⚙️ Operating Systems Internals

You know what an operating system does. This course teaches you how it actually does it.

Where the introductory OS course explains concepts, this course explains implementations. We look at actual Linux kernel code structures, real scheduling algorithms in production (Linux CFS), actual memory management data structures, real file system on-disk formats (ext4, NTFS), and actual security mechanisms. By the end, you will understand why Linux is designed the way it is, what tradeoffs were made, and how to reason about OS behavior from first principles.

The expanded curriculum includes applied modules on Process descriptors and task_struct fields, System-call ABI and user-kernel transition, Interrupts, traps, and exception paths, Context-switch cost and saved CPU state, Preemption and scheduling latency. Lessons pair formal models with worked examples, diagrams or traces, failure analysis, practice questions, and references for independent verification.