- Paperback: 704 pages
- Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 1 edition (8 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0596000022
- ISBN-13: 978-0596000028
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 18 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 441,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Understanding The Linux Kernel is intended to be read by those happy to check points off against the source code. The first thing you learn is how, released from commercial constraints, Linux is able to take advantage of the best ideas from other systems implemented in wonderfully flexible ways. A good example is the Virtual File System. VFS has made it easy to add support for file systems from almost every other operating system. It is fascinating to find out how such features are implemented. Then there are loadable modules, I/O, scheduling, multitasking, multiprocessing, interrupts, spin locks, semaphores and all the other goodies involved in making a kernel work.
The authors are primarily concerned with the Linux 2.2 kernel. They discuss how Linus Torvald's decisions on kernel issues translate into architecture, for example, how the Linux' memory management uses a Slab Allocator on top of a Buddy System for greater efficiency. Similarly, at the cost of a little complexity the decision to use three-level memory paging when two work fine on 32-bit systems makes it possible to port to 64-bit processors without changes. The trade-offs between complexity and efficiency are discussed for most kernel features and each chapter finishes with related new features in kernel 2.4.
Despite the lucid and knowledgeable writing, you will come up against some brain-stretching complexity. Nevertheless, this is an important addition to the Linux canon. --Steve Patient
Review
'I am impressed both by the depth of coverage and by the readability of the text, especially bearing in mind the somewhat geek-like nature of the subject that's being discussed'. Is the best explanation of Linux kernel internals that I've seen so far. This one's sure to be a classic, buy it if you can.- Developers Review, February 2001
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not really fair to criticise a book like this for being boring. This is *not* a "How to Get the Most Out of Word for Windows" book. It is a good introduction to operating systems and the issues involved, but if I had any criticism it is that there are no real hands-on examples or walkthroughs. But it's a theorietical book so *shrugs* maybe I'm just complaining about what I want rather than what the authors intended.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As someone without a CS background, this book was just about perfect as a good introduction to how the Linux kernel (and operating systems in general) actually work. The book manages to explain things in enough detail to give you the full picture (I think!) without blinding you with science and jargon.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An excellent book that requires the reader to know a little about general OS concepts (e.g. virtual memory), but explains more detailed concepts and the source code itself very well. Even though this book has only been available for a short time it is already in need of a second revision. lets hope it gets a second revision much more quickly than "Linux Device Drivers" did!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
its just so boring
a book with the title "understanding" in it I would have thought would actually explain things in a interesting and with not to technical detail to begin with. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2003
Deadly Dull
The one line summary says it all. While I don't expect humour from O'Reilly I do expect readability and this book just hasn't got it.
Published on 29 Nov 2001
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