Books on Unix Kernels

  • Bach, M. J. The Design of the Unix Operating System. London: Prentice-Hall International, Inc., 1986. A classic book describing the SVR2 kernel.

  • Goodheart, B. and J. Cox. The Magic Garden Explained: The Internals of the Unix System V Release 4. London: Prentice-Hall International, Inc., 1994. An excellent book on the SVR4 kernel.

  • Leffler, S. J., M. K. McKusick, M. J. Karels, and J. S. Quarterman. The Design and Implementation of the 4.4 BSD Operating System. Addison Wesley, 1986. Perhaps the most authoritative book on the 4.4 BSD kernel.

  • Vahalia, U. Unix Internals: The New Frontiers. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1996. A valuable book that provides plenty of insights on modern Unix kernel design issues. It includes a rich bibliography.

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