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   5                 constant change, book is already outdated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