Linux Kernel Programming: A Hands-On Guide to Building, Modifying, and Debugging (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798188580933)

This book is a highly practical, step-by-step guide to writing, compiling, and debugging code at the lowest levels of the operating system. You will learn how to bypass standard user-space restrictions, build your own custom monolithic kernel from raw source code, and write Loadable Kernel Modules that interact directly with physical hardware.

Imagine writing a few lines of standard C code. You compile it, execute it, and immediately your entire computer freezes. The screen locks up, the keyboard goes dead, and the machine panics. That is the terrifying reality of a single mistake in kernel development. I remember that exact feeling of staring at a locked monitor, wondering what single misplaced memory pointer brought down the entire system. I wrote this book to give you the map I never had. We will cross the boundary between standard applications and the core operating system together, transforming the fear of catastrophic failure into absolute, calculated control over the machine.

What's Inside

This complete eight-chapter guide strips away the mystery of the operating system. You will master:

• Custom Compilation: Building, configuring, and booting your own kernel safely.
• Driver Development: Writing character device drivers to transfer data securely across the user-space boundary.
• Memory Management: Using the Buddy System and Slab Allocator to request memory without triggering the Out-Of-Memory killer.
• Execution Control: Modifying process scheduling and forging brand-new System Calls.
• Hardware Interrupts: Catching electrical signals and deferring heavy processing using Tasklets and Workqueues to prevent deadlocks.
• Advanced Diagnostics: Freezing the operating system live for interactive debugging using QEMU, GDB, and Ftrace.

This guide is designed for C programmers, systems engineers, and software developers who are tired of writing applications that sit safely on top of the operating system. If you want to break through the security boundaries, communicate directly with hardware, and understand exactly how a computer manages its resources, this is for you.

Stop accepting the operating system as a black box you cannot touch. It is time to step out of restricted user space and take total command of your hardware. Grab your copy today, open your terminal, and start writing the code that runs the machine.