nuclear@92: A minimal UNIX kernel project for x86 PCs
nuclear@92: -----------------------------------------
nuclear@1: Author: John Tsiombikas <nuclear@member.fsf.org>
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: License: GNU GPL v3 or any later version published by the free software
nuclear@4:     foundation. See COPYING for details.
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: About
nuclear@4: -----
nuclear@92: When the editor of the Linux Inside magazine asked me to write for his newborn
nuclear@92: magazine, I leapt at the chance to start a series of introductory articles on
nuclear@92: kernel programming.
nuclear@92: For this reason I started writing a minimal, UNIX-like, operating system kernel
nuclear@92: from scratch. It's not complete yet, but it already has user/kernel protection
nuclear@92: levels, a virtual memory system with copy-on-write, processes, task switching,
nuclear@92: etc.
nuclear@92: 
nuclear@92: The articles themselves (only in Greek at the moment unfortunately) can be found
nuclear@92: at: http://nuclear.mutantstargoat.com/articles/kerneldev/index.html
nuclear@92: 
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: Compiling & Running
nuclear@4: -------------------
nuclear@4: To compile kernel image (kernel.elf) just type make (or gmake, if your default
nuclear@4: make tool is not GNU make). A script called "run" is supplied that will use qemu
nuclear@4: to run the kernel in a virtual machine.
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: If you wish to boot up the kernel on your computer you need a multiboot
nuclear@4: compliant boot loader like GRUB. Since you probably already have GRUB installed
nuclear@4: if you're running a GNU/Linux distribution, just add an entry to the GRUB config
nuclear@4: file (commonly /boot/grub/menu.lst) similar to this one and reboot:
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: title My kernel
nuclear@4: root (hdX,Y)  # where X is the disk number and Y the partition (first being 0)
nuclear@4: kernel /path/to/kernel_code/kernel.elf    # change this to the actual path
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: In case you are using GRUB 2 instead of the original GRUB, you'll have to
nuclear@4: consult the documentation on how to modify the above into the GRUB 2 syntax.
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: Disclaimer
nuclear@4: ----------
nuclear@4: All programs contain bugs, and this sample code will undoubtedly have its share.
nuclear@4: Running buggy kernel code on the real machine is very dangerous and may result
nuclear@4: in data loss or even damage to your computer in extreme cases. The author
nuclear@4: assumes no responsibility for any such eventuality. Run this code on your
nuclear@4: computer at your own risk.
nuclear@4: 
nuclear@4: Contact
nuclear@4: -------
nuclear@4: For any comments or suggestions regarding the articles or this supplemental
nuclear@4: code, please contact me at nuclear@member.fsf.org