Eager to become a kernel hacker? Start here:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_kernel Wikipedia article about the Linux kernel] - some history and background
[http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-linux-kernel/ Anatomy of the Linux kernel] - short and valuable introduction to internals of the kernel
[http://www.makelinux.net/kernel_map Interactive Linux Kernel Map] reveals architecture and 200 most significant kernel functions
find a lot of time to read KernelBooks
[http://lxr.linux.no/linux Linux Cross Reference] - read the source online
http://LWN.net/Kernel - read news
http://lkml.org/ - here the real kernel hackers are talking
explore more documentation at [http://www.makelinux.net/reference Linux Technology Reference]
- write a simple kernel loadable module
- compile custom kernel
WANTED: volunteers to sort the information on this page, to make things easier to find.
CompleteNewbiesClickHere for some ideas on how to get started.
Discuss your questions on ["IRC"], the MailingList or the [http://forum.kernelnewbies.org/ web forum], if you cannot find your answers in these documents:
- ["New Kernel Hacking HOWTO"] (right now under-development on kernelnewbies)
- ["Linux Kernel Tester's Guide"]
CareerAdvice for people who want to get a job hacking the kernel
From basic to advanced Linux Kernel articles (outdated) http://whatisthekernel.blogspot.com/
Some existing documents on kernelnewbies site can be found [:Documents:here]BR
Move on to more hands-on activities:
KernelUpdating . From a old Kernel version to a newer one.
KernelHackingTools to edit/navigate/hack the kernel source
[http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Kernel-HOWTO/ Compiling the Linux kernel] or [http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=443 OS News Article]BR
[http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/showthread.php?postid=305894#post305894 Compiling a Custom Linux Kernel]
[http://freshmeat.net/projects/mkkernel/ mkkernel] helps beginners.BR
- ["Testing"]
[http://freshmeat.net/projects/user-modelinux/ User Mode Linux] ([http://www.linux-mag.com/2001-04/user_mode_01.html description]) allows test kernels to be run under Linux. See also NavigatingTheSourcesBR
[http://mail.nl.linux.org/kernelnewbies/2003-08/msg00347.html Paper on Debugging Kernel OOPs and Hangs]
Some tutorials or projects to inspire you
- ["Drivers"]
- ["Simple UDP Server"]
[http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT5340618290.html Writing Portable Device Drivers]BR
- ["SMPSynchronisation"] an intro on SMP locking
Put your kernel hacking stuff here and let's help each other learn about the kernel.BR
Information pertinent to specific kernel series
The pre-2.6 kernel mustfix [MustFix26] and shouldfix [ShouldFix26] bug lists:
[http://www.linux-sxs.org/upgrading/migration26.html Migrating to kernel 2.6],
[http://www.kniggit.net/wwol26.html The Wonderful World of Linux 2.6]BR
[http://lwn.net/Articles/39901/ What to expect with Linux 2.5] (if you get /null appended to the URL, go back & try again (a few times if necessary))BR
[http://kernelnewbies.org/wiki/moin.cgi/Karthick 2.4 Kernel Internals (Incomplete)]BR
[http://edge.linuxhq.com/kernel/v2.4/changes.html Requirements before upgrading 2.2 to 2.4]BR
Submitting kernel patches
UpstreamMerge How to submit your code to the upstream kernel.
WhyReiser4IsNotIn Why Reiser 4 is not in the upstream kernel.
PatchOfTheMonth Noteworthy and/or amusing patch submissions and replies.
Reverse engineering
[http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/processmonitor.mspx Process Monitor] Successor to [http://www.microsoft.com/germany/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Filemon.mspx FileMon], displays file system activities under Windows in real-timeBR