Linux Kernel Architecture

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Appendix B: Working with the Source Code

processes). Refer to the UML documentation for a detailed description of these options. Also notice that

the designer of UML has written a book solely devoted to this topic[Dik06].

Figure B-9: Breakpoint in a running UML kernel.

B.7 Summary

The Linux kernel is a huge project, and in addition to improving the software, managing the comprehen-

sive code base is a challenging undertaking for its developers. This appendix introduced you to how the

kernel sources are organized, and which tools are employed to build a customized kernel binary (and

the associated modules) according to the user’s needs. In addition, this appendix described a selection of

useful tools that aid you in understanding the complex code base, allow for tracking the ongoing devel-

opment of the kernel, and help in finding and correcting errors using advanced debugging schemes.