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Lecture 1 Introduction

This document provides an introduction to device drivers and how they interface with the Linux kernel. It discusses how device drivers map standard kernel calls to hardware-specific operations, and how the kernel's modular design allows drivers to be loaded and unloaded dynamically. It also covers different classes of devices like character, block, and network devices. Security considerations for drivers are outlined.

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Randy Garay
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44 views

Lecture 1 Introduction

This document provides an introduction to device drivers and how they interface with the Linux kernel. It discusses how device drivers map standard kernel calls to hardware-specific operations, and how the kernel's modular design allows drivers to be loaded and unloaded dynamically. It also covers different classes of devices like character, block, and network devices. Security considerations for drivers are outlined.

Uploaded by

Randy Garay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to the Kernel

and Device Drivers

Mark Stanovich
COP 5641 / CIS 4930
Introduction

 Device drivers
 Software interface to hardware device
 Use standardized calls
 Independent of the specific driver
 Main role
 Map standard calls to device-specific operations
 Can be developed separately from the rest of the
kernel
 Plugged in at runtime when needed
Role of the Device Driver

 Implements the mechanisms to access the


hardware
 E.g., Hard disk
 Read/write blocks of data
 Access as a continuous array
 Does not force particular policies on the user
 Examples
 Who many access the drive
 Whether the drive is accessed via a file system
 Whether users may mount file systems on the drive
Policy-Free Implementation

 Simplifies the design


 Separation of concerns
 Capabilities provided
 Use of Capabilities
 Reuse
 Different policies do not require changes to the
kernel
Splitting the Kernel

 Kernel handles resource requests


 Process management
 Creates, destroys processes
 Supports communication among processes
 Signals, pipes, etc.
 Schedules how processes share the CPU/cores
 Memory management
 Virtual addressing
Splitting the Kernel
 File systems
 Everything in UNIX can be treated as a file
 Linux supports multiple file systems
 Device control
 System operation maps to a physical device
 Networking
 Handles packets
 Routing and network address resolution
Splitting the Kernel
(Dynamically) Loadable Modules

 The ability to add and remove kernel features


at runtime
 Each unit of extension is called a module
 Use insmod and modprobe program to
add a kernel module
 Use rmmod program to remove a kernel
module
Classes of Devices and Modules

 Character devices
 Block devices
 Network devices
 Others
Character Devices

 Abstraction: a stream of bytes


 Examples
 Text console (/dev/console)
 Serial ports (/dev/ttyS0)
 Usually supports open, close, read, write
 Accessed sequentially (in most cases)
 Might not support file seeks
 Accessed through a filesystem node
Block Devices

 Abstraction: continuous array of storage


blocks (e.g. sectors)
 Applications can access a block device in bytes
 Accessed through a file system node
 A block device can host a file system
Network Devices

 Abstraction: data packets


 Send and receive packets
 Do not know about individual connections
 Have unique names (e.g., eth0)
 Not in the file system
 Support protocols and streams related to packet
transmission (i.e., no read and write)
Other Classes of Devices

 Examples that do not fit to previous


categories:
 USB
 SCSI
 FireWire
 MTD
File System Modules

 Software drivers, not device drivers


 Serve as a layer between user API and block
devices
 Intended to be device-independent
Security Issues

 Deliberate vs. incidental damage


 Kernel modules present possibilities for both
 System does only rudimentary checks at
module load time
 Relies on limiting privilege to load modules
 And trusts the driver writers
 Driver writer must be on guard for security
problems
Security Issues

 Do not define security policies


 Provide mechanisms to enforce policies
 Be aware of operations that affect global
resources
 Setting up an interrupt line
 Could cause another device to malfunction
 Setting up a default block size
 Could affect other users
Security Issues

 Buffer overrun
 Overwriting unrelated data
 Treat input/parameters with utmost suspicion
 Uninitialized memory
 Kernel memory should be zeroed before being
made available to a user
 Otherwise, information leakage could result
 Passwords
Security Issues

 Avoid running kernels/device drivers


compiled by an untrusted friend
 Modified kernel could allow anyone to load a
module
Version Numbering

 Every software package used in Linux has a


release number
 Version dependency
 You need a particular version of one package to run a
particular version of another package
 Prepackaged distribution contains compatible
versions of various packages
Version Numbering
 Different throughout the years
 1.0 … 2.4 … 2.6… 3.0
 After version 1.0 but before 3.0
 <major>.<minor>.<release>.<bugfix>
 Time based releases (after two to three months)
 3.x
 Moved to 3.0 to better reflect newer development
process
 <version>.<release>.<bugfix>
 https://lkml.org/lkml/2011/5/29/204
License Terms

 GNU General Public License (GPL2)


 GPL allows anybody to redistribute and sell a
product covered by GPL
 As long as the recipient has access to the source
 And is able to exercise the same rights
 Any software product derived from a product
covered by the GPL must be released under GPL
License Terms

 If you want your code to go into the mainline


kernel
 Must use a GPL-compatible license
Joining the Kernel Development
Community
 The central gathering point
 Linux-kernel mailing list
 http://www.tux.org/lkml
 https://lkml.org/
 Chapter 20 of LKD Book further discusses
the community and accepted coding style

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