SuperLinux Encyclopedia - The Linux Kernel

Note: Also see Kernel Modules, Device Drivers, Real-Time Computing, and High-Performance Computing.

Linux HQ  is the canonical source for info on the latest "stable" and "developement" Kernel versions.

Magazines:

• Kernel Traffic  Reflects news from the kernel developer's mailing list.

Developer forums:

• Kernel Mailing-List Archive
• Kernel Who's Who  Info on top kernel-list posters.
• Questions not to ask on linux-kernel (don't read this if you're offended by displays of youthful arrogance)
• The linux-kernel mailing list FAQ  Lots more stuff too.
• Kernel Mailing List FAQ, old version  Good, but not maintained.

Misc. general sites:

• www.kernel.org  and   mirrors  PGP key
• Linux HQ Important site.
• Cutting Edge Kernels
• Linux Kernel  By C.Browne

Kernel Sources:

• The Linux Kernel Archives
• List of Kernel Versions  Almost all old versions of the Linux Kernel for download.
• Linux Kernel History Project
• Linux Source Navigator "a CGI interface to browse the entire Linux kernel source"
• Linux Source Driver  View many versions of the kerel distribution files.

General Documentation:

• Kernel Newsflash  List of known problems with the latest Linux kernel. (Check this before posting to kernel-list.)
• Index of Kernel Docs
• The Linux Kernel  An LDP product.
• Linux Kernel Glossary
• LDP Kernel Hackers' Guide
• Stuff that COULD be tuned in kernel
• Linux Source Navigator (online kernel source browser with fancy color formating))
• LSD - Linux Source Driver (online kernel source browser?)
• BUG-HUNTING - brute force method of doing binary search of patches to find bug.
• Kernel built-in debugger patch  "part of the linux kernel and provides a means of examining kernel memory and data structures while the system is operational"

Misc. Documentation:

• Books:
  • The Linux Kernel (nice on-line book by David A Rusling)
  • "Linux Kernel Internals, Second Editon", published by Addison-Wesley. ISBM 0-201-33143-8
• /proc filesystem
• "An article on Linux kernel buffers by Alan Cox. Reproduced and updated from the Kernel Hackers Guide."
• Rolling your own kernel... it ain't that tough  Jul'95 LG
• Processes on Linux and Windows NT  Very good intro to how these OSes and apps work. Dec'97 LG
• Test driving your new kernel the safe way  Jul'95 LG
• Separate Kernel Trees mini-HOWTO (howto have multiple kernels on system)

Kernel building & installation:

• Kernel HOWTO Upgrading and compiling the Linux kernel.
• How to Compile a Custom Kernel
• Linux Kernel Installation  Sep'98 LG
• BuildKernel  Automates the building of a Linux kernel.
• Quick Steps to Recompile the Linux KERNEL 

Other kernels:

• ELKS - The Embeddable Linux Kernel Subset
• Microkernels and exokernels By C.Browne
• Linux on the L4 microkernel  Also on the FIASCO microkernel. With ukernel links.
• FIASCO - L4-compatible Microkernel
• Small Kernel Project (supports Linux on 2 MB laptop; with links)

Kernel Version 2.2.x:

• "Changes" file at LinuxHQ  Including prerequisites for installing 2.2.
• A description of the kernel 2.2 new features  Jan'99
• Long intro by Joseph Pranevich  21jan'99
• A hint sheet for using 2.2, including "How do I apply the -ac patches"  21jan'99
• A hint sheet for using 2.2, specifically with Caldera's OpenLinux  21jan'99
• Linux 2.2.0 kernel source tour  View nicely formatted and highlighted kernel source code.
• Some docs covering new features related to Kernel 2.2
• A 2.2 preparation checklist for Debian 
• 2.2 kernel HOWTO for Red Hat 
• 2.2 kernel compilation HOWTO article at ZDNet  Long.

Kernel Patches:

• How to Apply Linux Patches (at linuxhq.com)
• The Linux Kernel Patch Archive
• Kernel Patches (nice list at prihateam.net)
• Linux Kernel & Drivers (and kernel patches)
• POSIX.4 Extensions to Linux "patches to the Linux kernel (version 2.1.43) that implement queued signalling and high-resolution time measurement"

Misc:

• Kernel Modules
• auditd  Part of a toolkit which supports the kernel audit mechanism.
• Linux SMP "Multiprocessor Linux Kernel Development"
• kerneld program; see in Kernel Modules, Kernel
• Psyched Linux Kernels  "will always show you the latest Linux kernels for the latest two kernel trees... "
• Capabilities (definition especially as in the Linux kernel)
• Evolutionary Scheduler for Linux  Replaces standard Linux OS process priority scheduler. "based on Genetic Algorithms and Evolutionary Programming"
• VESA 3.0 Kernel BIOS Support
• Software Suspend  Kernel SW that saves OS state for recall after reboot.
• PSET - Processor Sets for the Linux kernel  Assign process to one of multiple CPUs.
• Framebuffer HOWTO 

Kernel Distribution documentation (non-device-driver parts):

• oops-tracing.txt - how to decode those nasty internal kernel error dump messages.
• CodingStyle - how the boss likes the C code in the kernel to look.
• /usr/src/linux/Documentation/Configure.help - text file that is used for help when you run "make config"
• IO Mapping
• SMP.txt - notes, and "To Fix" list for multi-processor Linux. (see smp.tex)
• java.txt - info on the in-kernel binary support for Java(tm)
• magic-number.txt - list of magic numbers used to mark/protect kernel data structures.

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