book

Linux System Programming

Name: Linux System Programming
Author: Robert Love
ISBN: 9780596009588

by Robert Love

September 2007

Intermediate to advanced

388 pages

10h 41m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

Read now

Unlock full access

Foreword
Preface
Audience and AssumptionsContents of This BookVersions Covered in This BookConventions Used in This BookSafari® Books OnlineUsing Code ExamplesHow to Contact UsAcknowledgments
1. Introduction and Essential Concepts
System ProgrammingSystem CallsInvoking system callsThe C LibraryThe C CompilerAPIs and ABIsAPIsABIsStandardsPOSIX and SUS HistoryC Language StandardsLinux and the StandardsThis Book and the StandardsConcepts of Linux ProgrammingFiles and the FilesystemRegular filesDirectories and linksHard linksSymbolic linksSpecial filesFilesystems and namespacesProcessesThreadsProcess hierarchyUsers and GroupsPermissionsSignalsInterprocess CommunicationHeadersError HandlingGetting Started with System Programming
2. File I/O
Opening FilesThe open( ) System CallFlags for open( )Owners of New FilesPermissions of New FilesThe creat( ) FunctionReturn Values and Error CodesReading via read( )Return ValuesReading All the BytesNonblocking ReadsOther Error ValuesSize Limits on read( )Writing with write( )Partial WritesAppend ModeNonblocking WritesOther Error CodesSize Limits on write( )Behavior of write( )Synchronized I/Ofsync( ) and fdatasync( )Return values and error codessync( )The O_SYNC FlagO_DSYNC and O_RSYNCDirect I/OClosing FilesError ValuesSeeking with lseek( )Seeking Past the End of a FileError ValuesLimitationsPositional Reads and WritesError ValuesTruncating FilesMultiplexed I/Oselect( )Return values and error codesselect( ) examplePortable sleeping with select( )pselect( )poll( )Return values and error codespoll( ) exampleppoll( )poll( ) Versus select( )Kernel InternalsThe Virtual FilesystemThe Page CachePage WritebackConclusion
3. Buffered I/O
User-Buffered I/OBlock SizeStandard I/OFile PointersOpening FilesModesOpening a Stream via File DescriptorClosing StreamsClosing All StreamsReading from a StreamReading a Character at a TimePutting the character backReading an Entire LineReading arbitrary stringsReading Binary DataWriting to a StreamWriting a Single CharacterWriting a String of CharactersWriting Binary DataSample Program Using Buffered I/OSeeking a StreamObtaining the Current Stream PositionFlushing a StreamErrors and End-of-FileObtaining the Associated File DescriptorControlling the BufferingThread SafetyManual File LockingUnlocked Stream OperationsCritiques of Standard I/OConclusion
4. Advanced File I/O
Scatter/Gather I/Oreadv( ) and writev( )Return valueswritev( ) examplereadv( ) exampleImplementationThe Event Poll InterfaceCreating a New Epoll InstanceControlling EpollWaiting for Events with EpollEdge- Versus Level-Triggered EventsMapping Files into Memorymmap( )The page sizesysconf( )getpagesize( )PAGE_SIZEReturn values and error codesAssociated signalsmunmap( )Mapping ExampleAdvantages of mmap( )Disadvantages of mmap( )Resizing a MappingReturn values and error codesChanging the Protection of a MappingReturn values and error codesSynchronizing a File with a MappingReturn values and error codesGiving Advice on a MappingReturn values and error codesAdvice for Normal File I/OThe posix_fadvise( ) System CallReturn values and error codesThe readahead( ) System CallReturn values and error codesAdvice Is CheapSynchronized, Synchronous, and Asynchronous OperationsAsynchronous I/OThread-based asynchronous I/OI/O Schedulers and I/O PerformanceDisk AddressingThe Life of an I/O SchedulerHelping Out ReadsThe Deadline I/O SchedulerThe Anticipatory I/O SchedulerThe CFQ I/O SchedulerThe Noop I/O SchedulerSelecting and Configuring Your I/O SchedulerOptimizing I/O PerformanceScheduling I/O in user spaceSorting by pathSorting by inodeSorting by physical blockConclusion
