plano

   1 intro
   2         linux
   3                 version history/evolution DO?
   4                 modules
   5                 constant change, book is already outdated
   6                 current versioning/development model
   7                 build dependencies
   8                 running new/bleeding-edge kernels
   9         kernel/user space
  10         libc/system calls
  11
  12 concepts
  13         robustness
  14                 error checking
  15
  16 basics
  17         Makefile
  18         Kconfig DO?
  19         build
  20         init/exit
  21         module macros
  22         module parameters
  23         config/build time options/parameters
  24         sysfs interface for modules DO?
  25         printk
  26
  27 VFS
  28         center/hub/interface
  29         char/block/procfs/sysfs: all go through VFS to device
  30         FS on top of block devices
  31                 block layer
  32                 exception: some on top of MTD devices
  33
  34 device driver subsystem
  35         buses
  36         device classes
  37         interfaces
  38                 dev file
  39                 sysfs
  40                 procfs
  41                 sysctl DO?
  42                 netlink DO?
  43
  44 char device
  45 procfs
  46 sysfs
  47 block device DO? STUDY
  48 network device DO? STUDY
  49 terminal/serial device DO? STUDY
  50
  51 debugging techniques
  52         printk/procfs
  53         debugfs DO? STUDY
  54         kgdb DO?
  55         trace DO?
  56         kprobe DO?
  57
  58 C basics
  59         container_of (struct embedding)
  60         fops/*ops (function pointers)
  61         IS_ERR (pointers and error values)
  62
  63 data structures
  64         list_head
  65         bitmap
  66         trees DO? STUDY rbtree
  67         idr DO?
  68         any hash implementation DO? STUDY
  69
  70 contexts
  71         user context (current, copy_from_user, schedule) STUDY schedule
  72         interrupt context
  73         workqueue is user context
  74         sleep == schedule
  75
  76 concurrency
  77         SMP systems
  78         locking
  79         spinlock: disable scheduler
  80         semaphore/mutex sleeps
  81         per-cpu variables STUDY
  82         atomic
  83         RCU DO?
  84
  85 memory allocation
  86         kobject refcount MENTION
  87         slab STUDY
  88                 multiple implementations
  89                 space efficient (tables for different object sizes)
  90                 concurrency efficient (per-cpu tables)
  91         kmalloc
  92                 uses slab STUDY
  93         vmalloc
  94                 linux memory layout
  95
  96 scheduling/timing
  97         schedule{,_timeout}
  98         timer
  99         workqueue
 100         completion/wait_head
 101         tasklets DO? STUDY
 102
 103 portability
 104         readl/writel/etc
 105         be16_to_cpu/etc
 106
 107 interrupt
 108         {request,free}_irq
 109         interrupt context
 110         tasklet/workqueue/postpone
 111
 112 buses
 113         PCI bus DO?
 114         USB bus DO?
 115         some bus: SPI, I2C, parport DO?
 116
 117 device classes
 118         some class: cdrom, backlight, input, misc DO?
 119
 120 kobject DO? advanced
 121         refcounting
 122
 123 STUDY:
 124         module owner, concurrency, reference counting