• FAQ

If you are working on answering a frequently asked question, please add it to ["FAQsInProgress"].

How do I ...?

1. ["/KernelCompilation"] How do I compile a kernel?

2. ["/KernelCrossCompilation"] How do I cross compile a kernel?

3. ["/HowToApplyAPatch"] How do I apply a patch?

4. ["KernelHackingTools"] Are there any good IDEs? How do I handle all this code?

5. ["/CompileVendorDriver"] How do I compile a 3rd party device driver ?

6. ["/LinuxKernelModuleCompile"] How can I compile a Linux Kernel Module ?

7. ["/LinuxKernelDebug101"] Whats the easiest way to debug ?

Kernelnewbies questions

1. ["/VariousKernelTrees"] What are the various kernel trees for ?

2. ["/WhereDoIBegin"] Where do I begin?

3. ["/People on KernelNewBies"] Who can I find on #kernelnewbies?

4. ["/DoINeedToKnowAssembler"] Do I need to know assembler to hack the kernel?

Kernel hacking

1. ["/VariousKernelTrees"] What are the various kernel trees for ?

2. ["/System.map"] What is the System.map file?

3. ["/MajorMinor"] What major/minor does XXX have ?

4. ["/CodingStyle"] What coding style should I use?

5. ["/LikelyUnlikely"] What means the macros likely() and unlikely() ?

6. ["/Preemption"] What does preemption mean ? Is it available under Linux ?

7. ["/LibraryFunctionsInKernel"] Can I use library functions in the kernel ?

8. ["/SyscallTrace"] How do I intercept system calls ?

9. ["/LinkedLists"] How does the kernel implements linked lists?

10. ["/WhyWritingFilesFromKernelIsBad"] Why reading/writing files from the kernel is bad, and how to do otherwise ?

Linux kernel gotchas

1. ["/get_current"] How does get_current() work?

2. ["/current"] How does the current macro helps you access your process-related record?

3. ["/ExternAndStaticInlineVariable"] What's the difference between extern and static inline?

4. ["/DoWhile0"] Why do a lot of #defines in the kernel use do { ... } while (0)?

5. ["/LikelyUnlikely"] What do the macros likely() and unlikely() mean?

6. ["/ContainerOf"] What is container_of ? How does it work ?

7. ["/InitExitMacros"] What are the __init and __exit macros ?

8. ["/WhereIsbad_udelay"] Now, where is __bad_udelay defined?

9. ["/asmlinkage"] What is asmlinkage ?

10. ["/down"] What is that jmp 1b doing out there?

11. ["/TestWpBit"] test_wp_bit magic, or how exception fixups work.

12. ["/BUG"] How does BUG() work?

13. ["/StackTrace"] Why is there a function on my stack trace that does not get called?

["CategoryFAQ"]