O'Reilly has published a book for Linux users interested in learning to build their own kernels. Linux Kernel in a Nutshell describes how to build and install Linux 2.6 kernels, starting with downloading the source. It was written by well-known kernel hacker Greg Kroah-Hartman.

(Click for larger view of coral on the cover)

Kroah-Hartman currently maintains the USB, PCI, I2C, driver core, and sysfs kernel subsystems. He also maintains the udev and hotplug userspace programs, and helps maintain the kernels distributed with Gentoo Linux. Kroah-Hartman works for IBM's Linux Technology Center, and serves as a contributing editor to the Linux Journal.

Kroah-Hartman says his book aggregates information that users would otherwise have to gather from a variety of scattered places in the kernel source code tree and around the Web. He says the book can help new kernel builders understand how simple building kernels actually is, and maybe even inspire them to get involved in kernel development.

Kroah-Hartman said, “The more people that try this out and realize that there is not any real magic behind the whole Linux kernel process, the more people will be willing to jump in and help out.”

No programming experience is assumed, although the book does expect readers to have some familiarity with using Linux on the command line.

Availability

Linux Kernel in a Nutshell is available now, direct from O'Reilly, and from its distributors. The 182-page book is priced at $35.

 
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