book

The Art of Linux Kernel Design

Name: The Art of Linux Kernel Design
Author: Lixiang Yang
ISBN: 9781466518049

by Lixiang Yang

April 2014

Beginner

534 pages

14h 4m

English

Auerbach Publications

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Cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Preface
Author
Chapter 1: From Power-Up to the Main Function
1.1 Loading BIOS, Constructing Interrupt Vector Table, and Activating Interrupt Service Routines in the Real Mode1.1.1 Procedure for Starting BIOS1.1.2 BIOS Loads the Interrupt Vector Table and Interrupt Service Routines into Memory1.2 Loading the OS Kernel and Preparing for the Protected Mode1.2.1 Loading Bootsect1.2.2 Loading the Second Part of Code— —Setup1.2.3 Load the System Module1.3 Transfer to 32-Bit Mode and Prepare for the Main Function1.3.1 Disable Interrupts and Move System to 0x000001.3.2 Set the Interrupt Descriptor Table and Global Descriptor Table1.3.3 Open A20 and Achieve 32-Bit Addressing1.3.4 Prepare for the Implementation of head.s in the Protected Mode1.3.5 CPU Starts to Execute head.s1.4 Summary
Chapter 2: Device Initialization and Process 0 Activation
2.1 Set Root Device 2 and Hard Disk2.2 Set Up Physical Memory Layout, Buffer Memory, Ramdisk, and Main Memory2.3 Ramdisk Setup and Initialization2.4 Initialization of the Memory Management Structure mem_map2.5 Binding the Interrupt Service Routine2.6 Initialize the Request Structure of the Block Device2.7 Binding with the Interrupt Service Routine of Peripherals and Establishing the Human–Computer Interaction Interface2.7.1 Set the Serial Port2.7.2 Set the Display2.7.3 Set the Keyboard2.8 Time Setting2.9 Initialize Process 02.9.1 Initialization of Process 02.9.2 Set the Timer Interrupt2.9.3 Set the Entrance of System Call2.10 Initialize the Buffer Management Structure2.11 Initialize the Hard Disk2.12 Initialize the Floppy Disk2.13 Enable the Interrupt2.14 Process 0 Moves from Privilege Level 0 to 3 and Becomes a Real Process
Chapter 3: Creation and Execution of Process 1
3.1 Creation of Process 13.1.1 Preparation for Creating Process 13.1.2 Apply for an Idle Position and a Process Number for Process 13.1.3 Call Copy_process()3.1.4 Set the Page Management of Process 13.1.4.1 Set the Code Segment and Data Segment in the Linear Address Space of Process 13.1.4.2 Create the First Page Table for Process 1 and Set the Corresponding Page Directory Entry3.1.5 Process 1 Shares Files of Process 03.1.6 Set the Table Item in the GDT of Process 13.1.7 Process 1 Is in Ready State to Complete the Creation of Process 13.2 Kernel Schedules a Process for the First Time3.3 Turn to Process 1 to Execute3.3.1 Preparing to Install the Hard Disk File System by Process 13.3.1.1 Process 1 Set hd_info of Hard Disk3.3.1.2 Read the Hard Disk Boot Blocks to the Buffer3.3.1.3 Bind the Buffer Block with Request3.3.1.4 Read the Hard Disk3.3.1.5 Wait for Hard Disk Reading Data, Process Scheduling, and Switch to Process 0 to Execute3.3.1.6 Hard Disk Interruption Occurs during the Execution of Process 03.3.1.7 After Reading the Disk, Switch Process Scheduling to Process 13.3.2 Process 1 Formats the Ramdisk and Replaces the Root Device as the Ramdisk3.3.3 Process 1 Loads the Root File System into the Root Device3.3.3.1 Copying the Super Block of the Root Device to the super_block[8]3.3.3.2 Mount the i node of the Root Device to the Root Device Super Block in super_block[8]3.3.3.3 Associate the Root File System with Process 1
Chapter 4: Creation and Execution of Process 2
4.1 Open the Terminal Device File and Copy the File Handle4.1.1 Open the Standard Input Device File4.1.1.1 File_table[0] is Mounted to Filp[0] in Process 14.1.1.2 Determine the Starting Point of Absolute Path4.1.1.3 Acquiring the i node of Dev4.1.1.4 Determine the i node of Dev as the Topmost i node4.1.1.5 Acquire the i node of the tty0 File4.1.1.6 Determine tty0 as the Character Device File4.1.1.7 Set file_table[0]4.1.2 Open the Standard Output and Standard Error Output Device File4.2 Fork Process 2 and Switch to Process 2 to Execute4.3 Load the Shell Program4.3.1 Close the Standard Input File and Open the rc File4.3.2 Detect the Shell File4.3.2.1 Detect the Attribute of the i node4.3.2.2 Test File Header’s Attributes4.3.3 Prepare to Execute the Shell Program4.3.3.1 Load Parameters and Environment Variables4.3.3.2 Adjust the Management Structure of Process 24.3.3.3 Adjust EIP and ESP to Execute Shell4.3.4 Execute the Shell Program4.3.4.1 Execute the First Page Program Loading by the Shell4.3.4.2 Map the Physical Address and Linear Address of the Loading Page4.4 The System Gets to the Idle State4.4.1 Create the Update Process4.4.2 Switch to the Shell Process4.4.3 Reconstruction of the Shell
Chapter 5: File Operation
5.1 Install the File System5.1.1 Get the Super Block of Peripherals5.1.2 Confirm the Mount Point of the Root File System5.1.3 Mount the Super Block with the Root File System5.2 Opening a File5.2.1 Mount *Filp[20] in the User Process to File_table[64]5.2.2 Get the File’s i node5.2.2.1 Get the i node of the Directory File5.2.2.2 Get the i node of the Target File5.2.3 Bind File i node with File_table[64]5.3 Reading a File5.3.1 Locate the Position of the Data Block in the Peripherals5.3.2 Data Block Is Read into the Buffer Block5.3.3 Copy Data from the Buffer into the Process Memory5.4 Creating a New File5.4.1 Searching a File5.4.2 Create a New i node for a File5.4.3 Create a New Content Item5.5 Writing a File5.5.1 Locate the Position of the File to Be Written In5.5.2 Apply for a Buffer Block5.5.3 Copy Specified Data from the Process Memory to the Buffer Block5.5.4 Two Ways to Synchronize Data from the Buffer to the Hard Disk5.6 Modifying a File5.6.1 Reposition the Current Operation Pointer of the File5.6.2 Modifying Files5.7 Closing a File5.7.1 Disconnecting Filp and File_table[64] in the Current Process5.7.2 Releasing the Files’ i node5.8 Deleting a File5.8.1 Checking the Deleting Conditions of Files5.8.2 Specific Deleting Work

