In order to thoroughly understand what makes Linux tick and why it works so well on a wide
variety of systems you need to delve deep into the heart of the kernel. 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. This
edition of the book covers Version 2.6 which has seen significant changes to nearly every
kernel subsystem particularly in the areas of memory management and block devices. The book
focuses on the following topics: - Memory management including file buffering process
swapping and Direct memory Access (DMA) - The Virtual Filesystem layer and the Second and
Third Extended Filesystems - Process creation and scheduling - Signals interrupts and the
essential interfaces to device drivers - Timing - Synchronization within the kernel -
Interprocess Communication (IPC) - Program execution Understanding the Linux Kernel will
acquaint you with all the inner workings of Linux but it's 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. This book will help you make the most
of your Linux system.
