Linux OS Architecture

daihard · 11-03-2005, 03:35 AM

Hi.

Is there any good Web site that explains the architecture of the typical GNU/Linux OS?

By "architecture" I mean how different software layers interact each other and with the kernel. For instance, the following page has a nice graphical representation of the Mac OS X architecture.

http://www.kernelthread.com/mac/osx/arch_sys.html

I would like to see something similar for GNU/Linux. I did some search on Google and Wikipedia, but I didn't find anything useful.

Any help would be appreciated.

TIA
Dai

daihard · 11-03-2005, 07:32 PM

Anyone?

Electro · 11-03-2005, 08:39 PM

Linux does not have speicialized layers like commerical OS because it is hardwired when the user includes them during the configure and compile stage. Each Linux user's kernel will be different from one user to the next, so creating a graphical layout of the kernel will not be precise. You can call Linux kernels be as dynamic. Window and desktop managers has layers. KDE is very layered. Gnome is also layered but not as much as KDE.

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/doc...Analysis-HOWTO
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/lki/index.html

Look up the kernel mailing list archives for more information.

daihard · 11-03-2005, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Electro
Linux does not have speicialized layers like commerical OS because it is hardwired when the user includes them during the configure and compile stage. Each Linux user's kernel will be different from one user to the next, so creating a graphical layout of the kernel will not be precise. You can call Linux kernels be as dynamic. Window and desktop managers has layers. KDE is very layered. Gnome is also layered but not as much as KDE.

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/doc...Analysis-HOWTO
http://www.tldp.org/LDP/lki/index.html

Look up the kernel mailing list archives for more information.

Thanks, Electro.

I was not looking for the graphical representation of the architecture inside the kernel. Rather, I'd like to know how the kernel itself and other layers, such as HAL and subsystems, interact. I could imagine the bottom layer would be the kernel, and the top layer(s) would be the window manager and X Window. What are there between them?

Thanks again,
Dai