Chapter 6: The User Process and Memory Management
6.1 Linear Address Protection6.1.1 Patterns of the Process Linear Address Space6.1.2 Segment Base Addresses, Segment Limit, GDT, LDT, and Privilege Level6.2 Paging6.2.1 Linear Address to Physical Address6.2.2 Process Execution Paging6.2.3 Process Sharing the Page6.2.4 Kernel Paging6.3 Complete Process of User Process from Creation to Exit6.3.1 Create Process str16.3.2 Preparation to Load str16.3.3 Running and Loading of Process str16.3.4 Exiting of Process str16.4 Multiple User Processes Run Concurrently6.4.1 Process Scheduling6.4.2 Page Protection
Chapter 7: Buffer and Multiprocess File
7.1 Function of Buffer7.2 Structure of Buffer7.3 The Function of b_dev, b_blocknr, and Request7.3.1 Ensure the Correctness of the Data Interaction between Processes and Buffer Block7.3.2 Let the Data Stay in the Buffer as Long as Possible7.4 Function of Uptodate and Dirt7.4.1 Function of b_uptodate7.4.2 Function of the b_dirt7.4.3 Function of the i_update, i_dirt, and s_dirt7.5 Function of the Count, Lock, Wait, Request7.5.1 Function of b_count7.5.2 Function of i_count7.5.3 Function of b_lock and *b_wait7.5.4 Function of i_lock, i_wait, s_lock, and *s_wait7.5.5 Function of Request7.6 Example 1: Process Waiting Queue of Buffer Block7.7 Overall Look at the Buffer Block and the Request Item
7.8 Example 2: Comprehensive Examples of Multiprocess Operating File
Chapter 8: Inter-Process Communication
8.1 Pipe Mechanism8.1.1 The Creation Process of the Pipe8.1.2 Operation of Pipe8.2 Signal Mechanism8.2.1 Use of Signal8.2.2 The Influence of Signal on the Process Execution State8.3 Summary
Chapter 9: Operating System’s Design Guidelines
9.1 Run a Simple Program to See What the Operating System Has Done9.2 Thoughts on the Design of the Operating System: Master–Slave Mechanism9.2.1 Process and Its Creation Mechanism in the Master–Slave Mechanism9.2.1.1 Program Boundary and Process9.2.1.2 Process Creation9.2.2 How Does the Designing of Operating System Display the Master–Slave Mechanism?9.2.2.1 Master–Slave Mechanism That the Operating System Reflects in Process Scheduling9.2.2.2 Master–Slave Mechanism That the Operating System Adopts in Memory Management9.2.2.3 Master–Slave Mechanism Is Reflected by OS File System9.3 Three Key Techniques in Realizing the Master–Slave Mechanism9.3.1 Protection and Paging9.3.2 Privilege Level9.3.3 Interrupt9.4 Decisive Factor in Establishing the Master–Slave Mechanism: The Initiative9.5 Relationship between Software and Hardware9.5.1 Nonuser Process: Process 0, Process 1, Shell Process9.5.2 Storage of File and Data9.5.2.1 Memory, Hard Disk, Buffer: Computing Storage, Storing Storage, Transition State Storage9.5.2.2 Guiding Ideology of Designing Buffer9.5.2.3 Use the File System to Implement Interprocess Communication: Pipe9.6 Parent and Child Processes Sharing Page9.7 Operating System’s Global Interrupt and the Process’s Local Interrupt: Signal9.8 SummaryConclusion

