This project is a Linux Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) that simulates a hardware sensor driver. It operates entirely within kernel space, utilizing kernel timers to simulate data acquisition and providing a safe interface for user-space applications to read data via the /proc filesystem.
This demonstrates the ability to write stable, low-level code that interacts directly with the Linux Operating System.
- Kernel-to-User Communication: Implemented a /proc interface using the proc_ops structure, allowing standard Linux utilities (like
catorgrep) to access kernel data. - Asynchronous Timing: Utilized timer_list and jiffies to create a non-blocking periodic task that simulates hardware data updates.
- Concurrency & Thread Safety: Integrated Mutex and Wait Queues to prevent race conditions and support blocking I/O between Interrupt Context (timer callback) and Process Context (user-space read).
- Memory Isolation: Safely transferred data between kernel and user memory spaces using copy_to_user to prevent system crashes and security vulnerabilities.
src/sensor_driver.c: Core driver logic, module initialization, and cleanupsrc/sensor_driver.h: Shared definitions and device structureMakefile: A professional Kbuild-compatible build scriptscripts/test_driver.sh: Automation script to load, verify, and unload the module
- Linux Environment (Ubuntu/Debian recommended)
- Build essentials and Kernel headers:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)- Compile the module:
make- Run the automated test script:
chmod +x scripts/test_driver.sh
./scripts/test_driver.sh- Manual Verification - View the live kernel logs:
dmesg | tail -f- I2C/SPI Integration: Replace the timer simulation with actual bus logic to talk to physical sensors
- Interrupt Handling: Implement Top-Half/Bottom-Half (Tasklets/Workqueues) for high-performance data processing
- Device Tree: Add support for Device Tree Blobs (DTB) for ARM-based embedded targets.