discuss: Re: kernel-hacking-HOWTO
Subject:
NEW: kernel-hacking-HOWTO
From:
Andrew Ebling ####@####.####
Date:
27 Aug 2001 17:27:46 -0000
Message-Id: <998933442.1017.123.camel@elixr.jfreak>
Hi all,
I am currently in the process of writing a kernel hacking HOWTO to put
on my website (http://www.kernelhacking.org).
My reasons for starting work on a new document are the following:
- most of the kernel programming documentation currently available is
out of date, some going back as far as the 2.0.* series kernels.
(kernel hacking guide, module programming guide for example.)
- a lot of the documentation is too theoretical and lacking practical
step by step instructions. I feel a down-to-earth, practical HOWTO
would be a good way to address this.
- a lot of information on the subject is available, but it is thinly
spread over many documents. A HOWTO would be an ideal way to pull the
key ideas, concepts and processes together into one logical document.
At this stage, all I have is a suggested bare bones layout, plus some
detail for a couple of the sections:
- Intro
- Who is this document for etc.
- Prerequisites
- About kernel programming
- Don't do it in the kernel
- Coding Style
Point to codingstyle.txt
Don't sprinkle ifdefs
User interfaces: read/write better than ioctls
Architecture specific code & portability
- GNU extensions
- Licencing/Who owns what code?
- Kernel source tour
- What goes where in the source tree
- Tools
- development (cflow, lclint)
- source code navigation (grep, lxr, cscope, tags, sourcenav)
- source code manipulation (vim, diff, interdiff, patch, RCS/CVS)
- How do I... ?
- Print messages to kernel logs
- analyse an Oops
- add support for new command line options
- create a new module
- Add a system call
- write ioctls
- Add a /proc entry
- Write a driver for a new device
- Add an option to the kernel configuation
- submit a patch
- Kernel Debugging
- When not to use a debugger
- Different approaches
- local running kernel
- using printk
- using gdb
- UML
- two box debugging
-kgdb
-kdb
- Setting up
- hardware
- software
- Preparing the source
- Example debugging session
- Troublshooting
- Kernel Profiling
- Linux Trace Toolkit
- Hacking Tips/common pitfalls to avoid
- Avoiding deadlock
- Books
http://www.dit.upm.es/~jmseyas/linux/kernel/hackers-docs.html
Documentation/kernel-docs.txt
- FAQ
- which version of gcc?
- Links
- where to get help
- mailing lists
- irc
- references
I would like to get this document included in LDP when it becomes mature
enough. Would this kind of document be suitable for LDP or is it too
specialised? The subject area to be covered is very large and perhaps
could be more comprehensively covered in a guide, however I feel a HOWTO
with a practical emphasis is more urgently needed. What about starting
with a HOWTO and progressing to a guide when the document size warrants
it?
Is anyone else working on a similar project for LDP? I have contacted
Rusty Russel who wrote a non-LDP kernel hacking HOWTO. He has
encouraged me in my work; I'll be basing some parts of the new HOWTO on
his original work.
I have posted the proposed document structure to the Linux kernel and
kernelnewbies mailing lists where I have received encouragement,
positive feedback and suggestions (most of which have already been
included in the planned structure).
Comments and feedback much appreciated.
Andy
