Recommended way to learn operating systems theory and design

Discussions on more advanced topics such as monolithic vs micro-kernels, transactional memory models, and paging vs segmentation should go here. Use this forum to expand and improve the wiki!
Post Reply
HiroyuYulin
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:24 am

Recommended way to learn operating systems theory and design

Post by HiroyuYulin »

Hey everyone! I'm a recent EE grad that has gone the software route for my career, so I've missed some CS-specific work in school. I've always regretted not taking an operating systems course- to me, operating systems are black magic.

Please recommend a way to learn OS design and theory! It would be awesome if there are exercises and projects along the way.
Last edited by Octocontrabass on Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Spam links removed.
thewrongchristian
Member
Member
Posts: 425
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 2:44 am

Re: Recommended way to learn operating systems theory and de

Post by thewrongchristian »

HiroyuYulin wrote:Hey everyone! I'm a recent EE grad that has gone the software route for my career, so I've missed some CS-specific work in school. I've always regretted not taking an operating systems course- to me, operating systems are black magic.

Please recommend a way to learn OS design and theory! It would be awesome if there are exercises and projects along the way.VidMate Mobdro
Can't recommend doing it via books, and studying existing systems. Have a look at the existing Books wiki page.

I'd particularly recommend "The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System" and "Windows Internals" to give a flavour of the black magic in contemporary modern operating systems.

Another good place to start would be with Xv6. For me, having an out of the box setup that you can GDB into and step through the code helps cement how things work, and takes the black magic away. Running up Xv6 in qemu and attaching GDB is what gave me the confidence to start my own implementation.
User avatar
Schol-R-LEA
Member
Member
Posts: 1925
Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:42 am
Location: Athens, GA, USA

Re: Recommended way to learn operating systems theory and de

Post by Schol-R-LEA »

Given the two 'hidden' links the OP tried to sneak in there at the end of their post, I doubt this is a sincere request for help.
Rev. First Speaker Schol-R-LEA;2 LCF ELF JAM POEE KoR KCO PPWMTF
Ordo OS Project
Lisp programmers tend to seem very odd to outsiders, just like anyone else who has had a religious experience they can't quite explain to others.
User avatar
Carmand
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2021 12:10 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: Recommended way to learn operating systems theory and de

Post by Carmand »

I would recommend you to start by watching CS50 course.
Last edited by Carmand on Sat May 08, 2021 2:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
No man is an island.
0b1
Member
Member
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun Feb 04, 2018 8:04 pm

Re: Recommended way to learn operating systems theory and de

Post by 0b1 »

The XINU book is old but good. it helped me get a grasp of the big picture, and see it wasn't so big after all (just a lot of work)

Then, again, so did osdev.org. So you are already on the right path!
Code or code not. There is no try.
User avatar
Skyz
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:00 pm
Libera.chat IRC: Skyz
Contact:

Re: Recommended way to learn operating systems theory and de

Post by Skyz »

If your EE grad, go into the CE aspect not CS.
Image

Plan 9 | ReactOS Hybrid Kernel_Preview
http://woodmann.com/fravia/godwin1.htm
Post Reply