Questions about Linux kernel and Linux kernel related topics eg. implementation details such as system calls, kernel customization, etc. For Linux user space topics which do not involve kernel details, [linux] or distribution tag are more suitable.
Questions tagged [linux-kernel]
3586 questions
126
votes
6 answers
Why is the Linux kernel 15+ million lines of code?
What are the contents of this monolithic code base?
I understand processor architecture support, security, and virtualization, but I can't imagine that being more than 600,000 lines or so.
What are the historic & current reason drivers are included…
Jonathan
- 1,565
66
votes
6 answers
Is it possible to install the Linux kernel alone?
I'm just curious if it's possible to install the Linux kernel alone, or if you need to use one of the flavours. If it were possible, how would you do it? I don't need a detailed tutorial. I just want to know how it would be done conceptually. I'm…
cesar
- 779
27
votes
4 answers
Does Android really use the same kernel as Linux?
I read from somewhere that Android uses the Linux Kernel. Is it really true? I thought the Linux Kernel was meant for desktop operating systems.
Mysterio
- 531
22
votes
3 answers
How do I search the linux kernel mailing list archives?
I want to research why a Linux kernel feature appears to be missing from my Linux install by searching the Linux kernel mailing list for recent discussions on the subject. The only site that I've found that offers a search of the mailing list…
drs
- 5,453
19
votes
1 answer
Why is the git clone of the Linux kernel source code much larger than the extracted tar.xz?
When I download the kernel directly as type tar.xz, and untar it, the size is around 1GB. But when I download it via git clone from here, the size is around 7GB. It shows only master branch. Why this huge difference?
Israr
- 395
19
votes
2 answers
What does 'make localmodconfig' do?
What does make localmodconfig do and what should you set so that external hardware is supported?
redcaddy
- 225
17
votes
2 answers
How many actual developers work on the Linux kernel?
For a study I am doing I was asked how many actual developers commit on a typical kernel version.
I know there is Linus Torvalds as the main developer, followed by many second main developers. Several of which work in companies. But here comes my…
Luis Alvarado
- 830
- 1
- 9
- 20
17
votes
2 answers
Change kernel parameters at runtime
While trying to fix an obscure hardware bug, it was suggested that adding a couple of parameters to the kernel might resolve the issue.
I can of course do that, but I was wondering whether I can make these changes to a running kernel. In particular,…
MathematicalOrchid
- 5,934
12
votes
2 answers
Are all kernel argument really used by the kernel?
Why does Linux allow ‘init=/bin/bash’?
I read this, answers are saying it's KERNEL running this init program.
Then I started to wonder, Linux usually comes with a initramfs, which will eventually mount and pivot_root to real root filesystem. So…
炸鱼薯条德里克
- 1,375
12
votes
2 answers
What are the `some_name.o.cmd` files?
What are the some_name.o.cmd files that I see in Linux's kernel code? are they auto-generated?
Tar
- 243
12
votes
3 answers
Why does Linux store cpu temperatures on so many files?
I have a laptop(thinkpad) with 2 cpus. Currently I can read the cpu temperatures
from the files below with cat(1):
cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp
cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone1/temp
cat…
spk
- 123
11
votes
1 answer
What does "SMP PREEMPT RT" mean in `uname -a`?
As per the subject, here is the output of uname -a:
Linux 4.19.82 #1 SMP PREEMPT RT Mon Mar 2 17:33:16 PST 2020 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
There is no related information in man uname indeed.
John
- 298
8
votes
1 answer
What is meant by interrupt remapping in Linux?
Can anyone explain what the interrupt remapping is?
Would turning this feature off in the Linux kernel cause any problems, or bring any benefits?
Raj Aah
- 89
8
votes
1 answer
Does linux do outer ip fragmentation
I am looking to understand if Linux has the capability to do fragmentation of the outgoing packets at inner IP or outer IP level?
I looked the source code in /net/ipv4/files in Linux kernel source, but do not find reference to the fragmentation…
kishore .
- 485
6
votes
1 answer
Why is the PC speaker considered an input device in the kernel configuration?
Something that's always bothered me about Linux kernel configuration: the PC speaker as a source of generic beeps is considered a "miscellaneous input device". Why is this? I'd expect it to be in some output-related category, or perhaps "Misc.…
Mark
- 4,244