Developing Applications For Linux (LFD401) Training Course

Introduction

• Objectives
• Audience Identification
• The Linux Foundation
• Linux Foundation Training Programs for Government
• Certification Programs and Digital Badging
• Linux Distributions
• Platforms
• System Preparation
• Using and Downloading a Virtual Machine
• Evolution in Linux

Preliminaries

• Procedures
• Standards and the LSB (Linux Standard Base)

How to Work in Open Source Software Projects **

• Overview of Proper Contribution Methods
• Maintaining Security and Quality by Staying Close to Mainline
• Understanding the Project's Core Principles
• Determining Your Contribution Goals
• Identifying Maintainers and Their Workflows
• Soliciting Early Feedback and Working Transparently
• Making Incremental Contributions Instead of Large Code Dumps
• Setting Aside Personal Ego: Avoiding Sensitivities
• Patiently Building Long-Term Relationships and Being Supportive

Compilers

• GCC (GNU Compiler Collection)
• Alternative Compilers
• Key GCC Options
• The Preprocessor
• Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)
• Laboratory Exercises

Libraries

• Static Libraries
• Shared Libraries
• Linking to Libraries
• The Dynamic Linker Loader
• Laboratory Exercises

Make

• Using make and Makefiles
• Building Large Projects
• Complex Rules
• Built-in Rules
• Laboratory Exercises

Source Control

• Version Control Systems
• RCS (Revision Control System) and CVS (Concurrent Versions System)
• Subversion
• Git
• Laboratory Exercises

Debugging and Core Dumps

• The gdb Debugger
• Understanding Core Dump Files
• Generating Core Dumps
• Analyzing Core Dumps
• Laboratory Exercises

Debugging Tools

• Time Measurement Techniques
• Profiling and Performance Analysis
• The valgrind Memory Debugger
• Laboratory Exercises

System Calls

• Differentiating System Calls from Library Functions
• Mechanisms for Making System Calls
• Error Handling and Return Values
• Laboratory Exercises

Memory Management and Allocation

• Overview of Memory Management
• Dynamical Memory Allocation Techniques
• Tuning the malloc() Function
• Page Locking Mechanisms
• Laboratory Exercises

Files and Filesystems in Linux **

• Understanding Files, Directories, and Devices
• The Virtual File System (VFS)
• The ext2/ext3 Filesystem
• Journaling Filesystems
• The ext4 Filesystem
• Laboratory Exercises

File I/O

• UNIX File Input/Output Operations
• Opening and Closing Files
• Reading, Writing, and Seeking in Files
• Positional and Vector I/O Operations
• The Standard I/O Library
• Support for Large File Systems (LFS)
• Laboratory Exercises

Advanced File Operations

• Stat Functions for Retrieving File Information
• Directory Functions for Managing Directories
• The inotify Interface for Monitoring Filesystem Events
• Memory Mapping of Files
• File Locking with flock() and fcntl()
• Creating Temporary Files
• Other System Calls for File Management
• Laboratory Exercises

Processes I

• Definition of a Process
• Process Limits and Constraints
• Process Groups and Management
• The proc Filesystem for Process Information
• Inter-Process Communication (IPC) Methods
• Laboratory Exercises

Processes II

• Using system() to Create a New Process
• Creating Processes with fork()
• Executing Programs with exec()
• Creating Threads with clone()
• Exiting Processes and Handling Termination
• Constructors and Destructors for Process Initialization
• Waiting for Process Completion
• Daemon Processes for Background Execution
• Laboratory Exercises

Pipes and FIFOs

• Pipes for Inter-Process Communication (IPC)
• Using popen() and pclose() for Process Streams
• Creating Pipes with pipe()
• Named Pipes (FIFOs) for Persistent IPC
• Advanced Pipe Operations with splice(), vmsplice(), and tee()
• Laboratory Exercises

Asynchronous I/O **

• Introduction to Asynchronous I/O
• The POSIX Asynchronous I/O API
• Linux Implementation of Asynchronous I/O
• Laboratory Exercises

