Thread: kernel/user mode

  1. #1
    Registered User rohit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
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    Question kernel/user mode

    can any one please let me know the difference between a module running in kernel mode and the normal user mode.

    what and what can not be achieved if we run the program/module in kernel/normal mode(s)

    best regards
    rohit

  2. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
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    202
    Refferencing Linux Device Druvers (Rubini & Corbet, Oreilly, 2001) page 45:

    The advantages of user-space drivers can be surmised as follows:

    * The full C Library can be linked in. the driver can perform many exotic tasks without resorting to other programs...

    * The programmer can run a conventional debugger on the driver code without having to go through the contortions to debug a running kernel.

    * If a user-space driver hangs, you can simply kill it...

    *User memory is swappable, unlike kernel memory...

    *A well-designed driver program can still allow concurrent access to the device.
    Hope this helps,

    starX
    www.axisoftime.com

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