The Linux Kernel

API and internals visual reference

about functionalities→ layers↓

human interfaces

system

multitasking

memory

storage

networking

User space interfaces

text interfaces

interfaces core Syscalls

processes

memory access

files & directories access

sockets access

virtual

security

containerization

threads

virtual memory

Virtual File System

address families: inet, unix

bridges

debugging

Driver Model

synchronization

memory mapping page cache swap network storage zero-copy splice

logical

multimedia subsystems

modules

Scheduler

logical memory

logical file systems

protocols

devices control

HID input

buses, PCI

interrupts core

Page Allocator

block devices

network interfaces

hardware interfaces

HI drivers

hardware interfaces [re]booting

CPU specific

pages

storage drivers

network drivers

electronics

user peripherals

I/O   ACPI

CPU regs APIC

memory RAM DMA MMU

storage SATA NVMe

NICs Ethernet Wi-Fi

Contents

• About the book
• Human interfaces
  • about HID, media, v4l, UVC, ALSA, console, input, cdev, security
• System
  • about booting, devices, buses, PCI, interfaces, Syscalls, /sys, /proc, modules, updating and debugging
• Multitasking
  • about processes, threads, scheduling, synchronization, interrupts
• Memory
  • about address spaces, memory allocation, memory mapping, VM, pages, data types, swap
• Storage
  • about block devices, filesystems, VFS, ext3, disk cache, SATA, SCSI,
• Networking
  • about network drivers, Ethernet, sockets, TCP/IP, NFS

• External links