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diff --git a/Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst b/Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..05a7857a4a83 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/process/kernel-docs.rst @@ -0,0 +1,652 @@ +.. _kernel_docs: + +Index of Documentation for People Interested in Writing and/or Understanding the Linux Kernel +============================================================================================= + + Juan-Mariano de Goyeneche <[email protected]> + +The need for a document like this one became apparent in the +linux-kernel mailing list as the same questions, asking for pointers +to information, appeared again and again. + +Fortunately, as more and more people get to GNU/Linux, more and more +get interested in the Kernel. But reading the sources is not always +enough. It is easy to understand the code, but miss the concepts, the +philosophy and design decisions behind this code. + +Unfortunately, not many documents are available for beginners to +start. And, even if they exist, there was no "well-known" place which +kept track of them. These lines try to cover this lack. All documents +available on line known by the author are listed, while some reference +books are also mentioned. + +PLEASE, if you know any paper not listed here or write a new document, +send me an e-mail, and I'll include a reference to it here. Any +corrections, ideas or comments are also welcomed. + +The papers that follow are listed in no particular order. All are +cataloged with the following fields: the document's "Title", the +"Author"/s, the "URL" where they can be found, some "Keywords" helpful +when searching for specific topics, and a brief "Description" of the +Document. + +Enjoy! + +.. note:: + + The documents on each section of this document are ordered by its + published date, from the newest to the oldest. + +Docs at the Linux Kernel tree +----------------------------- + +The DocBook books should be built with ``make {htmldocs | psdocs | pdfdocs}``. +The Sphinx books should be built with ``make {htmldocs | pdfdocs | epubdocs}``. + + * Name: **linux/Documentation** + + :Author: Many. + :Location: Documentation/ + :Keywords: text files, Sphinx, DocBook. + :Description: Documentation that comes with the kernel sources, + inside the Documentation directory. Some pages from this document + (including this document itself) have been moved there, and might + be more up to date than the web version. + + * Title: **The Kernel Hacking HOWTO** + + :Author: Various Talented People, and Rusty. + :Location: Documentation/DocBook/kernel-hacking.tmpl + :Keywords: HOWTO, kernel contexts, deadlock, locking, modules, + symbols, return conventions. + :Description: From the Introduction: "Please understand that I + never wanted to write this document, being grossly underqualified, + but I always wanted to read it, and this was the only way. I + simply explain some best practices, and give reading entry-points + into the kernel sources. I avoid implementation details: that's + what the code is for, and I ignore whole tracts of useful + routines. This document assumes familiarity with C, and an + understanding of what the kernel is, and how it is used. It was + originally written for the 2.3 kernels, but nearly all of it + applies to 2.2 too; 2.0 is slightly different". + + * Title: **Linux Kernel Locking HOWTO** + + :Author: Various Talented People, and Rusty. + :Location: Documentation/DocBook/kernel-locking.tmpl + :Keywords: locks, locking, spinlock, semaphore, atomic, race + condition, bottom halves, tasklets, softirqs. + :Description: The title says it all: document describing the + locking system in the Linux Kernel either in uniprocessor or SMP + systems. + :Notes: "It was originally written for the later (>2.3.47) 2.3 + kernels, but most of it applies to 2.2 too; 2.0 is slightly + different". Freely redistributable under the conditions of the GNU + General Public License. + +On-line docs +------------ + + * Title: **Linux Kernel Mailing List Glossary** + + :Author: various + :URL: http://kernelnewbies.org/glossary/ + :Date: rolling version + :Keywords: glossary, terms, linux-kernel. + :Description: From the introduction: "This glossary is intended as + a brief description of some of the acronyms and terms you may hear + during discussion of the Linux kernel". + + * Title: **Tracing the Way of Data in a TCP Connection through the Linux Kernel** + + :Author: Richard Sailer + :URL: https://archive.org/details/linux_kernel_data_flow_short_paper + :Date: 2016 + :Keywords: Linux Kernel Networking, TCP, tracing, ftrace + :Description: A seminar paper explaining ftrace and how to use it for + understanding linux kernel internals, + illustrated at tracing the way of a TCP packet through the kernel. + :Abstract: *This short paper outlines the usage of ftrace a tracing framework + as a tool to understand a running Linux system. + Having obtained a trace-log a kernel hacker can read and understand + source code more determined and with context. + In a detailed example this approach is demonstrated in tracing + and the way of data in a TCP Connection through the kernel. + Finally this trace-log is used as base for more a exact conceptual + exploration and description of the Linux TCP/IP implementation.