Linux with Operating System Concepts

Book Preface

Look around at the Unix/Linux textbook market and you find nearly all of the books target people who are looking to acquire hands-on knowledge of Unix/Linux, whether as a user or a system administrator. There are almost no books that serve as textbooks for an academic class. Why not? There are plenty of college courses that cover or include Unix/Linux. We tend to see conceptual operating system (OS) texts which include perhaps a chapter or two on Unix/Linux or Unix/Linux books that cover almost no OS concepts. This book has been written in an attempt to merge the two concepts into a textbook that can specifically serve a college course about Linux.

The topics could probably have been expanded to include more OS concepts, but at some point we need to draw the line. Otherwise, this text could have exceeded 1000 pages! Hopefully we have covered enough of the background OS concepts to satisfy all students, teachers, and Linux users alike.

Another difference between this text and the typical Unix/Linux text is the breadth of topics. The typical Unix/Linux book either presents an introduction to the OS for users or an advanced look at the OS for system administrators. This book covers Linux from both the user and the system administrator position. While it attempts to offer thorough coverage of topics about Linux, it does not cover some of the more advanced administration topics such as authentication servers (e.g., LDAP, Kerberos) or network security beyond a firewall, nor does it cover advanced programming topics such as hacking open source software.

Finally, this book differs from most because it is a textbook rather than a hands-on, howto book. The book is complete with review sections and problems, definitions, concepts and when relevant, foundational material (such as an introduction to binary and Boolean logic, an examination of OS kernels, the role of the CPU and memory hierarchy, etc.).