https://github.com/devv712/kernel-driver-linux-character-device-driver-simulator
This project built a basic Linux character device driver from scratch, exploring low-level OS internals like the Linux kernel module system, user-kernel communication, and device file interfaces. It followed Linux kernel coding standards and used a modular design for reusability and easy extension.
https://github.com/devv712/kernel-driver-linux-character-device-driver-simulator
Last synced: 7 months ago
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This project built a basic Linux character device driver from scratch, exploring low-level OS internals like the Linux kernel module system, user-kernel communication, and device file interfaces. It followed Linux kernel coding standards and used a modular design for reusability and easy extension.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/devv712/kernel-driver-linux-character-device-driver-simulator
- Owner: devv712
- Created: 2025-08-10T17:12:36.000Z (8 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-08-10T17:16:44.000Z (8 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-08-10T19:09:43.516Z (8 months ago)
- Language: JavaScript
- Size: 34.2 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 0
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
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Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
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README
# Kernel-Driver: Linux Character Device Driver Simulator
Overview
This project involved building a basic Linux character device driver from scratch to explore low-level operating system internals, including the Linux kernel module system, user-kernel communication mechanisms, and device file interface. The implementation adhered to Linux kernel coding conventions and used a modular design to make the driver reusable and extendable.
Key Technical Work
1. Driver Development & Core Functionality
Developed a Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) implementing essential character device operations:
open() – Initialize access and prepare device state.
read() – Transfer data from kernel space to user space.
write() – Accept data from user space into kernel buffers.
release() – Close device and release allocated resources.
Used alloc_chrdev_region() to dynamically allocate major and minor numbers, avoiding static conflicts with existing devices.
Registered device operations via struct file_operations for smooth integration with /dev/ entries.
2. Kernel ↔ User Communication
Implemented secure buffer transfers using:
copy_to_user() – Move data from kernel memory to user space safely.
copy_from_user() – Read user-provided data into kernel memory.
Designed a ring buffer mechanism for efficient handling of sequential I/O requests.
3. Module Management & Lifecycle
Used insmod to load and rmmod to remove the module dynamically at runtime.
Verified module state using lsmod and inspected kernel logs with dmesg.
Implemented cleanup routines in module_exit() to avoid memory leaks or dangling pointers.
4. Safety, Synchronization & Debugging
Added spinlocks to ensure thread-safe concurrent access when multiple processes interact with the device.
Implemented error handling for invalid memory access, unexpected I/O requests, and improper device usage.
Used printk() extensively for runtime kernel-level debugging, logging major events and data flow for verification.
5. Testing & Validation
Created user-space C test programs that interact with /dev/ using standard file I/O functions (fopen, fread, fwrite).
Tested under multiple workloads:
Small and large buffer reads/writes
Concurrent process access
Random access patterns
Verified stability and correctness under different Linux distributions and kernel versions.