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Introduction to the Linux Kernel 2.6

For The Fraser Valley Linux Users Group By Alan Bailward <alan@ufies.org>. Introduction to the Linux Kernel 2.6. Overview. What is a “kernel” What does this release mean Nifty new things Back-end changes Upgrading Question Time Resources. What is a Kernel. Core of the OS

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Introduction to the Linux Kernel 2.6

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  1. For The Fraser Valley Linux Users Group By Alan Bailward <alan@ufies.org> Introduction to the Linux Kernel 2.6

  2. Overview • What is a “kernel” • What does this release mean • Nifty new things • Back-end changes • Upgrading • Question Time • Resources

  3. What is a Kernel • Core of the OS • Controls all input and output • In development since 1991 • Works in conjunction with your shell, tools and applications

  4. What 2.6 Means • The 2.6 designation means that this is a stable kernel • Almost • Currently (12/7/2003) at 2.6.0-test11 • Linus is anticipating the full release by the end of the year • Already very stable and many are using it • More “industry strength” features • Improved user experience

  5. Nifty New Things • New menu systems (gtk and qt)

  6. Nifty New Things Cont... • New build system • No more compile messages! (unless you use V=1)

  7. Back-end Changes • Hardware Support • better embedded support • better NUMA (non-uniform memory access... think SMP++) support • Hyperthreading • Scalability • PAE (physical address extension to allow x86 to access up to 64G of ram) • higher limits on PIDs and device major and minor numbers

  8. Back-end Changes 2 • Interactivity • preemptible • kernel operations can be interrupted • improves responsiveness • “feels faster” • supposedly better than the 2.4 preempt patches • threading • start and stop 100,000 threads in 2 seconds (vs 14:58 before)

  9. Back-end Changes 3 • Modules renamed to .ko • Stability improvements to the module subsystem • ISA, EISA, PCI systems are modules • Hotplug improvements • New filesystem sysfs • /sys • joins /proc, /dev (devfs) and devpts • has all known attributes of the device (irq, dma, power status, etc)

  10. Back-end Changes 4 • Better PnP • USB 2.0 (“high speed”) • Wireless support merged into single subsystem • amateur radio AX.25 • wireless 802.11 • Infrared updates • Bluetooth updates • IDE updates and scalability improvements • No more ide-scsi for CD writing! • New Serial ATA drivers • SCSI updates

  11. Back-end Changes 5 • Ext2/3 extended attributes • meta-data and finer grained permissions • catching up to windows in this respect! • XFS added • NFS improvements, r/w better but still experimental • Quota support more scalable

  12. Back-end Changes 6 • Human Interface layer • create a completely headless system • complete modularity for video, keyboard, mouse, and all things human (ph34r the machines!) • Touch screens • Strange mice • Braille devices • Magic sysrq key now not only from a console • ALSA (advanced linux sound architecture) merged

  13. Back-end Changes 7 (last one!) • Networking updates • many small changes here and there • IPSEC support • allows for transparent cryptography through ipv4 and ipv6 • VLAN (for routers) support no longer experimental • Network filesystem updates • NFSv4 support • CIFS (streamlined SMB) • Many security updates • alternate security modules begun • User mode Linux • APM/ACPI improvements

  14. The “Gotchas” • Not all non-open source packages are updated yet • May need patches for • vmware • nvidia • My own personal experience: • mouse speed changed • mouse buttons stopped working • vga=791 frame-buffer no longer worked • have heard of problems with CD burning • some apps aren't updated yet • Gentoo changes with devfs and ptyfs

  15. Upgrading • module-init-tools • mkdir /sys • ensure keyboard and video are loaded in • pty filesystem

  16. Questions?

  17. Resources • http://kniggit.net/wwol26.html • http://kernel.org • http://www.nyetwork.org/wiki/LinuxKernel • http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=70838 • http://kerneltrap.org/node/view/799 • http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/09/21/2024247 • http://thomer.com/linux/migrate-to-2.6.html

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