Chapter 24. Kernel and Module Management
| IN THIS CHAPTER
Previously you learned what happens when you start your Linux computer: The BIOS wakes up all the electronics on the motherboard and finds a bootloader. The bootloader checks the hard drive to find a kernel. The kernel does everything else. But what is a kernel? Stripped to its essentials, the kernel really is the operating system. It is the piece of software that allows humans to interact with otherwise inanimate pieces of plastic, silicon, and other precious metals. The Linux kernel is Linux. Distributions such as SUSE Linux, Debian, Fedora Core, and Ubuntu package different sets of applications, update mechanisms, and configurations. The reason they are all Linux is because they distribute the Linux kernel released by Linus Torvalds and developed by an amazing crew of kernel hackers. In this chapter, you will learn how to get your hands on the kernel source, how to manage kernel modules, how and when to patch the kernel, and how to troubleshoot problems with the kernel. The vast majority of SUSE Linux users will find that the precompiled kernels the SUSE engineers provide more than satisfies their needs. These kernels are available through YaST (as is the kernel source code). SUSE Linux is designed for the tinkerer, though. If you think you can be a kernel hacker, SUSE Linux can help you find out. Even if you're a little fearful at the idea of messing with the kernel, you should read the first two sections of the chapter to know a little bit about the history of the kernel and how it works. Someday you just might pick up a brand-new piece of hardware for which a Linux driver was added to the kernel snapshot last week. Go all the way through this chapter, and you'll know exactly what to do to get it working. |
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 332