How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Noud Aldenhoven]

Hello Kernel Develop mailing list,

I'm not sure if this is the right mailing list, but I couldn't find an
up-to-date topic with the same
context as this one. Furthermore I don't think this will cost very
much band width comparing it
with the amount of emails flowing though this mailing list. If I'm
wrong I'm sorry.

I'm a simple Math/Computer Science student and would like to learn
more about linux and it's kernel.
To be more precise, I'd to learn how to program in the linux kernel
and maybe become a developer,
if everything goes fine.
But where do I start? Almost all information I found on the Internet
if from before 2005 and I think that
means it's out-of-date. Are there up-to-date documentations that are
use full to read and explain how
the kernel is build. (for example, is /usr/src/linux/Documentation a
use full dir?)
An other question I'd like to ask is how and where did you start? I'd
like to know how you manage to became
linux kernel developers.

I do program in c and run Gentoo Linux, so I know quite some things
about Linux and I'm not a complete n00b.
At least, I don't think I am. '^^

Thank you,

Noud Aldenhoven

-- 
<:3 )~

Re: How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Rik van Riel]

Noud Aldenhoven wrote:

> I'm a simple Math/Computer Science student and would like to learn
> more about linux and it's kernel.

> But where do I start?

http://kernelnewbies.org/

-- 
Politics is the struggle between those who want to make their country
the best in the world, and those who believe it already is.  Each group
calls the other unpatriotic.

Re: How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Jesper Juhl]

On 21/08/07, Noud Aldenhoven <jwaixs@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello Kernel Develop mailing list,
>
...
>
> I'm a simple Math/Computer Science student and would like to learn
> more about linux and it's kernel.
> To be more precise, I'd to learn how to program in the linux kernel
> and maybe become a developer,
> if everything goes fine.
> But where do I start?

Start by reading Documentation/HOWTO from a recent copy of the kernel source.


> Almost all information I found on the Internet
> if from before 2005

There's lots of good kernel related material to be found online. See
for example :

http://kernelnewbies.org/
http://janitor.kernelnewbies.org/
http://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/
http://lwn.net/Kernel/
http://kerneltrap.org/
http://kerneltraffic.org/


> and I think that
> means it's out-of-date.

That's not always true.


> Are there up-to-date documentations that are
> use full to read and explain how
> the kernel is build. (for example, is /usr/src/linux/Documentation a
> use full dir?)

Yes it is useful.  Not everything in there is 100% up-to-date, but
there is still a *LOT* of useful documentation to be found there.


> An other question I'd like to ask is how and where did you start? I'd
> like to know how you manage to became
> linux kernel developers.
>
Most people start out fixing small bugs, cleanups etc or by
implementing some small feature or driver that they need. There's no
fixed way.


-- 
Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@gmail.com>
Don't top-post  http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/T/top-post.html
Plain text mails only, please      http://www.expita.com/nomime.html

Re: How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Glauber de Oliveira Costa]

On 8/21/07, Noud Aldenhoven <jwaixs@gmail.com> wrote:

> I'm a simple Math/Computer Science student and would like to learn
> more about linux and it's kernel.
> To be more precise, I'd to learn how to program in the linux kernel
> and maybe become a developer,
> if everything goes fine.
> But where do I start? Almost all information I found on the Internet
> if from before 2005 and I think that
> means it's out-of-date. Are there up-to-date documentations that are
> use full to read and explain how
> the kernel is build. (for example, is /usr/src/linux/Documentation a
> use full dir?)

Besides the sources already mentioned, there are a couple of quite
good books. I know at least Robert Love's Linus Kernel Development, by
O'Reilly, Rubini et. al. Linux Device Drivers,  and Mel Gorman's about
Virtual Memory, whose exact name I can't recall.

You can also try to start following LKML's flow. Maybe you won't
understand much in the beginning, but your comprehension on the
discussions will improve in the future. (Maybe reading a subsystem
mailing list - less traffic - is a good idea, if you have some
specific interests)

-- 
Glauber de Oliveira Costa.
"Free as in Freedom"
http://glommer.net

"The less confident you are, the more serious you have to act."

How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Noud Aldenhoven]

Thank you for your information and help,

I think it's a lot more clear for me now.
I've seen the ldd3 some time ago, but someone told me that book was
out-of-date. Guess he was wrong. Would it also be use full to use some
kind of cross-compiler? (don't know if that's the right word for it)
So I can run my stable kernel and on top of it a new experimental
kernel where I can experiment with?

Noud

-- 
<:3 )~

Re: How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Nicolas Vigier]

On Wed, 22 Aug 2007, Noud Aldenhoven wrote:

> Thank you for your information and help,
> 
> I think it's a lot more clear for me now.
> I've seen the ldd3 some time ago, but someone told me that book was
> out-of-date. Guess he was wrong. Would it also be use full to use some
> kind of cross-compiler? (don't know if that's the right word for it)
> So I can run my stable kernel and on top of it a new experimental
> kernel where I can experiment with?

You mean virtualization ? VMWare, Qemu, VirtualBox, Xen, KVM ...

Nicolas

Re: How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Jesper Juhl]

(please don't trim Cc lists when replying, just use Reply-to-all)

On 22/08/07, Noud Aldenhoven <jwaixs@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thank you for your information and help,
>
> I think it's a lot more clear for me now.
> I've seen the ldd3 some time ago, but someone told me that book was
> out-of-date. Guess he was wrong.

It /is/ out of date, but it still contains a lot of useful information.

> Would it also be use full to use some
> kind of cross-compiler? (don't know if that's the right word for it)
> So I can run my stable kernel and on top of it a new experimental
> kernel where I can experiment with?
>
A cross compiler is used to compile a kernel for one architecture
while running a different one. for example; building a kernel to run
on ppc64 while running i386.

-- 
Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@gmail.com>
Don't top-post  http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/T/top-post.html
Plain text mails only, please      http://www.expita.com/nomime.html

Re: How to learn Linux Kernel Programming

[Bernd Petrovitsch]

On Wed, 2007-08-22 at 06:47 +0000, Noud Aldenhoven wrote:
> Thank you for your information and help,
> 
> I think it's a lot more clear for me now.
> I've seen the ldd3 some time ago, but someone told me that book was
> out-of-date. Guess he was wrong. Would it also be use full to use some
> kind of cross-compiler? (don't know if that's the right word for it)

No.

> So I can run my stable kernel and on top of it a new experimental
> kernel where I can experiment with?

Then you want to use UserModeLinux.

	Bernd
-- 
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