Linux concepts
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Protected mode memory management—user
space vs. kernel space
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File system and directory structure
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Development environment
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Introducing device
drivers
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What is a “device driver”?
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Linux device classes and user space API
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Kernel space driver API
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“Hooking” a driver into the kernel
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Kernel modules
Debugging kernel
modules
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printk
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proc files
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Tracing—strace, Linux trace toolkit
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Debuggers—gdb, kdb, kgdb
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Asynchronous I/O
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Blocking vs. non-blocking operation
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Invoking the driver from multiple
processes—reentrancy
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Kernel memory
management
Accessing real
hardware
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Using I/O Ports--“side effects”
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A parallel port driver
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Platform dependencies
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Interrupt handling
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How Linux handles interrupts
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Implementing and installing an interrupt
handler
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Bottom halves -- work queues, and tasklets
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Managing
Time
Block drivers
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Registering a block driver
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Handling requests
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Mounting and unmounting
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Network drivers
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Sockets |
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Network driver methods |
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NAPI
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 What
do we mean when we say “device driver”?
Fundamentally, a device driver
implements the interface between a piece of peripheral hardware and the
application. In a traditional unprotected,
“flat” memory model system, a driver may be little more than a set of
functions conforming to a well-defined API and statically linked into an
executable image.
But
in the context of a protected mode operating system such as Linux, device
drivers take on added significance owing to the distinction between User
space and Kernel space. This 3-day hands-on
seminar provides an introduction to the wonderful world of programming in
Kernel space. As such, it provides
insights not only into device driver programming, but also into the
philosophy and design strategies of the kernel itself.
Numerous programming exercises introduce the rich kernel
API that offers a multitude of services to driver writers. You’ll learn how Linux handles
asynchronous I/O in a way that is totally transparent to applications. You’ll examine the unique problems of
debugging in Kernel space. Perhaps
most important, you’ll see how much of a device driver involves interactions
with the kernel that have nothing to do with accessing physical hardware.
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