Understanding the Linux Kernel

Description

This book doesn't just talk about Linux; it talks about how a modern OS sitting on a modern architecture functions, in real detail. I have seen many OS texts, and this one is unique in that it does not attempt to teach theory, or academic examples. Want to understand scheduling, interrupts, file system abstractions, address spaces? Read this. Even if you don't use or care about Linux particularly. It will demystify these critical topics, which you can then apply to whatever platform or code you're working with, especially if you work with kernel or related components. I am a professional software developer who works in drivers and OS subsystems. Although I have some exposure to various Unix flavors, I don't use any of them regularly-- I have most exposure to the NT architecture. This book has been invaluable in shoring up my fundamentals. The Windows book that most closely resembles this is Windows Internals from MS Press, which is a great book but doesn't (and cannot) delve too far into actual internal structures. Note, though, that this book does not aim to teach you all this good generalist stuff-- it only does that by accident. It will gloss over the intro material in some cases to get into the code, which works for the explicit charter of the text (Linux kernel specifics), but might require the reader cross-referencing with an OS text.