plano

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