What is a kernel? Introduction to Computer Science

A kernel accompanies you almost every day. It is an important part of modern computers. If there were no kernels, we would not be able to use our technology today. A kernel represents the interface between the software and the hardware and provides a graphical user interface for this purpose.

What is a kernel? These are the application areas

Kernel is an umbrella term for a collection of diverse components and interfaces. Together, these result in a comprehensive interface between software and hardware.

1. A kernel is a fixed and elementary component of any operating system.
2. Through the kernel, the communication of individual components of the computer is enabled and, in the end, a graphical interface is provided for control.
3. The lowest unit of a kernel are network controllers or PCI Express controllers. They form the interface to the hardware.
4. Next comes memory management, through which tasks are managed.
5. The top layer of the kernel is memory management. Through it, tasks are distributed to the hardware, so that memory is freed and besieged by RAM or the hard disk writes data.

How a kernel works

1. As soon as you start a program, a request is sent to the kernel through your interface.
2. Dieser wandelt die Aktion in die Maschinensprache um und gibt dadurch der Hardware eine Anweisung.
3. Der Prozessor bearbeitet anschließend die Aufgabe und schickt weitere Befehle an umliegende Hardware.
4. Da der Kernel alle möglichen Befehle und Ausführungen kennt, ist er die erste Instanz.