Signals I

• An Overview of Signals in Linux
• List of Available Signals
• Signal Dispatching and Handling
• Alarms, Pausing, and Sleeping Functions
• Setting Up Signal Handlers for Process Control
• Managing Signal Sets
• The sigaction() Function for Advanced Signal Handling
• Laboratory Exercises

Signals II

• Reentrancy and Signal Handler Considerations
• Using setjmp() and longjmp() for Non-Local Returns
• The siginfo Structure and the sigqueue() Function
• Real-Time Signals in Linux
• Laboratory Exercises

POSIX Threads I

• Multithreading Capabilities in Linux for Government
• Basic Program Structure for Multithreading
• Creating and Destroying Threads
• Handling Signals in a Multithreaded Environment
• Comparing Forking and Threading for Process Creation
• Laboratory Exercises

POSIX Threads II

• Avoiding Deadlocks and Race Conditions in Multithreaded Applications
• Mutex Operations for Synchronization
• Semaphores for Resource Management
• Futexes for Low-Level Synchronization
• Conditional Variables for Thread Coordination
• Laboratory Exercises

Networking and Sockets

• Network Layers in Linux
• An Introduction to Sockets for Network Communication
• Stream Sockets for Reliable Data Transfer
• Datagram Sockets for Unreliable Data Transfer
• Raw Sockets for Low-Level Networking
• Byte Ordering in Network Protocols
• Laboratory Exercises

Sockets Addresses and Hosts

• Socket Address Structures for Network Communication
• Converting IP Addresses to and from Strings
• Retrieving Host Information
• Laboratory Exercises

Sockets Ports and Protocols

• Service Port Numbers and Their Usage
• Protocol Information for Network Services
• Laboratory Exercises

Sockets Clients

• The Basic Sequence for Client Sockets
• Creating a Socket with socket()
• Establishing a Connection with connect()
• Closing and Shutting Down Connections with close() and shutdown()
• UNIX Domain Clients
• Internet Domain Clients
• Laboratory Exercises

Sockets Servers

• The Basic Sequence for Server Sockets
• Binding a Socket to an Address with bind()
• Listening for Incoming Connections with listen()
• Accepting Connections with accept()
• UNIX Domain Servers
• Internet Domain Servers
• Laboratory Exercises

Sockets Input/Output Operations

• Data Transfer Functions: write() and read()
• Network Data Transfer with send() and recv()
• Datagram Communication with sendto() and recvfrom()
• Advanced I/O with sendmsg() and recvmsg()
• File Transfer with sendfile()
• Inter-Process Communication with socketpair()
• Laboratory Exercises

Sockets Options

• Configuring Socket Options
• File Control Functions: fcntl()
• Device Control Functions: ioctl()
• Socket Option Management with getsockopt() and setsockopt()
• Laboratory Exercises

Netlink Sockets **

• An Introduction to Netlink Sockets for Kernel Communication
• Opening a Netlink Socket for Kernel Interaction
• Netlink Message Formats and Usage
• Laboratory Exercises

Sockets Multiplexing and Concurrent Servers

• Multiplexed and Asynchronous I/O in Sockets
• Selecting Multiple File Descriptors with select()
• Monitoring File Descriptors with poll()
• Enhanced Select and Poll Functions: pselect() and ppoll()
• Efficient Event Handling with epoll
• Signal-Driven I/O for Asynchronous Operations
• Designing Concurrent Servers for High Performance
• Laboratory Exercises

Inter Process Communication (IPC)

• Methods of Inter-Process Communication in Linux
• POSIX IPC Mechanisms
• System V IPC Mechanisms
• Laboratory Exercises

Shared Memory

• An Overview of Shared Memory in Linux for Government
• POSIX Shared Memory for Process Communication
• System V Shared Memory for Legacy Applications
• Laboratory Exercises

Semaphores

• The Concept of Semaphores for Synchronization
• POSIX Semaphores for Modern Applications
• System V Semaphores for Legacy Systems
• Laboratory Exercises

Message Queues

• An Introduction to Message Queues in Linux for Government
• POSIX Message Queues for Reliable Communication
• System V Message Queues for Legacy Systems
• Laboratory Exercises