Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
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 Customer Rating:
The comments needed by the Linux code
Customer Rating:
These are the comments needed to understand Linux code, very helpful and thorough. The authors are knowledgeable, and explain the material well.
Greatly Detailed and Very Comprehensive
Customer Rating:
I had originally intended to read this book to knock out two birds with one stone. I wanted to learn Operating System theory and specifically how it was implemented in Linux. I quickly learned, however, that I would of been much better suited if I already had a good OS theory background. But I pressed on and finally couldn't take it anymore and had to put it down and pick up Linux Kernel Development by Robert Love. I began reading Linux Kernel Development concurrently with this book and it is definitely what I would recommend for those new to OS internals.
After using both of those books I started to get a good foothold on the kernel. And Understanding the Linux Kernel quickly becomes like a good novel you can't put down. I did like how it was x86-centric because abstract is nice and all but sometimes it helps to see how things actually are done. However some might not like that. I did not like how it threw a bunch of detail at you without completely unifying everything.. But thats why I read Linux Kernel Development concurrently. All and all this book is definitely worth it for those who want to know about the Linux kernel and now as I use my GNU/Linux operating system I can't help and point out to myself whats going on under the hood.
Good book
Customer Rating:
I purchased this book as a complimentary book for the regular OS text books, so far the coverage is very good and helpful.
Awesome
Customer Rating:
Awesome book...things are very well explained and the subject-matter is covered well. Surely recommend this book to someone!!
Understanding the Linux Kernel
Customer Rating:
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.
Select button not working? 
