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Understanding the Linux Kernel, Third Edition
List Price: $49.95Our Price: $32.97 You Save: $16.98 (34%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.432
EAN: 9780596005658
Edition: 3
Format: Illustrated
ISBN: 0596005652
Label: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 942
Publication Date: November 17, 2005
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Studio: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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Editorial Review:
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.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Good book
I purchased this book as a complimentary book for the regular OS text books, so far the coverage is very good and helpful.
Rating:  - Awesome
Awesome book...things are very well explained and the subject-matter is covered well. Surely recommend this book to someone!!
Rating: - Understanding the Linux Kernel
ULK provides well structured and clear introduction to the 2.6 linux kernel. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get started on kernel code. ULK also provides an insight into the modularity present within the kernel (eg. doubly linked list macros). Thus, it should help amateur programmers to develop strong coding skills in addition to understanding OS kernel design.
Rating:  - This book might melt your brain
Prepare to have you brain melted. This book is FACINATING but not for everyone. It's EXCEEDINGLY nerdy and doesn't attempt to simplify complex nitty gritty details, and it shouldn't. This book is an excelent place to start if you want to dig deeper into the kernel itself. It would be an excelent choice to read before a book on drivers (Linux Device Drivers (Nutshell Handbook)) or low level networking Understanding Linux Network Internals) which are both also very good books.
I would ... Read More
Rating: - Great book on the design of the linux kernel
This is a great book to help you understand the linux kernel. It reads easily and helps you to not get lost inside of the details.
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