Understanding the Linux Kernel, Second Edition.

This new edition has been updated to cover version 2.4 of the kernel, which is quite different from version 2.2: the virtual memory system is entirely new, support for multiprocessor systems is improved, and whole new classes of hardware devices have been added. The kernel code has been significantly enlarged. "The 2.2 version occupies about 58 megabytes of disk space, while the 2.4 version occupies about 144 megabytes. In order to list all of the code of the 2.4 version, we would need more than forty books like this one.

While refraining from listing all the code, the authors explore each significant new feature in detail. Other topics in the book include: Memory management including file buffering, process swapping, and Direct Memory Access (DMA)--The Virtual Filesystem and the Second Extended Filesystem--Process creation and scheduling--Signals, interrupts, and the essential interfaces to device drivers--Timing-Synchronization in the kernel-Interprocess Communication (IPC)--Program execution This second edition will acquaint readers with all the inner workings of Linux, but is more than just an academic exercise.