This tutorial will teach the attendees how to write a working Linux kernel driver for a real device. Every person will be given a device at the start of the class and, by the end, will have created a kernel driver that controls the device that will be acceptable for inclusion in the main Linux kernel tree.

Topics that will be covered:

• understanding the kernel build process
• understanding the module load process
• the basics of the kernel driver and device model that are needed for all driver authors
• how to interact with a kernel driver from userspace
• understanding how to talk to the hardware
• proper kernel coding guidelines

Skills necessary for this tutorial:

• Must know how to build, install, and run, a standard kernel.org kernel
• Intermediate understanding and knowledge of the C language
• Have a laptop with a working USB connection, running the latest version of the 2.6 kernel from kernel.org