CS 378: Linux Kernel Programming

Spring 2002, Course ID (unique): 51356

Objectives

This course is designed as a laboratory component in the undergrad Operating Systems curriculum. It will supplement CS372 (Introduction to Operating Systems) and enable students to experiment with a contemporary OS (Linux). Through a series of programming assignments, the students will develop an appreciation in systems programming in general, and gain necessary skills and experiences to work large system software as complex as an OS kernel.

As a collaboration with the Linux Technology Center at IBM Austin, we will also have guest lectures, external expertise, and additional project mentors from IBM.

Prerequisites

CS372 (Introduction to Operating Systems)
Strong programming skills in C/C++
Practical Unix/Linux experience from a user's level
Enjoy "hacking"

Course Grading

Class participation (not just attendance): 20%
Project Assignments: 80%
No exams

Syllabus (draft)

Introductions

Contemporary operating systems
Linux and its evolution
Systems programming
Course format

Linux Basics

Basic Linux installation and administration
Linux kernel architecture
Using User-Mode-Linux in UTCS
Lab: installing and compiling Linux kernel

Kernel Basics

General kernel responsibilities
Kernel organization
Kernel modules
Lab: implementing a new kernel module

Using Kernel Services

System calls
Signals and interrupts
/proc file system
Lab: adding a new system call

Managing Memory

Address architecture, address space
Virtual memory, memory mapping
Paging, switching, caching
Lab: doing a project on virtual memory

Managing Processes

Process, kernel thread, tasklet
Context switch and scheduling
Interrupts, signals, and exceptions
Lab: doing a project on light weight process

Managing Times and Synchronization
- Kernel timer, hardware clocks
- IPC
- The Linux/SMP kernel
- Lab: doing a project on time synchronization or SMP
Linux Devices
- Linux device driver architecture
- Device filesystem (devfs)
- Hardware I/O
- Lab: writing a new device driver
Linux Filesystems
- Virtual filesystem (VFS)
- LVM and RAID
- Journaling file system (JFS)
- Lab: writing a new file system
Linux Networking
- Multiplexing and demultiplexing
- Linux TCP/IP Stack
- Netfilter and advanced networking in Linux
- Lab: writing a new protocol module
Linux Security
- Protection
- Secure file system
- Packet filters
- Lab: NSA security-enhanced linux
Contemporary Topics
- Embedded Linux
- Low-power/power-efficient Linux
- Lab: doing a project in embedded Linux kernel
Term Projects

Projects

The students will first do a series of smaller projects to cover various aspects of a Linux kernel. Then, they will do a bigger term project to explore a particular area.

Reading Materials and References

Textbooks

	Understanding the Linux Kernel By Daniel P. Bovet & Marco Cesati O'Reilly & Associates, ISBN 0-596-00002-2 Paperback, 702 pages, October 2000, list price: $39.95 (search mysimon)
	Kernel Projects for Linux By Gary Nutt Addison Wesley, ISBN: 0-201-61243-7 Paperback w/CD-ROM, 239 pages, July 2000, list price: $39.00 (search mysimon)

References

	Linux: The Textbook By Syed Mansoor Sarwar, Robert Koretsky, & Syed Aqeel Sarwar Addison Wesley, ISBN: 0-201-72595-9 Paperback, 678 pages, July 2001, list price: $47.00
	Linux System Administration: A User's Guide By Marcel Gagné Addison Wesley, ISBN: 0-201-71934-7 Paperback, 560 pages, September 2001, list price: $44.99
	Linux Device Drivers, 2nd Edition By Alessandro Rubini & Jonathan Corbet O'Reilly & Associates, ISBN 0-596-00008-1 Paperback, 586 pages, June 2001, list price: $39.95
	Linux File Systems By Moshe Bar McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 0-07-212955-7 Paperback, 512 pages, list price: $49.99

Online Documents

Linux Kernel 2.4 Internals
By Tigran Aivazian
HTML, PDF, other