What is Linux Kernel? In previous post, we have seen the structure of Linux operating system. We know that Linux kernel is the core part of Linux and every process of operating system passes through kernel. Also, only kernel has permission to access hardware directly. But where is exactly this kernel? There are two, say, spaces in operating system. User space and kernel space are the two layers where operating system operates. User space is where user library is located. Below user space comes kernel space which is where kernel is located. Linux kernel space and user space What is the use of kernel? Functions of kernel: There are various functions performed by kernel are: 1) Resource allocation :- Kernel decides how the processes can access computer resources like CPU, RAM, I/O, etc. 2) Inter-Process Communication :- Kernel acts as an agent for communication between processes when required. 3) Memory Management :- Kernel has a
Linux is an open source operating system. The source code of Linux is available to read as well as modify as you wish. This makes it a great tool to learn about operating systems and what goes inside them. So in this post we are going to see the structure of the Linux operating system. Linux operating system has a structure similar to commercial operating systems. However, Linux is closer to Unix operating system. The main structure of Linux consists of :- 1. Hardware 2. Kernel 3. Device drivers 4. Standard library of procedures 5. Standard library of utilities 6. Applications The layered architecture of Linux operating system is shown in the following diagram:- Architecture of Operating System The architecture of Linux operating system consists of four layers:- 1. Hardware:- The innermost layer(circle) comprises of hardware which is essential to run the operating system on. Hardwa