You're reading from Linux Kernel Debugging Leverage proven tools and advanced techniques to effectively debug Linux kernels and kernel modules

Product type Paperback

Published in Aug 2022

Publisher Packt

ISBN-13 9781801075039

Length 638 pages

Edition 1st Edition

Tools

Linux

Concepts

System Administration

Author (1):

Kaiwan N. Billimoria

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Table of Contents (17) Chapters

Preface

1. Part 1: A General Introduction and Approaches to Kernel Debugging

2. Chapter 1: A General Introduction to Debugging Software FREE CHAPTER

3. Chapter 2: Approaches to Kernel Debugging

4. Part 2: Kernel and Driver Debugging Tools and Techniques

5. Chapter 3: Debug via Instrumentation – printk and Friends

6. Chapter 4: Debug via Instrumentation – Kprobes

7. Chapter 5: Debugging Kernel Memory Issues – Part 1

8. Chapter 6: Debugging Kernel Memory Issues – Part 2

9. Chapter 7: Oops! Interpreting the Kernel Bug Diagnostic

10. Chapter 8: Lock Debugging

11. Part 3: Additional Kernel Debugging Tools and Techniques

12. Chapter 9: Tracing the Kernel Flow

13. Chapter 10: Kernel Panic, Lockups, and Hangs

14. Chapter 11: Using Kernel GDB (KGDB)

15. Chapter 12: A Few More Kernel Debugging Approaches

16. Other Books You May Enjoy

Summary

Good going! I think you'll agree with me that this chapter was a really key one. Locking and concurrency are inherently complex topics, with all kinds of bad side effects (such as unexplained hangs, deadlock, performance issues, and even livelock) when used incorrectly. In this chapter, you began by refreshing the basics on several key points with regard to locking.

We mentioned – and again emphasize – that detailed coverage on locking technologies within the kernel (mutex, spinlock, atomic_t, refcount_t, per-CPU, and so on) are covered in detail in my earlier Linux Kernel Programming – Part 2 book's last two chapters. The eBook is freely downloadable (as both a PDF as well as a Kindle edition). The last chapter in the Linux Kernel Programming – Part 2 book covers key information on lock debugging techniques (especially lockdep) that are important.

This chapter then delved into what actually constitutes a data race (as defined by...