Discover how to write high-quality character driver code, interface with userspace, work with chip memory, and gain an in-depth understanding of working with hardware interrupts and kernel synchronization

Key Features

• Delve into hardware interrupt handling, threaded IRQs, tasklets, softirqs, and understand which to use when
• Explore powerful techniques to perform user-kernel interfacing, peripheral I/O and use kernel mechanisms
• Work with key kernel synchronization primitives to solve kernel concurrency issues

Book Description

Linux Kernel Programming Part 2 - Char Device Drivers and Kernel Synchronization is an ideal companion guide to the Linux Kernel Programming book. This book provides a comprehensive introduction for those new to Linux device driver development and will have you up and running with writing misc class character device driver code (on the 5.4 LTS Linux kernel) in next to no time.

You'll begin by learning how to write a simple and complete misc class character driver before interfacing your driver with user-mode processes via procfs, sysfs, debugfs, netlink sockets, and ioctl. You'll then find out how to work with hardware I/O memory. The book covers working with hardware interrupts in depth and helps you understand interrupt request (IRQ) allocation, threaded IRQ handlers, tasklets, and softirqs. You'll also explore the practical usage of useful kernel mechanisms, setting up delays, timers, kernel threads, and workqueues. Finally, you'll discover how to deal with the complexity of kernel synchronization with locking technologies (mutexes, spinlocks, and atomic/refcount operators), including more advanced topics such as cache effects, a primer on lock-free techniques, deadlock avoidance (with lockdep), and kernel lock debugging techniques.

By the end of this Linux kernel book, you'll have learned the fundamentals of writing Linux character device driver code for real-world projects and products.

What you will learn

• Get to grips with the basics of the modern Linux Device Model (LDM)
• Write a simple yet complete misc class character device driver
• Perform user-kernel interfacing using popular methods
• Understand and handle hardware interrupts confidently
• Perform I/O on peripheral hardware chip memory
• Explore kernel APIs to work with delays, timers, kthreads, and workqueues
• Understand kernel concurrency issues
• Work with key kernel synchronization primitives and discover how to detect and avoid deadlock

Who this book is for

An understanding of the topics covered in the Linux Kernel Programming book is highly recommended to make the most of this book. This book is for Linux programmers beginning to find their way with device driver development. Linux device driver developers looking to overcome frequent and common kernel/driver development issues, as well as perform common driver tasks such as user-kernel interfaces, performing peripheral I/O, handling hardware interrupts, and dealing with concurrency will benefit from this book. A basic understanding of Linux kernel internals (and common APIs), kernel module development, and C programming is required.

Table of Contents

1. Writing a simple Misc Character Device Driver
2. User-Kernel Communication Pathways
3. Working with hardware IO Memory
4. Handling Hardware Interrupts
5. Timers, Kernel Threads and More
6. Kernel Synchronization, Part 1

Learn how to write high-quality kernel module code, solve common Linux kernel programming issues, and understand the fundamentals of Linux kernel internals

Key Features

• Discover how to write kernel code using the Loadable Kernel Module framework
• Explore industry-grade techniques to perform efficient memory allocation and data synchronization within the kernel
• Understand the essentials of key internals topics such as kernel architecture, memory management, CPU scheduling, and kernel synchronization

Book Description

Linux Kernel Programming is a comprehensive introduction for those new to Linux kernel and module development. This easy-to-follow guide will have you up and running with writing kernel code in next-to-no time. This book uses the latest 5.4 Long-Term Support (LTS) Linux kernel, which will be maintained from November 2019 through to December 2025. By working with the 5.4 LTS kernel throughout the book, you can be confident that your knowledge will continue to be valid for years to come.

You'll start the journey by learning how to build the kernel from the source. Next, you'll write your first kernel module using the powerful Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) framework. The following chapters will cover key kernel internals topics including Linux kernel architecture, memory management, and CPU scheduling.