5. Process Management
The Process IDProcess ID AllocationThe Process Hierarchypid_tObtaining the Process ID and Parent Process IDRunning a New ProcessThe Exec Family of CallsThe rest of the familyError valuesThe fork( ) System CallCopy-on-writevfork( )Terminating a ProcessOther Ways to Terminateatexit( )on_exit( )SIGCHLDWaiting for Terminated Child ProcessesWaiting for a Specific ProcessEven More Waiting VersatilityBSD Wants to Play: wait3( ) and wait4( )Launching and Waiting for a New ProcessZombiesUsers and GroupsReal, Effective, and Saved User and Group IDsChanging the Real or Saved User or Group IDChanging the Effective User or Group IDChanging the User and Group IDs, BSD StyleChanging the User and Group IDs, HP-UX StylePreferred User/Group ID ManipulationsSupport for Saved User IDsObtaining the User and Group IDsSessions and Process GroupsSession System CallsProcess Group System CallsObsolete Process Group FunctionsDaemonsConclusion
6. Advanced Process Management
Process SchedulingBig-Oh NotationTimeslicesI/O- Versus Processor-Bound ProcessesPreemptive SchedulingThreadingYielding the ProcessorLegitimate UsesYielding, Past and PresentProcess Prioritiesnice( )getpriority( ) and setpriority( )I/O PrioritiesProcessor Affinitysched_getaffinity() and sched_setaffinity( )Real-Time SystemsHard Versus Soft Real-Time SystemsLatency, Jitter, and DeadlinesLinux’s Real-Time SupportLinux Scheduling Policies and PrioritiesThe first in, first out policyThe round-robin policyThe normal policyThe batch scheduling policySetting the Linux scheduling policyError codesSetting Scheduling ParametersError codesDetermining the range of valid prioritiessched_rr_get_interval( )Error codesPrecautions with Real-Time ProcessesDeterminismPrefaulting data and locking memoryCPU affinity and real-time processesResource LimitsThe LimitsDefault limitsSetting and Retrieving LimitsError codes
7. File and Directory Management
Files and Their MetadataThe Stat FamilyPermissionsOwnershipExtended AttributesKeys and valuesExtended attribute namespacesExtended attribute operationsRetrieving an extended attributeSetting an extended attributeListing the extended attributes on a fileRemoving an extended attributeDirectoriesThe Current Working DirectoryObtaining the current working directoryChanging the current working directoryCreating DirectoriesRemoving DirectoriesReading a Directory’s ContentsReading from a directory streamClosing the directory streamSystem calls for reading directory contentsLinksHard LinksSymbolic LinksUnlinkingCopying and Moving FilesCopyingMovingDevice NodesSpecial Device NodesThe Random Number GeneratorOut-of-Band CommunicationMonitoring File EventsInitializing inotifyWatchesAdding a new watchWatch masksinotify EventsReading inotify eventsAdvanced inotify eventsLinking together move eventsAdvanced Watch OptionsRemoving an inotify WatchObtaining the Size of the Event QueueDestroying an inotify Instance
8. Memory Management
The Process Address SpacePages and PagingSharing and copy-on-writeMemory RegionsAllocating Dynamic MemoryAllocating ArraysResizing AllocationsFreeing Dynamic MemoryAlignmentAllocating aligned memoryOlder interfacesOther alignment concernsNonstandard typesPlaying with pointersManaging the Data SegmentAnonymous Memory MappingsCreating Anonymous Memory MappingsMapping /dev/zeroAdvanced Memory AllocationFine-Tuning with malloc_usable_size( ) and malloc_trim( )Debugging Memory AllocationsObtaining StatisticsStack-Based AllocationsDuplicating Strings on the StackVariable-Length ArraysChoosing a Memory Allocation MechanismManipulating MemorySetting BytesComparing BytesMoving BytesSearching BytesFrobnicating BytesLocking MemoryLocking Part of an Address SpaceLocking All of an Address SpaceUnlocking MemoryLocking LimitsIs a Page in Physical Memory?Opportunistic AllocationOvercommitting and OOM

