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   5                 constant change, book is already outdated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         debugfs DO? STUDY
  50         kgdb DO?
  51         trace DO?
  52         kprobe DO?
  53
  54 C basics
  55         container_of (struct embedding)
  56         fops/*ops (function pointers)
  57         IS_ERR (pointers and error values)
  58
  59 data structures
  60         list_head
  61         bitmap
  62         trees DO? STUDY rbtree
  63         idr DO?
  64         any hash implementation DO? STUDY
  65
  66 contexts
  67         user context (current, copy_from_user, schedule) STUDY schedule
  68         interrupt context
  69         workqueue is user context
  70         sleep == schedule
  71
  72 concurrency
  73         SMP systems
  74         locking
  75         spinlock: disable scheduler
  76         semaphore/mutex sleeps
  77         per-cpu variables STUDY
  78         atomic
  79         RCU DO?
  80
  81 memory allocation
  82         kobject refcount MENTION
  83         slab STUDY
  84                 multiple implementations
  85                 space efficient (tables for different object sizes)
  86                 concurrency efficient (per-cpu tables)
  87         kmalloc
  88                 uses slab STUDY
  89         vmalloc
  90                 linux memory layout
  91
  92 scheduling/timing
  93         schedule{,_timeout}
  94         timer
  95         workqueue
  96         completion/wait_head
  97         tasklets DO? STUDY
  98
  99 portability
 100         readl/writel/etc
 101         be16_to_cpu/etc
 102
 103 interrupt
 104         {request,free}_irq
 105         interrupt context
 106         tasklet/workqueue/postpone
 107
 108 buses
 109         PCI bus DO?
 110         USB bus DO?
 111         some bus: SPI, I2C, parport DO?
 112
 113 device classes
 114         some class: cdrom, backlight, input, misc DO?
 115
 116 kobject DO? advanced
 117         refcounting
 118
 119 STUDY:
 120         module owner, concurrency, reference counting