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Asked: 2026-05-20T08:29:14+00:00

Okay, I’m reading about Linux kernel development and there are some code snippets using

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Okay, I’m reading about Linux kernel development and there are some code snippets using kernel’s data structures and stuff. Let’s say I’d like to experiment with them, e.g. there’s a very simple snippet:

#include <../../linux-2.6.37.1/include/linux/sched.h>
struct task_struct *task;
for_each_process(task) {
    printk("%s[%d]\n", task->comm, task->pid);
}

Seems pretty simple, eh? Now then, I can’t possibly build the thing. I am using NetBeans. The sched.h is the correct file as if one can CTRL+clicks on it, one is brought to the right file.

Do I need to include somehow my sample file and build the whole kernel from the Makefile? I just wished to see that it builds and possibly that it would work. If I need to build the whole kernel how would I actually test my stuff?

I must be making something really stupid as I am very new to kernel development. I am quite a bit lost.

Thanks guys!

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    You do not need to compile the whole kernel, but you have to at least create a kernel module, which is far easier to compile. You should have a look at a tutorial, such as this, or even a full blown book like this.

    Keep in mind that not all kernel code can be moved to a module – just those that use the public (exported) interfaces of the kernel. Code that is intrinsic to the kernel core parts (e.g. the VM or the scheduler) is probably inaccessible from the rest of the kernel.

    Also keep in mind that trying out kernel code on your development machine is not advised – a
    slight mistake can easily bring the whole system down. You should look at trying out your kernel code in a separate virtual machine e.g. in VirtualBox.

    A detail that makes thing harder: in general you can only insert a module in the kernel that it was built for. A module compiled on the host system can be used on the testing VM if and only if the kernel is identical, i.e. the same kernel package version from the same distribution. Considering that you will want to upgrade your host distribution, in my opinion it is just simpler to build the module on the testing system.

    Since you need a full development suite for C, you should probably install one of the popular Linux distrbutions. It should be more stable and you can have access to its user community. If you want to keep its size down, you can just install the base system without an X server or graphical applications.

    BTW Netbeans is designed to develop userspace applications. You can probably adapt it for kernel code, but it will never be as suited as it is for userspace programming. As a matter of fact, no IDE is really suitable. Kernel code cannot be run from userspace (let alone using a separate VM), which breaks down the normal edit->compile->run->debug workflow cycle that IDEs automate.

    Most kernel developers just use a souped-up editor with syntax highlighting for C, such as Vim or Emacs. Emacs is actually an IDE (and so much more) but, as I mentioned above, you cannot easily use an IDE-based workflow for kernel code development.

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