* + + * Title: **On submitting kernel Patches** + + :Author: Andi Kleen + :URL: http://halobates.de/on-submitting-kernel-patches.pdf + :Date: 2008 + :Keywords: patches, review process, types of submissions, basic rules, case studies + :Description: This paper gives several experience values on what types of patches + there are and how likley they get merged. + :Abstract: + [...]. This paper examines some common problems for + submitting larger changes and some strategies to avoid problems. + + * Title: **Overview of the Virtual File System** + + :Author: Richard Gooch. + :URL: http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Documentation/filesystems/vfs.txt + :Date: 2007 + :Keywords: VFS, File System, mounting filesystems, opening files, + dentries, dcache. + :Description: Brief introduction to the Linux Virtual File System. + What is it, how it works, operations taken when opening a file or + mounting a file system and description of important data + structures explaining the purpose of each of their entries. + + * Title: **Linux Device Drivers, Third Edition** + + :Author: Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, Greg Kroah-Hartman + :URL: http://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/ + :Date: 2005 + :Description: A 600-page book covering the (2.6.10) driver + programming API and kernel hacking in general. Available under the + Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license. + :note: You can also :ref:`purchase a copy from O'Reilly or elsewhere <ldd3_published>`. + + * Title: **Writing an ALSA Driver** + + :Author: Takashi Iwai <[email protected]> + :URL: http://www.alsa-project.org/~iwai/writing-an-alsa-driver/index.html + :Date: 2005 + :Keywords: ALSA, sound, soundcard, driver, lowlevel, hardware. + :Description: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture for developers, + both at kernel and user-level sides. ALSA is the Linux kernel + sound architecture in the 2.6 kernel version. + + * Title: **Linux PCMCIA Programmer's Guide** + + :Author: David Hinds. + :URL: http://pcmcia-cs.sourceforge.net/ftp/doc/PCMCIA-PROG.html + :Date: 2003 + :Keywords: PCMCIA. + :Description: "This document describes how to write kernel device + drivers for the Linux PCMCIA Card Services interface. It also + describes how to write user-mode utilities for communicating with + Card Services. + + * Title: **Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide** + + :Author: Ori Pomerantz. + :URL: http://tldp.org/LDP/lkmpg/2.6/html/index.html + :Date: 2001 + :Keywords: modules, GPL book, /proc, ioctls, system calls, + interrupt handlers . + :Description: Very nice 92 pages GPL book on the topic of modules + programming. Lots of examples. + + * Title: **Global spinlock list and usage** + + :Author: Rick Lindsley. + :URL: http://lse.sourceforge.net/lockhier/global-spin-lock + :Date: 2001 + :Keywords: spinlock. + :Description: This is an attempt to document both the existence and + usage of the spinlocks in the Linux 2.4.5 kernel. Comprehensive + list of spinlocks showing when they are used, which functions + access them, how each lock is acquired, under what conditions it + is held, whether interrupts can occur or not while it is held... + + * Title: **A Linux vm README** + + :Author: Kanoj Sarcar. + :URL: http://kos.enix.org/pub/linux-vmm.html + :Date: 2001 + :Keywords: virtual memory, mm, pgd, vma, page, page flags, page + cache, swap cache, kswapd. + :Description: Telegraphic, short descriptions and definitions + relating the Linux virtual memory implementation. + + * Title: **Video4linux Drivers, Part 1: Video-Capture Device** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/406 + :Date: 2000 + :Keywords: video4linux, driver, video capture, capture devices, + camera driver. + :Description: The title says it all. + + * Title: **Video4linux Drivers, Part 2: Video-capture Devices** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/429 + :Date: 2000 + :Keywords: video4linux, driver, video capture, capture devices, + camera driver, control, query capabilities, capability, facility. + :Description: The title says it all. + + * Title: **Linux IP Networking. A Guide to the Implementation and Modification of the Linux Protocol Stack.** + + :Author: Glenn Herrin. + :URL: http://www.cs.unh.edu/cnrg/gherrin + :Date: 2000 + :Keywords: network, networking, protocol, IP, UDP, TCP, connection, + socket, receiving, transmitting, forwarding, routing, packets, + modules, /proc, sk_buff, FIB, tags. + :Description: Excellent paper devoted to the Linux IP Networking, + explaining anything from the kernel's to the user space + configuration tools' code. Very good to get a general overview of + the kernel networking implementation and understand all steps + packets follow from the time they are received at the network + device till they are delivered to applications. The studied kernel + code is from 2.2.14 version. Provides code for a working packet + dropper example. + + * Title: **How To Make Sure Your Driver Will Work On The Power Macintosh** + + :Author: Paul Mackerras. