Subject: NetBSD Kernel Layers
To: None <tech-kern@netbsd.org>
From: Matthew Mondor <mmondor@gobot.ca>
List: tech-kern
Date: 03/09/2002 21:31:46
Greetings,

I have been using NetBSD for a little while finding it an ideal development platform and have been wondering around reading the kernel source, usually amazed at it's obviousness, I am however challenged by the various device arch-dependant and arch-independant layers.

Are there specific documents that may particularly help learning about the general kernel organization pertaining to those layers? The kernel threading, syscalls, scheduling and uvm parts seem clear, and I have been reading some howto on how to port NetBSD on a new platform, thus pointing out the various arch-dependant parts... unfortunately it seemed very partial documentation and that aspect still remains an obscure mistery to me...

I find various code sections about device drivers attaching themselves and such, but am having a hard time to locate the actual underlaying code, and couldn't find which handles /dev/urandom, and the like...

Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Matthew Mondor