What this book covers

Chapter 1, Comprehending Processes, Address Space, and Threads, looks closely at one of the principal abstractions of Linux called the process and the whole ecosystem, which facilitate this abstraction. We will also spend time in understanding address space, process creation, and threads.

Chapter 2, Deciphering the Process Scheduler, explains process scheduling, which is a vital aspect of any operating system. Here we will build our understanding of the different scheduling policies engaged by Linux to deliver effective process execution.

Chapter 3, Signal Management, helps in understanding all core aspects of signal usage, their representation, data structures, and kernel routines for signal generation and delivery.

Chapter 4, Memory Management and Allocators, traverses us through one of the most crucial aspects of the Linux kernel, comprehending various nuances of memory representations and allocations. We will also gauge the efficiency of the kernel in maximizing resource usage at minimal costs.

Chapter 5, Filesystems and File I/O, imparts a generic understanding of a typical filesystem, its fabric, design, and what makes it an elemental part of an operating system. We will also look at abstraction, using the common, layered architecture design, which the kernel comprehensively imbibes through the VFS.

Chapter 6, Interprocess Communication, touches upon the various IPC mechanisms offered by the kernel. We will explore the layout and relationship between various data structures for each IPC mechanism, and look at both the SysV and POSIX IPC mechanisms.

Chapter 7, Virtual Memory Management, explains memory management with details of virtual memory management and page tables. We will look into the various aspects of the virtual memory subsystem such as process virtual address space and its segments, memory descriptor structure, memory mapping and VMA objects, page cache and address translation with page tables.

Chapter 8, Kernel Synchronization and Locking, enables us to understand the various protection and synchronization mechanisms provided by the kernel, and comprehend the merits and shortcomings of these mechanisms. We will try and appreciate the tenacity with which the kernel addresses these varying synchronization complexities.

Chapter 9, Interrupts and Deferred work , talks about interrupts, which are a key facet of any operating system to get necessary and priority tasks done. We will look at how interrupts are generated, handled, and managed in Linux. We will also look at various bottom halve mechanisms.

Chapter 10, Clock and Time Management, reveals how kernel measures and manages time. We will look at all key time-related structures, routines, and macros to help us gauge time management effectively.

Chapter 11, Module Management, quickly looks at modules, kernel's infrastructure in managing modules along with all the core data structures involved. This helps us understand how kernel inculcates dynamic extensibility.