FreeBSD, like Linux, is an open-source UNIX-like operating system that is widely used to support the core infrastructure of many companies worldwide. Because it can be built with a small footprint, it is also seeing increased use in embedded applications. The licensing terms of FreeBSD do not require the distribution of changes and enhancements to the system. The licensing terms of Linux require that all changes and enhancements to the kernel be made available in source form at minimal cost. Thus, companies that need to control the distribution of their intellectual property increasingly are building their products using FreeBSD.
This course provides an in depth study of the source code of the
FreeBSD 6.1 kernel.
This course is aimed at users with a good understanding of the
algorithms used in the FreeBSD kernel that want to learn the
details of their implementation.
Students are expected to have either taken the
FreeBSD Kernel Internals
class taught by the instructor
(in either the one week
short-course format, the 12 week
night-class format, or the 12 class
video
class format) or to have throughly read and understood
The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System,
(published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company).
They are also expected to have a complete background
in reading and programming in the C programming language.
Students will not need to prove relationship with a
source license holder, as the course will be based on the
non-proprietary kernel sources released by The FreeBSD Project.
This course will provide a detailed background in the FreeBSD 6.1 kernel. The course will cover all the basic parts of the system including process managment, memory management, scheduling, I/O structure, local and remote filesystems, and networking. The main emphasis will be on the machine independent parts of the system; little time will be spent on the machine specific parts of the system such as device drivers. Where machine specific topics are covered, the Intel PC architecture will be used for illustration.
Each student receives a CD-ROM containing the FreeBSD 6.1 kernel sources with tags database, plus a course book with copies of the overheads used in class. A printed copy of the discussed files from the FreeBSD 6.1 kernel sources (three volumes totalling approximately 1600 pages) is available for an additional $100.00.
The evening course meets once per week for fifteen weeks. The video course consists of fifteen three hour videos, one for each week of the class. The majority of the lecture time is spent reading kernel source code. The fifteen weeks are structured as follows:
1) Organization, overview of source layout 2) Kernel header files 3) System calls and file open 4) Pathname translation and file creation 5) Vnode interface mechanics, write to a local file 6) Opening, using, and closing locally connected sockets 7) User datagram protocol and routing 8) TCP Algorithms 9) Fork, exit, and exec 10) Signal generation and delivery, scheduling 11) Virtual memory header files and file mapping 12) Page fault service, pageout processing 13) NFS client and server operation 14) Multiplexing with select, system startup 15) Special topics: filesystem layering and soft updates
For those that do not live in the Bay Area, do not wish to wait until the course is next taught, or that are not generally free on weekday evenings, the class can also be purchased on DVD-R video