Compiling Kernel code in Linux

Question

Okay, I'm reading about Linux kernel development and there are some code snippets using kernel's data structures and stuff. Let's say I'd like to experiment with them, e.g. there's a very simple snippet:

#include <../../linux-2.6.37.1/include/linux/sched.h>
struct task_struct *task;
for_each_process(task) {
    printk("%s[%d]\n", task->comm, task->pid);
}

Seems pretty simple, eh? Now then, I can't possibly build the thing. I am using NetBeans. The sched.h is the correct file as if one can CTRL+clicks on it, one is brought to the right file.

Do I need to include somehow my sample file and build the whole kernel from the Makefile? I just wished to see that it builds and possibly that it would work. If I need to build the whole kernel how would I actually test my stuff?

I must be making something really stupid as I am very new to kernel development. I am quite a bit lost.

Thanks guys!

Answer 1

You do not need to compile the whole kernel, but you have to at least create a kernel module, which is far easier to compile. You should have a look at a tutorial, such as this, or even a full blown book like this.

Keep in mind that not all kernel code can be moved to a module - just those that use the public (exported) interfaces of the kernel. Code that is intrinsic to the kernel core parts (e.g. the VM or the scheduler) is probably inaccessible from the rest of the kernel.

Also keep in mind that trying out kernel code on your development machine is not advised - a slight mistake can easily bring the whole system down. You should look at trying out your kernel code in a separate virtual machine e.g. in VirtualBox.

A detail that makes thing harder: in general you can only insert a module in the kernel that it was built for. A module compiled on the host system can be used on the testing VM if and only if the kernel is identical, i.e. the same kernel package version from the same distribution. Considering that you will want to upgrade your host distribution, in my opinion it is just simpler to build the module on the testing system.

Since you need a full development suite for C, you should probably install one of the popular Linux distrbutions. It should be more stable and you can have access to its user community. If you want to keep its size down, you can just install the base system without an X server or graphical applications.

BTW Netbeans is designed to develop userspace applications. You can probably adapt it for kernel code, but it will never be as suited as it is for userspace programming. As a matter of fact, no IDE is really suitable. Kernel code cannot be run from userspace (let alone using a separate VM), which breaks down the normal edit->compile->run->debug workflow cycle that IDEs automate.

Most kernel developers just use a souped-up editor with syntax highlighting for C, such as Vim or Emacs. Emacs is actually an IDE (and so much more) but, as I mentioned above, you cannot easily use an IDE-based workflow for kernel code development.

Answer 2

You can build a loadable kernel module if you don't want to build the whole kernel - e.g. see http://www.linux-tutorial.info/modules.php?name=Howto&pagename=Module-HOWTO.

Answer 3

All the code you write, compile and run as user programs run as ... well, user programs, in user mode. The kernel runs in kernel mode. Both modes are separated and cannot see each other directly. They communicate through defined interfaces. These interfaces are the C system calls (as opposed to the C library calls).

To be able to access the task_struct structures, your code has to be running in kernel mode. The best choice for this is to write a kernel module, and to load it in the kernel.

Answer 4

Very little kernel code can run outside the kernel in any form. Most kernel code is very 'intertwingled' (to use a phrase I learned from a coworker years ago to describe excessive coupling) with other portions of kernel code. Functions 'know' structure definitions for many many structures away from what they are working on. Typical software engineering people hate code like this:

    if (unlikely(inode_init_always(sb, inode))) {
            if (inode->i_sb->s_op->destroy_inode)
                    inode->i_sb->s_op->destroy_inode(inode);
            else
                    kmem_cache_free(inode_cachep, inode);
            return NULL;
    }

This routine has to know how to destroy inodes through three structures and the calling convention of a function pointer on the other end of the chain. The kernel community knows all these functions very well, and are quite happy to modify member names in structures all throughout the kernel when changes are made, but this sort of tight coupling makes running portions of the kernel in userspace on their own extremely difficult. (And believe me, sometimes I wish I could write tests on my small portions of kernel code that would run in userspace.)

If you want to play around, it's not too hard to get a virtual system up and running these days with qemu+kvm or virtualbox or uml to try making modifications to the kernel. It is pretty hard to just "play" with structures on a live running system, but it is much more feasible than trying to compile portions of the kernel in userspace.

Good luck. :)

Answer 5

You might enjoy using systemtap as a wrapper for small bits of kernel module code:

# stap -g -e 'probe begin { your_function() exit() }
%{
#include <linux/whatever.h>
%}
function your_function() %{
   ... insert safe c code here ...
%}'

It can automatically cross-compile too (if you use stap --remote=VIRTMACHINE ...).