During the course of this book, you'll delve into the fairly complex topic of concurrency within the kernel, understand the issues it can cause, and learn how they can be addressed with various locking technologies (mutexes, spinlocks, atomic, and refcount operators). You'll also benefit from more advanced material on cache effects, a primer on lock-free techniques within the kernel, deadlock avoidance (with lockdep), and kernel lock debugging techniques.

By the end of this kernel book, you'll have a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of writing Linux kernel module code for real-world projects and products.

What you will learn

• Write high-quality modular kernel code (LKM framework) for 5.x kernels
• Configure and build a kernel from source
• Explore the Linux kernel architecture
• Get to grips with key internals regarding memory management within the kernel
• Understand and work with various dynamic kernel memory alloc/dealloc APIs
• Discover key internals aspects regarding CPU scheduling within the kernel
• Gain an understanding of kernel concurrency issues
• Find out how to work with key kernel synchronization primitives

Who this book is for

This book is for Linux programmers beginning to find their way with Linux kernel development. If you're a Linux kernel and driver developer looking to overcome frequent and common kernel development issues, or understand kernel intervals, you'll find plenty of useful information.

You'll need a solid foundation of Linux CLI and C programming before you can jump in.

Table of Contents

1. Kernel Workspace Setup
2. Building the 5.0 Linux kernel from Source, Part 1
3. Building the 5.0 Linux kernel from Source, Part 2
4. Writing your First Kernel Module, Part 1
5. Writing your First Kernel Module - Part 2
6. Kernel Internals Essentials - Processes and Threads
7. Memory Management Internals - Essentials
8. Kernel Memory Allocation for Module Authors, Part 1
9. Kernel Memory All

Get up and running with system programming concepts in Linux

Key Features

• Acquire insight on Linux system architecture and its programming interfaces
• Get to grips with core concepts such as process management, signalling and pthreads
• Packed with industry best practices and dozens of code examples

Book Description

The Linux OS and its embedded and server applications are critical components of today’s software infrastructure in a decentralized, networked universe. The industry's demand for proficient Linux developers is only rising with time. Hands-On System Programming with Linux gives you a solid theoretical base and practical industry-relevant descriptions, and covers the Linux system programming domain. It delves into the art and science of Linux application programming— system architecture, process memory and management, signaling, timers, pthreads, and file IO.

This book goes beyond the use API X to do Y approach; it explains the concepts and theories required to understand programming interfaces and design decisions, the tradeoffs made by experienced developers when using them, and the rationale behind them. Troubleshooting tips and techniques are included in the concluding chapter.

By the end of this book, you will have gained essential conceptual design knowledge and hands-on experience working with Linux system programming interfaces.

What you will learn

• Explore the theoretical underpinnings of Linux system architecture
• Understand why modern OSes use virtual memory and dynamic memory APIs
• Get to grips with dynamic memory issues and effectively debug them
• Learn key concepts and powerful system APIs related to process management
• Effectively perform file IO and use signaling and timers
• Deeply understand multithreading concepts, pthreads APIs, synchronization and scheduling

Who this book is for

Hands-On System Programming with Linux is for Linux system engineers, programmers, or anyone who wants to go beyond using an API set to understanding the theoretical underpinnings and concepts behind powerful Linux system programming APIs. To get the most out of this book, you should be familiar with Linux at the user-level logging in, using shell via the command line interface, the ability to use tools such as find, grep, and sort. Working knowledge of the C programming language is required. No prior experience with Linux systems programming is assumed.

Table of Contents

1. Linux System Architecture
2. Virtual Memory
3. Resource Limits
4. Dynamic Memory Allocation
5. Linux Memory Issues
6. Debugging Tools for Common Memory Issues
7. Process Credentials
8. Process Execution
9. Process Capabilities
10. Process Creation
11. Signalling - Part 1
12. Signalling - Part 2
13. Timers
14. Multithreading with Pthreads Part 1-Essentials
15. Multithreading with Pthreads Part II - Synchronization
16. Multithreading with Pthreads Part III
17. CPU Scheduling on Linux
18. Advanced File I/O
19. Troubleshooting and Best Practices
20. File IO Essentials
21. Daemon Processes