9. Signals
Signal ConceptsSignal IdentifiersSignals Supported by LinuxBasic Signal ManagementWaiting for a Signal, Any SignalExamplesExecution and InheritanceMapping Signal Numbers to StringsSending a SignalPermissionsExamplesSending a Signal to YourselfSending a Signal to an Entire Process GroupReentrancyGuaranteed-Reentrant FunctionsSignal SetsMore Signal Set FunctionsBlocking SignalsRetrieving Pending SignalsWaiting for a Set of SignalsAdvanced Signal ManagementThe siginfo_t StructureThe Wonderful World of si_codeSending a Signal with a PayloadExampleConclusion
10. Time
Time’s Data StructuresThe Original RepresentationAnd Now, Microsecond PrecisionEven Better: Nanosecond PrecisionBreaking Down TimeA Type for Process TimePOSIX ClocksTime Source ResolutionGetting the Current Time of DayA Better InterfaceAn Advanced InterfaceGetting the Process TimeSetting the Current Time of DaySetting Time with PrecisionAn Advanced Interface for Setting the TimePlaying with TimeTuning the System ClockSleeping and WaitingSleeping with Microsecond PrecisionSleeping with Nanosecond ResolutionAn Advanced Approach to SleepA Portable Way to SleepOverrunsAlternatives to SleepingTimersSimple AlarmsInterval TimersAdvanced TimersCreating a timerArming a timerObtaining the expiration of a timerObtaining the overrun of a timerDeleting a timer
A. GCC Extensions to the C Language
GNU CInline FunctionsSuppressing InliningPure FunctionsConstant FunctionsFunctions That Do Not ReturnFunctions That Allocate MemoryForcing Callers to Check the Return ValueMarking Functions As DeprecatedMarking Functions As UsedMarking Functions or Parameters As UnusedPacking a StructureIncreasing the Alignment of a VariablePlacing Global Variables in a RegisterBranch AnnotationGetting the Type of an ExpressionGetting the Alignment of a TypeThe Offset of a Member Within a StructureObtaining the Return Address of a FunctionCase RangesVoid and Function Pointer ArithmeticMore Portable and More Beautiful in One Fell Swoop
Bibliography
About the Author
Colophon
Copyright

Content preview from Linux System Programming

Bibliography

This bibliography presents recommended reading related to system programming, broken down into four subcategories. None of these works are required reading. Instead, they represent my take on the top books on the given subject matter. If you find yourself pining for more information on the topics discussed here, these are my favorites.

Some of these books address material with which this book assumes the reader is already conversant, such as the C programming language. Other texts included make great supplements to this book, such as the works covering gdb, Subversion (svn), or operating system design. Still others handle topics that are beyond the scope of this book, such as multithreading of sockets. Whatever the case, I recommend them all. Of course, these lists are certainly not exhaustive—feel free to explore other resources.

Books on the C Programming Language

These books document the C programming language, the lingua franca of system programming. If you do not code C as well as you speak your native tongue, one or more of the following works (coupled with a lot of practice!) ought to help you in that direction. If nothing else, the first title—universally known as K&R—is a treat to read. Its brevity reveals the simplicity of C.

The C Programming Language, 2nd ed. Brian WKernighan and Dennis MRitchie. Prentice Hall, 1988. This book, written by the author of the C programming language and his then-coworker, is the bible of C programming.

C in a Nutshell. PeterPrinz ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.

Julian F.

Head of Cybersecurity

I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.

Addison B.

Field Engineer

I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.

Amir M.

Data Platform Tech Lead

I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.

Mark W.

Embedded Software Engineer

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 0596009585Errata Page

Cloud Computing

Data Engineering

Data Science

AI & ML

Programming Languages

Software Architecture

IT/Ops

Security

Design

Business

Soft Skills

Linux System Programming

by Robert Love