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/261 + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: Mac, Power Macintosh, porting, drivers, compatibility. + :Description: The title says it all. + + * Title: **An Introduction to SCSI Drivers** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/284 + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: SCSI, device, driver. + :Description: The title says it all. + + * Title: **Advanced SCSI Drivers And Other Tales** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/307 + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: SCSI, device, driver, advanced. + :Description: The title says it all. + + * Title: **Writing Linux Mouse Drivers** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/330 + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: mouse, driver, gpm. + :Description: The title says it all. + + * Title: **More on Mouse Drivers** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/356 + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: mouse, driver, gpm, races, asynchronous I/O. + :Description: The title still says it all. + + * Title: **Writing Video4linux Radio Driver** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linux-mag.com/id/381 + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: video4linux, driver, radio, radio devices. + :Description: The title says it all. + + * Title: **I/O Event Handling Under Linux** + + :Author: Richard Gooch. + :URL: http://web.mit.edu/~yandros/doc/io-events.html + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: IO, I/O, select(2), poll(2), FDs, aio_read(2), readiness + event queues. + :Description: From the Introduction: "I/O Event handling is about + how your Operating System allows you to manage a large number of + open files (file descriptors in UNIX/POSIX, or FDs) in your + application. You want the OS to notify you when FDs become active + (have data ready to be read or are ready for writing). Ideally you + want a mechanism that is scalable. This means a large number of + inactive FDs cost very little in memory and CPU time to manage". + + * Title: **(nearly) Complete Linux Loadable Kernel Modules. The definitive guide for hackers, virus coders and system administrators.** + + :Author: pragmatic/THC. + :URL: http://packetstormsecurity.org/docs/hack/LKM_HACKING.html + :Date: 1999 + :Keywords: syscalls, intercept, hide, abuse, symbol table. + :Description: Interesting paper on how to abuse the Linux kernel in + order to intercept and modify syscalls, make + files/directories/processes invisible, become root, hijack ttys, + write kernel modules based virus... and solutions for admins to + avoid all those abuses. + :Notes: For 2.0.x kernels. Gives guidances to port it to 2.2.x + kernels. + + * Name: **Linux Virtual File System** + + :Author: Peter J. Braam. + :URL: http://www.coda.cs.cmu.edu/doc/talks/linuxvfs/ + :Date: 1998 + :Keywords: slides, VFS, inode, superblock, dentry, dcache. + :Description: Set of slides, presumably from a presentation on the + Linux VFS layer. Covers version 2.1.x, with dentries and the + dcache. + + * Title: **The Venus kernel interface** + + :Author: Peter J. Braam. + :URL: http://www.coda.cs.cmu.edu/doc/html/kernel-venus-protocol.html + :Date: 1998 + :Keywords: coda, filesystem, venus, cache manager. + :Description: "This document describes the communication between + Venus and kernel level file system code needed for the operation + of the Coda filesystem. This version document is meant to describe + the current interface (version 1.0) as well as improvements we + envisage". + + * Title: **Design and Implementation of the Second Extended Filesystem** + + :Author: Rémy Card, Theodore Ts'o, Stephen Tweedie. + :URL: http://web.mit.edu/tytso/www/linux/ext2intro.html + :Date: 1998 + :Keywords: ext2, linux fs history, inode, directory, link, devices, + VFS, physical structure, performance, benchmarks, ext2fs library, + ext2fs tools, e2fsck. + :Description: Paper written by three of the top ext2 hackers. + Covers Linux filesystems history, ext2 motivation, ext2 features, + design, physical structure on disk, performance, benchmarks, + e2fsck's passes description... A must read! + :Notes: This paper was first published in the Proceedings of the + First Dutch International Symposium on Linux, ISBN 90-367-0385-9. + + * Title: **The Linux RAID-1, 4, 5 Code** + + :Author: Ingo Molnar, Gadi Oxman and Miguel de Icaza. + :URL: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=2391 + :Date: 1997 + :Keywords: RAID, MD driver. + :Description: Linux Journal Kernel Korner article. Here is its + :Abstract: *A description of the implementation of the RAID-1, + RAID-4 and RAID-5 personalities of the