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Kernel (Computer Science) - Simple English Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

A kernel is the central part of an operating system that manages hardware and software resources like memory and CPU time. There are different types of kernels, including microkernels and monolithic kernels. Microkernels only contain basic functionality while monolithic kernels contain device drivers as part of the kernel. When programs or drivers fail in a monolithic kernel, it can cause system crashes, whereas microkernels run drivers separately so crashes only restart the driver, not the whole system. However, microkernels are more difficult to create and few common operating systems use this approach.

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148 views7 pages

Kernel (Computer Science) - Simple English Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

A kernel is the central part of an operating system that manages hardware and software resources like memory and CPU time. There are different types of kernels, including microkernels and monolithic kernels. Microkernels only contain basic functionality while monolithic kernels contain device drivers as part of the kernel. When programs or drivers fail in a monolithic kernel, it can cause system crashes, whereas microkernels run drivers separately so crashes only restart the driver, not the whole system. However, microkernels are more difficult to create and few common operating systems use this approach.

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ziaullah
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Kernel (computer

science)
main component of most computer
operating systems

Shows the job of a kernel in a computer


A Kernel is the central part of an operating
system. It manages the operations of the
computer and the hardware, most notably
memory and CPU time.

There are five types of kernels:

A micro kernel, which only contains


basic functionality;
A monolithic kernel, which contains
many device drivers.
Hybrid Kernel
Exo Kernel
Nano Kernel

A computer user never interacts directly


with the kernel. It runs behind the scenes
and cannot be seen, except for the text
logs that it prints.

Operations of kernel
The kernel is the most fundamental part of
an operating system. It can be thought of
as the program which controls all other
programs on the computer. When the
computer starts, it goes through some
initialization (booting) functions, such as
checking memory. It is responsible for
assigning and unassigning memory space
which allows software to run.

The kernel provides services so programs


can request the use of the network card,
the disk or other pieces of hardware. The
kernel forwards the request to special
programs called device drivers which
control the hardware. It also manages the
file system and sets interrupts for the CPU
to enable multitasking. Many kernels are
also responsible for ensuring that faulty
programs do not interfere with the
operation of others by denying access to
memory that has not been allocated to
them and restricting the amount of CPU
time they can consume. It is the heart of
the operating system.

Micro kernels and monolithic


kernels
Operating systems commonly use
monolithic kernels. In Linux, for example,
device drivers are often part of a kernel
(specifically Loadable Kernel Modules).
When a device is needed, its extension is
loaded and 'joined' onto the kernel making
the kernel larger. Monolithic kernels can
cause trouble when one of these drivers is
faulty, such as if a beta driver is
downloaded. Because it is part of the
kernel the faulty driver can override the
mechanisms that deal with faulty
programs (see above). This can mean that
the kernel, and thus the entire computer,
can cease to function. If there are too
many devices, the kernel can also run out
of memory causing a system crash or
making the computer very slow.

Microkernels are a way of solving this


problem. In a microkernel operating
system, the kernel deals only with critical
activities, such as controlling the memory
and CPU, and nothing else. Drivers and
other functions that monolithic kernels
would normally include within the kernel
are moved outside the kernel, where they
are under control. Instead of being an
uncontrollable part of the kernel the beta
driver is, therefore, no more likely to cause
a crash than a beta web browser. That is, if
a driver goes wrong it can simply be
restarted by the kernel. Unfortunately,
creating microkernel based operating
systems is very difficult and there are no
common microkernel operating systems.
Minix and QNX are both microkernel
operating systems.

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