This article will explore the concepts, types and functions of operating system kernels in depth.

What is a kernel?

The kernel is the core program of the operating system and the first program loaded after the system is started (after the bootloader loader). It is responsible for managing all resources of the system and resident memory during the operating system until the system is shut down.

Functions of the operating system kernel:

The main functions of the kernel include:

• Access to computer resources: The kernel acts as a bridge between users and system resources (CPU, I/O devices, etc.), providing access to these resources.
• Resource Management: The kernel is responsible for sharing resources between different processes, ensuring that each process has fair access to resources.
• Memory management: The kernel allocates and frees up the memory space required by the process to ensure the effective utilization of memory.
• Device Management: The kernel manages the various peripheral devices connected to the system and allocates them to the processes that need to be used.

Kernel type:

The kernel is mainly divided into the following types:

• Monolithic Kernels: Monolithic Kernels integrate user services and kernel services in the same memory space, which will result in a larger kernel size but faster running speed.

• Microkernel: The microkernel places user services and kernel services in different memory spaces, which makes the kernel smaller and more modular, but may run slightly slower.

• Hybrid Kernel: Hybrid Kernel combines the advantages of monolithic and microkernels, taking into account both speed and modularity.

• Nanokernel: The code volume of nanokernel is very small and contains only a small amount of code executed in hardware privileged mode. It is usually used in systems with extremely high clock accuracy requirements.

• Exolenel: Exolenel separates resource protection and management, allowing application-specific customization, developed by MIT parallel and distributed operating system teams.

Summarize:

This article explains the concepts, functions, different types of kernels and their characteristics of operating system kernels. Hope to answer your questions about the kernel.

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