[UDM] Linux Kernel Filesystem Development Course (Mar 2024) + Files

Building a Strong Foundation
The Linux Kernel Filesystem Development Course introduces you to the internals of Linux kernel filesystem development, a step up from the fundamentals of how system calls flow through user space into the Virtual File System (VFS), to your very own implementation. You will begin improving a loadable kernel module and the utility programs needed to format, mount, and interface with your filesystem – mkfs and fsdb. These initial activities not only help familiarize you with the basics but also provide you with practical experience of how the Linux kernel handles filesystems under the hood.

Skills and Techniques: Practical Development and Debugging
The object of the Linux Kernel Filesystem Development Course is the development of SPFS, a small file system on disk, written in just a few thousand lines of C. You will develop along the way such features as file creation, directory operations, symbolic links, hard links, reading and writing operations. The more sophisticated ones are the ability to restore deleted files and the security implications of filesystem design. Not the least important, you will get a real-life exposure to debugging, with traced debugging by use of printk, and stepping your code with advanced tools such as GDB and KGDB, to debug and fix problems as they happen.

Strategy, Resources, and Audience
In addition to coding, the Linux Kernel Filesystem Development Course focuses on a systematic way to develop things – how to set priorities and create features in a rational order, which is a very useful trait in larger projects. You will also have access to a 450-page online textbook, which will supplement the lessons with more in-depth explanations and examples. The course is recommended to developers familiar with Linux or UNIX systems, the C language, and some background knowledge of the kernel, wanting to broaden their skills to filesystem development without the heavy burden of compiling a complete kernel.