Overview

Uses the Running Operation as the Main Thread

Difficulty in understanding an operating system (OS) lies not in the technical aspects, but in the complex relationships inside the operating systems. The Art of Linux Kernel Design: Illustrating the Operating System Design Principle and Implementation addresses this complexity. Written from the perspective of the designer of an operating system, this book tackles important issues and practical problems on how to understand an operating system completely and systematically. It removes the mystery, revealing operating system design guidelines, explaining the BIOS code directly related to the operating system, and simplifying the relationships and guiding ideology behind it all.

Based on the Source Code of a Real Multi-Process Operating System

Using the 0.11 edition source code as a representation of the Linux basic design, the book illustrates the real states of an operating system in actual operations. It provides a complete, systematic analysis of the operating system source code, as well as a direct and complete understanding of the real operating system run-time structure. The author includes run-time memory structure diagrams, and an accompanying essay to help readers grasp the dynamics behind Linux and similar software systems.

Identifies through diagrams the location of the key operating system data structures that lie in the memory
Indicates through diagrams the current operating status information which helps users understand the interrupt state, and left time slice of processes
Examines the relationship between process and memory, memory and file, file and process, and the kernel
Explores the essential association, preparation, and transition, which is the vital part of operating system

Develop a System of Your Own

This text offers an in-depth study on mastering the operating system, and provides an important prerequisite for designing a whole new operating system.

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