MD device driver in the + Linux kernel, providing users with high performance and reliable, + secondary-storage capability using software*. + + * Title: **Linux Kernel Hackers' Guide** + + :Author: Michael K. Johnson. + :URL: http://www.tldp.org/LDP/khg/HyperNews/get/khg.html + :Date: 1997 + :Keywords: device drivers, files, VFS, kernel interface, character vs + block devices, hardware interrupts, scsi, DMA, access to user memory, + memory allocation, timers. + :Description: A guide designed to help you get up to speed on the + concepts that are not intuitevly obvious, and to document the internal + structures of Linux. + + * Title: **Dynamic Kernels: Modularized Device Drivers** + + :Author: Alessandro Rubini. + :URL: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=1219 + :Date: 1996 + :Keywords: device driver, module, loading/unloading modules, + allocating resources. + :Description: Linux Journal Kernel Korner article. Here is its + :Abstract: *This is the first of a series of four articles + co-authored by Alessandro Rubini and Georg Zezchwitz which present + a practical approach to writing Linux device drivers as kernel + loadable modules. This installment presents an introduction to the + topic, preparing the reader to understand next month's + installment*. + + * Title: **Dynamic Kernels: Discovery** + + :Author: Alessandro Rubini. + :URL: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=1220 + :Date: 1996 + :Keywords: character driver, init_module, clean_up module, + autodetection, mayor number, minor number, file operations, + open(), close(). + :Description: Linux Journal Kernel Korner article. Here is its + :Abstract: *This article, the second of four, introduces part of + the actual code to create custom module implementing a character + device driver. It describes the code for module initialization and + cleanup, as well as the open() and close() system calls*. + + * Title: **The Devil's in the Details** + + :Author: Georg v. Zezschwitz and Alessandro Rubini. + :URL: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=1221 + :Date: 1996 + :Keywords: read(), write(), select(), ioctl(), blocking/non + blocking mode, interrupt handler. + :Description: Linux Journal Kernel Korner article. Here is its + :Abstract: *This article, the third of four on writing character + device drivers, introduces concepts of reading, writing, and using + ioctl-calls*. + + * Title: **Dissecting Interrupts and Browsing DMA** + + :Author: Alessandro Rubini and Georg v. Zezschwitz. + :URL: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=1222 + :Date: 1996 + :Keywords: interrupts, irqs, DMA, bottom halves, task queues. + :Description: Linux Journal Kernel Korner article. Here is its + :Abstract: *This is the fourth in a series of articles about + writing character device drivers as loadable kernel modules. This + month, we further investigate the field of interrupt handling. + Though it is conceptually simple, practical limitations and + constraints make this an ''interesting'' part of device driver + writing, and several different facilities have been provided for + different situations. We also investigate the complex topic of + DMA*. + + * Title: **Device Drivers Concluded** + + :Author: Georg v. Zezschwitz. + :URL: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=1287 + :Date: 1996 + :Keywords: address spaces, pages, pagination, page management, + demand loading, swapping, memory protection, memory mapping, mmap, + virtual memory areas (VMAs), vremap, PCI. + :Description: Finally, the above turned out into a five articles + series. This latest one's introduction reads: "This is the last of + five articles about character device drivers. In this final + section, Georg deals with memory mapping devices, beginning with + an overall description of the Linux memory management concepts". + + * Title: **Network Buffers And Memory Management** + + :Author: Alan Cox. + :URL: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=1312 + :Date: 1996 + :Keywords: sk_buffs, network devices, protocol/link layer + variables, network devices flags, transmit, receive, + configuration, multicast. + :Description: Linux Journal Kernel Korner. + :Abstract: *Writing a network device driver for Linux is fundamentally + simple---most of the complexity (other than talking to the + hardware) involves managing network packets in memory*. + + * Title: **Analysis of the Ext2fs structure** + + :Author: Louis-Dominique Dubeau. + :URL: http://teaching.csse.uwa.edu.au/units/CITS2002/fs-ext2/ + :Date: 1994 + :Keywords: ext2, filesystem, ext2fs. + :Description: Description of ext2's blocks, directories, inodes, + bitmaps, invariants... + +Published books +--------------- + + * Title: **Linux Treiber entwickeln** + + :Author: Jürgen Quade, Eva-Katharina Kunst + :Publisher: dpunkt.verlag + :Date: Oct 2015 (4th edition) + :Pages: 688 + :ISBN: 978-3-86490-288-8 + :Note: German. The third edition from 2011 is + much cheaper and still quite up-to-date. + + * Title: **Linux Kernel Networking: Implementation