Getting to know the Linux kernel
Figure 1.1 illustrates an example of a Linux kernel. Based on your needs, the system architecture could look different, but you can observe the three main layers we expect to see in any given Linux system.
These are the user space (running processes and their threads), the kernel space (the running kernel itself, usually a process of its own), and the computer – this could be any kind of computing device, such as a PC, tablet, smartphone, supercomputer, IoT device, and so on. One by one, all the terms observed in the diagram will fall into place as we explain them in the following chapters, so don’t worry if you are not familiar with all of them right now.
Figure 1.1 – Overview of the Linux kernel and the neighboring layers
Some interdependencies in the preceding diagram have probably made an impression on you already. For example, see how the device drivers, the respective devices, and the...