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Linux Components and Architecture

Linux is an open source operating system based on UNIX with a kernel, system libraries, and system utilities as its core components. The kernel runs in kernel mode with full hardware access while programs run in user mode without direct hardware access, using system calls via libraries. Key features include portability, open source development, support for multiple users and programs, and security controls.

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41 views

Linux Components and Architecture

Linux is an open source operating system based on UNIX with a kernel, system libraries, and system utilities as its core components. The kernel runs in kernel mode with full hardware access while programs run in user mode without direct hardware access, using system calls via libraries. Key features include portability, open source development, support for multiple users and programs, and security controls.

Uploaded by

mrudul rcoem
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Operating System - Linux

Linux is one of popular version of UNIX operating System. It is open source as its source code is freely
available. It is free to use. Linux was designed considering UNIX compatibility. Its functionality list is quite
similar to that of UNIX.

Components of Linux System


Linux Operating System has primarily three components

 Kernel − Kernel is the core part of Linux. It is responsible for all major activities of this operating
system. It consists of various modules and it interacts directly with the underlying hardware. Kernel
provides the required abstraction to hide low level hardware details to system or application programs.
 System Library − System libraries are special functions or programs using which application programs
or system utilities accesses Kernel's features. These libraries implement most of the functionalities of
the operating system and do not requires kernel module's code access rights.
 System Utility − System Utility programs are responsible to do specialized, individual level tasks.

Kernel Mode vs User Mode


Kernel component code executes in a special privileged mode called kernel mode with full access to all
resources of the computer. This code represents a single process, executes in single address space and do not
require any context switch and hence is very efficient and fast. Kernel runs each processes and provides system
services to processes, provides protected access to hardware to processes.

Support code which is not required to run in kernel mode is in System Library. User programs and other system
programs works in User Mode which has no access to system hardware and kernel code. User programs/
utilities use System libraries to access Kernel functions to get system's low level tasks.
Basic Features
Following are some of the important features of Linux Operating System.

 Portable − Portability means software can works on different types of hardware in same way. Linux
kernel and application programs supports their installation on any kind of hardware platform.
 Open Source − Linux source code is freely available and it is community based development project.
Multiple teams work in collaboration to enhance the capability of Linux operating system and it is
continuously evolving.
 Multi-User − Linux is a multiuser system means multiple users can access system resources like
memory/ ram/ application programs at same time.
 Multiprogramming − Linux is a multiprogramming system means multiple applications can run at
same time.
 Hierarchical File System − Linux provides a standard file structure in which system files/ user files
are arranged.
 Shell − Linux provides a special interpreter program which can be used to execute commands of the
operating system. It can be used to do various types of operations, call application programs. etc.
 Security − Linux provides user security using authentication features like password protection/
controlled access to specific files/ encryption of data.

Architecture
The following illustration shows the architecture of a Linux system −

The architecture of a Linux System consists of the following layers −

 Hardware layer − Hardware consists of all peripheral devices RAM/HDD/CPU etc

 Kernel − It is the core component of Operating System, interacts directly with hardware, provides low
level services to upper layer components.
 Shell − An interface to kernel, hiding complexity of kernel's functions from users. The shell takes
commands from the user and executes kernel's functions.
 Utilities − Utility programs that provide the user most of the functionalities of an operating systems.

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