Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Linux as a microkernel

To achieve many of the theoretical advantages of microkernels without introducing performance penalties, the Linux kernel offers modules . A module is an object file whose code can be linked to (and unlinked from) the kernel at runtime. The object code usually consists of a set of functions that implements a filesystem, a device driver, or other features at the kernel's upper layer. The module, unlike the external layers of microkernel operating systems, does not run as a specific process. Instead, it is executed in Kernel Mode on behalf of the current process, like any other statically linked kernel function.

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