Customer Reviews

IA-64 Linux Kernel: Design and Implementation

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My search for a good book on linux internals ended with this book. What makes this book different from the other linux internals is the fact that unlike other books, this book does not dump the kernel code as is. Instead it gives a very good description about various subsystems and design criteria which helps one understand the concept very easily.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about linux/ia64 kernel.

This is a terrific text, that simultaneously throws light on the arcane of the IA64 architecture and the Linux kernel. I just wish this book had been available when I started messing around with low-level IA64 stuff.

In one word - EXCELLENT!

I bought this book to fulfill my desire of knowing how an OS works under the hood. I am happy to say this book served the purpose extremely well. In addition, now I better understand all the necessary details of IA-64 architecture. This book not only answers 'how is it done' but also gives a precise 'why' to every 'how'.

Right from the print quality to the content everything is just wonderful. I still enjoy repeatedly reading the Virtual Memory chapter.

This book should certainly be useful to anyone interested in understanding how modern CPUs function. More importantly it will help you gain insight on modern operating system design and implementation along with the finer points of why a particular function is implemented in a certain way.

In all a in-depth, well written book which is also well-built! You should not find anything to complain about it.

Excellent book, one of the best explanations of the inner workings of Linux kernel in general, goes way beyond IA64-specific issues. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the essential kernel structures and responsibilites.

I bought this book mainly for understanding Linux Kernel's Virtual Memory Management. Reading The Chapter on Virtual Memory was a breeze. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Although some of the information no longer holds true for Linux's kernel which is acceptable given the fact Linux kernel changes just too fast. For Example, linux kernel now uses 4 level page tables, but according to the book it uses 3 level page table which obviously is not wrong but it is simply outdated information.

Disregarding the specifics, it does a nice overall job of explaining the kernel internals. The use of simplified diagrams by the author instead of having a code commentary to make you understand the stuff makes this book an absolute fun read. After reading the book though, you have to patch your knowledge database by getting updated with the latest stuff. Hence, the 4 four stars.

This is THE very best book on Linux Kernel in general. Without refering any piece of kernel code, it explains very neatly not only the Linux kernel architecture in detail but also the most advanced features of IA64 CPU giving simple examples. This book will definitely move you one step forward to face the challenges in dealing with Linux kernel.

Not only it this a fine book, the book mentions the website: www.lia64.org/book which has a book search feature. This is sooo much more powerful than a printed index. I wish ALL books had a site like this so they can be electronically searched!