Architecture of Linux kernel

Linux-Architecture

Before We start

This series is neither totally theoritical nor totally hands-on. It is amalgammation of both. Just the way I think. You will not become expert which should be implied.

Adding a new module in linux kernel

So linux kernel is a monolithic kernel. To be accurate it is Modular monolithic. Monolithic term in kernal is used in the sense of permission of code running there. If the whole kernel is running in ring 0 then the kernel will be called monoltihic. But if very few code is running in ring 0 then the kernel is called micro kernel architecture.
So if a module crashes the whole kernel will crash in linux. So always spawn a VM if you are trying to add garbage in linux.

Hello World

file-name -> hello-1.c
#include <linux/module.h>
#include <linux/kernel.h>    

int init_module(void)
{
    printk(KERN_INFO "Hello world 1.\n");
    return 0;
}

void cleanup_module(void)
{
    printk(KERN_INFO "Goodbye world 1.\n");
}

Kernel modules must have at least two functions: a “start” (initialization) function called init_module() which is called when the module is insmoded into the kernel, and an “end” (cleanup) function called cleanup_module() which is called just before it is rmmoded.
To compile this code you can use makefile provided in this repo with proper naming as it is in the repository.
If you have done everything right till date then try

insmod ./hello-1.ko

Now you can check hello world being printed in /var/log/kern.log.
To check do cat /var/log/kern.log.
That’s all folks.