overview

The authoritative guide to the IA-64 Linux kernel implementation.

• Authoritative and complete description of the Linux kernel for IA-64/IPF (Itanium Processor Family)
• Provides an in-depth discussion of the ideas and concepts behind the Linux hardware abstraction interfaces, the IA-64 design space, and their actual realization
• From the lead architects and developers of the IA-64 Linux kernel

The IA-64 architecture and Itanium processors are designed to offer unprecedented levels of performance, expandability, and reliability—and with the delivery of the IA-64 Linux kernel, that power is now accessible to every Linux developer. In this authoritative book, the IA-64 Linux kernel project's leaders take you "under the hood" with Linux for IA-64, demonstrating exactly how it makes the most of the IA-64's breakthrough capabilities.

They begin by introducing the IA-64 architecture, instruction set, and key features. Next, they cover every major Linux kernel subsystem in unprecedented detail, presenting the interfaces used by Linux to abstract hardware differences and showing how these interfaces have been realized in the IA-64 environment. Coverage includes:

• Processes, tasks, and threads, including thread interfaces and synchronization
• The virtual memory subsystem: address spaces, page tables, page fault handling, and coherency
• Device support: programmed I/O, DMA, and interrupts
• Symmetric multiprocessing: Linux locking principles and their implementation on IA-64
• Kernel entry and exit: interruptions, system calls, signals, and user memory access
• Bootstrapping: firmware, bootloader, and kernel initialization
• System performance monitoring: usage, kernel support, and Itanium extensions
• IA-32 compatibility: architectural support and Linux support for running legacy 32-bit applications

This book not only focuses on the ideas and concepts you need to work with this radically innovative architecture: it illuminates the key issues associated with Linux kernel operation on any platform, existing or new.