FreeBSD Kernel Internals - Video Lectures (Any experiences?)

[honk]

Hi,

some time ago I found the following video lectures from Mr. McKusick for sale. I saw a free video (1st lesson) at youtube and it looks very interesting.

FreeBSD Kernel Internals: Data Structures and Algorithms
FreeBSD Kernel Internals: An Intensive Code Walkthrough

Unfortunately it's very expensive for me, but I really think about buying these videos. Is anybody here who took the videos and can tell me his experiences? I know that there are also a couple of books out there covering these topics, so I'm asking myself if I should go the (boring) way and hang over the books (only) all the time or if I get more from the videos (especially from didactic point of view). My intention is to become familiar with the FreeBSD kernel from a developers perspective and I like to develop some stuff I'm currently missing (anytime in the future), but up to now I don't find a good starting point.

cheers,
honk

 

[GPF]

Hi there!

I have not watched these videos but I believe I can answer the second half of your question.

First of all, you have taken a look at danger's post, right?

I am currently studying the FreeBSD kernel myself so I can tell you what works for me.

1) Take a look at watson's post
2) Get a copy of this book
3) Study the first few sections of the book that provide a relatively high level introduction to the kernel.
4) Use the book as reference each time you want to study a particular section of the kernel.
For example, want to study memory management? Good, jump to chapter 5 of the book and use it to help you understand the code. Use the online cvs repo to study the code like this
5) Oh and this is a neat article about writing your own lkm.

ps: If you find reading books & documentation boring, I don't think you 'll be really interested in studying the FreeBSD kernel.

Anyhoo, good luck, hope I helped!