Kernel Programming

This is the home page for the "Kernel Programming" course. Here, you will find (in a badly-organised form) all the material, slides, and information needed to attend the course

Lessons:

• First lesson: 2018/1/22, 9:30 -> 12
• Second lesson: 2018/1/29, 9:30 -> 12
  • Recording of an introduction to Linux kernel modules
  • How to use a kernel module in a VM
  • Modules that can crash or hang the kernel
  • How to build a minimal OS to test a Linux kernel
• Third lesson: 2018/2/05, 9:30 -> 12, Palazzo Toscanelli, room 1
  • Something about user space / kernel space interactions
  • More advanced examples on misc devices
• Forth lesson: 2018/2/12, 9:30 -> 12, sede centrale, aula 10
  • Misc devices, again (with mutexes for competitive synchronization)
  • Cooperative synchronization on device files
  • Coping with signals
  • Cooperative synchronization with completions
• Fifth lesson: 2018/2/19, 9:30 -> 12, sede centrale, aula 6
  • Possible solution for the proposed exercize
• Sixth lesson: 2018/2/26, 9:30 -> 12, sede centrale, aula 6
  • Discussion of the solution of the previous exercise
  • Example on kernel threads...
  • ...And some slides about kernel synchronization and locking
• Seventh lesson: Friday March 9, 15:00, at tecip in PC room
  • Example about kernel threads and description of an exercize to be solved
  • Discussion of a possible solution to the exercize
  • Example about mutex debugging and lock dependencies
• Last lesson: Friday March 16, 15:00, at tecip in Grey room
  • First part: the CPU scheduler in general and in Linux
  • Second part: the fixed priority scheduling class in the Linux kernel

Slides:

• Introduction to the course
• Linux kernel modules
• Something about OS kernels
• Kernel synchronization and locking
• The CPU Scheduler, with focus on Linux

Example Code:

• Example of toy kernel that just boots
• The simplest Linux kernel module
• Linux kernel modules: first examples
• Linux kernel modules: more examples
• Linux kernel modules: advanced examples
• Lists in the Linux kernel
• Example with kernel threads and devices
• Example about bugs in using mutexes

Other Material:

• Basic OS image for testing the modules (built with https://gitlab.retis.sssup.it/l.abeni/BuildCore.git)
  • To update this image, create a new cpio file by putting what you need in a directory, and then running "find . | cpio -H newc -o | gzip > ../mod.gz" from inside the directory. The resulting .gz file can be concatenated with tinyfs.gz
• Precompiled Linux kernel (published for your convenience only, you are encouraged to compile your own kernel!)