Kernel Development Learning Pipeline

Spring 2023 Course

Course Summary and Purpose

We aim to introduce students to the concepts, tools, and framework necessary for independent work on the Linux kernel.

Course description

Linux is the most widely used operating system in the world. The core software component of the Linux operating system is the kernel. A couple of its roles include managing hardware interactions, virtualizing system resources, and enforcing security constraints. In effect, Linux kernel powers almost all of the world’s top supercomputers, android phones, and an innumerable variety of other computers. This course will introduce students to Linux kernel development by focusing on device driver development. This will give students hands-on experience working with internal Linux kernel APIs and provide an overview of some of the core features and components of the kernel. Gaining an understanding of the inner workings of the operating system and how to make changes to it will give students an invaluable perspective on how their computers work behind the scenes that will reveal a new layer of understanding to apply to any future software engineering practice.

Course objectives

Students will:

Stretch their C programing skills to the limit
Create, develop, and test interesting and creative Linux kernel modules
Develop the ability to autonomously participate in the open source software community
Learn how to give and recieve feedback on code patches
Demonstrate the ability to explain your code and your knowledge of Linux in your own words

Required Materials

A Linux environment to which you have root access and ideally physical access.
Patience, determination, and an ability to focus on a frustrating task for sustained periods of time.

Course Schedule

All assignment due dates are in EST(UTC-5)

#	week starting	M	T	W	Initial Submissions due @ 23:59 (Mondays unless stated otherwise)	Reviews due @ 23:59 (Tuesdays unless stated otherwise)	Final Submissions due @ 23:59 (Wednesdays unless stated otherwise)
0	15 Jan			L0	A0 due Thursday	A0 due Friday	A0 due Saturday
1	22 Jan	L1		L2
2	29 Jan	L3		L4	A1, A2	A1, A2	A1, A2
3	5 Feb	L5		L6
4	12 Feb	L7		L8	A3	A3	A3
5	19 Feb		L9	L10	A4 due Tuesday	A4 due Wednesday	A4 due Thursday
6	26 Feb	L11		L12	Choose Mid Pres Topic
7	5 Mar				BREAK	BREAK	BREAK
8	12 Mar	L13		L14	Mid Pres Recording
9	19 Mar	L15		L16	A5	A5	A5
10	26 Mar	L17		L18
11	2 Apr	L19		L20	A6	A6	A6
12	9 Apr	L21		L22
13	16 Apr	L23		L24	Fin1	Fin1	Fin1
14	23 Apr	L25		L26
15	30 Apr				Fin2	Fin2	Fin2

Course Policies | Submission Guidelines | Peer Review Process

Course policies

Available here.

Course application

Available here.