and Theory** + + :Author: Rami Rosen + :Publisher: Apress + :Date: December 22, 2013 + :Pages: 648 + :ISBN: 978-1430261964 + + * Title: **Embedded Linux Primer: A practical Real-World Approach, 2nd Edition** + + :Author: Christopher Hallinan + :Publisher: Pearson + :Date: November, 2010 + :Pages: 656 + :ISBN: 978-0137017836 + + * Title: **Linux Kernel Development, 3rd Edition** + + :Author: Robert Love + :Publisher: Addison-Wesley + :Date: July, 2010 + :Pages: 440 + :ISBN: 978-0672329463 + + * Title: **Essential Linux Device Drivers** + + :Author: Sreekrishnan Venkateswaran + :Published: Prentice Hall + :Date: April, 2008 + :Pages: 744 + :ISBN: 978-0132396554 + +.. _ldd3_published: + + * Title: **Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition** + + :Authors: Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, and Greg Kroah-Hartman + :Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates + :Date: 2005 + :Pages: 636 + :ISBN: 0-596-00590-3 + :Notes: Further information in + http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxdrive3/ + PDF format, URL: http://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/ + + * Title: **Linux Kernel Internals** + + :Author: Michael Beck + :Publisher: Addison-Wesley + :Date: 1997 + :ISBN: 0-201-33143-8 (second edition) + + * Title: **Programmation Linux 2.0 API systeme et fonctionnement du noyau** + + :Author: Remy Card, Eric Dumas, Franck Mevel + :Publisher: Eyrolles + :Date: 1997 + :Pages: 520 + :ISBN: 2-212-08932-5 + :Notes: French + + * Title: **The Design and Implementation of the 4.4 BSD UNIX Operating System** + + :Author: Marshall Kirk McKusick, Keith Bostic, Michael J. Karels, + John S. Quarterman + :Publisher: Addison-Wesley + :Date: 1996 + :ISBN: 0-201-54979-4 + + * Title: **Unix internals -- the new frontiers** + + :Author: Uresh Vahalia + :Publisher: Prentice Hall + :Date: 1996 + :Pages: 600 + :ISBN: 0-13-101908-2 + + * Title: **Programming for the real world - POSIX.4** + + :Author: Bill O. Gallmeister + :Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc + :Date: 1995 + :Pages: 552 + :ISBN: I-56592-074-0 + :Notes: Though not being directly about Linux, Linux aims to be + POSIX. Good reference. + + * Title: **UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers** + + :Author: Curt Schimmel + :Publisher: Addison Wesley + :Date: June, 1994 + :Pages: 432 + :ISBN: 0-201-63338-8 + + * Title: **The Design and Implementation of the 4.3 BSD UNIX Operating System** + + :Author: Samuel J. Leffler, Marshall Kirk McKusick, Michael J + Karels, John S. Quarterman + :Publisher: Addison-Wesley + :Date: 1989 (reprinted with corrections on October, 1990) + :ISBN: 0-201-06196-1 + + * Title: **The Design of the UNIX Operating System** + + :Author: Maurice J. Bach + :Publisher: Prentice Hall + :Date: 1986 + :Pages: 471 + :ISBN: 0-13-201757-1 + +Miscellaneous +------------- + + * Name: **Cross-Referencing Linux** + + :URL: http://lxr.free-electrons.com/ + :Keywords: Browsing source code. + :Description: Another web-based Linux kernel source code browser. + Lots of cross references to variables and functions. You can see + where they are defined and where they are used. + + * Name: **Linux Weekly News** + + :URL: http://lwn.net + :Keywords: latest kernel news. + :Description: The title says it all. There's a fixed kernel section + summarizing developers' work, bug fixes, new features and versions + produced during the week. Published every Thursday. + + * Name: **The home page of Linux-MM** + + :Author: The Linux-MM team. + :URL: http://linux-mm.org/ + :Keywords: memory management, Linux-MM, mm patches, TODO, docs, + mailing list. + :Description: Site devoted to Linux Memory Management development. + Memory related patches, HOWTOs, links, mm developers... Don't miss + it if you are interested in memory management development! + + * Name: **Kernel Newbies IRC Channel and Website** + + :URL: http://www.kernelnewbies.org + :Keywords: IRC, newbies, channel, asking doubts. + :Description: #kernelnewbies on irc.oftc.net. + #kernelnewbies is an IRC network dedicated to the 'newbie' + kernel hacker. The audience mostly consists of people who are + learning about the kernel, working on kernel projects or + professional kernel hackers that want to help less seasoned kernel + people. + #kernelnewbies is on the OFTC IRC Network. + Try irc.oftc.net as your server and then /join #kernelnewbies. + The kernelnewbies website also hosts articles, documents, FAQs... + + * Name: **linux-kernel mailing list archives and search engines** + + :URL: http://vger.kernel.org/vger-lists.html + :URL: http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/index.html + :URL: http://groups.google.com/group/mlist.linux.kernel + :Keywords: linux-kernel, archives, search. + :Description: Some of the linux-kernel mailing list archivers. If + you have a better/another one, please let me know. + +------- + +Document last updated on Tue 2016-Sep-20 + +This document is based on: + http://www.dit.upm.es/~jmseyas/linux/kernel/hackers-docs.html |