Kbase P21365: What is the kernel
| Autor |
Progress Software Corporation - Progress |
| Acesso |
Público |
| Publicação |
23/06/2003 |
|
Status: Unverified
GOAL:
What is the UNIX Kernel?
FIX:
The kernel is the heart of the UNIX operating system. It manages memory, schedules processes, manages I/O, and does all other lower-level tasks that make the system work. The kernel is not a process (like the programs that you run from a terminal). It pre-exists all processes and is responsible for starting the first process (init).
Because it is so important, the kernel has some key privileges. It is always resident in the processor's physical memory. Other programs can be swapped or paged to disk, but not the kernel.