Understanding the Linux Kernel: From I/O Ports to Process Management (O'Reilly Ser.)

Daniel PBovet MarcoCesati Ph.D.

• O'Reilly Media (2005年11月27日発売)

作品紹介・あらすじ

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.

感想・レビュー・書評

[kaizenさんの感想 · 2012年1月28日]

Linuxの実装の考え方を知るための本の最新版（第３版）

Linuxのソースコードを知るための本は別にあります。
Linuxの原理を知るための本も別にあります。

実装の考え方を知ってから、ソースコードを知るのがよいか、
原始を知ってから考え方を知るのがよいのかは、その人の性格、仕事の内容によるかもしれません。

Linuxで仕事をするのなら、読んであることが前提の本だと思います。
この本の内容を知っていて、議論できればと思っています。

[umenazoさんの感想 · 2011年11月28日]

技術書なので読み終わるなんてことはない。

知ってる人は知ってる聖書ではあるが、不満点がいくつか。

・ x86 をメインに書かれてること。
他のプロセッサ(MIPSとかARMとか)向けにも書いて欲しい。
それほど中身は変わらないとは思うがメモリ管理部分は混乱する。

・ 解説がほぼシングルプロセッサ向けであること
世はマルチコアです。
SMP, AMP, NoC などへの拡張希望

[Heterotic Lifeさんの感想 · 2008年2月12日]

Needless to say. Excellent. (Actually, some parts are a bit ambiguous, but you can read the source code if necessary.)