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.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 24 Ratings

'Linux Device Drivers' is Better - 2009-03-31
Reviewer Rating:
Despite its size, this book has various defects.
First of all, while it covers the memory systems with a
great amount of detail, the file system and the description
of the actual kernel are vague.
Second, the index and table of contents make it quite
difficult to find your way around the book. As a rule
of thumb, an index should have two entries per page of
text. This book falls way short of that.

I bought this book as part of a kernel programming class,
and was falling behind until I got a copy of the other book:

http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Device-Drivers-Jonathan-Corbet/dp/0596005903

This book is good and thorough, - 2009-07-04
Reviewer Rating:
This book is good and thorough - it answered the questions I had in a straightforward yet detailed way. It is a definite recommend.

Lots of information! - 2009-02-19
Reviewer Rating:
This book has a ton of information about the workings of the Linux Kernel.
It is also somewhat hard to read and follow, I often have to reread sections of this book.
I find it best complimented with Linux Kernel Development by Robert Love.

Very useful - 2009-01-28
Reviewer Rating:
I purchased this book to use as a reference. I work in a group that does device driver development.

This book is well written in a concise manner. Always has at least a little bit of the info I'm looking for. For example: how not to invoke the "big kernel lock" for device driver invocation and profiling. Not true for the other bloated book: "Linux Kernel Architecture".

Fantastic Reference - 2009-01-15
Reviewer Rating:
Hello there guys,
This book is fantastic, it covers lots of ground and gives a different perspective of how the OS works at the lower levels. It's a must read and must have reference if you are a kernel developer, system programer or even a serious unix programmer. You have to be patient though, as it's hard to follow sometimes, even having the linux sources. I reccomend u also to get the Intel Manuals of the Ia32/64 architecture as many concepts in the book are easier to understand.
Good luck to you all,
Leandro

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