Operating Systems
Monolithic Kernel
Definition
A monolithic kernel is an operating system architecture where the entire operating system—including the file system, device drivers, process management, and memory management—runs as a single program in kernel space.
Why It Matters
This architecture can be very fast because communication between different parts of the OS happens via simple function calls. Linux and traditional Unix systems use a monolithic kernel architecture.
Contextual Example
In the Linux kernel, the file system code, networking stack, and device drivers are all part of the same large program. This tight integration allows for high performance.
Common Misunderstandings
- The main disadvantage of a monolithic kernel is that a bug in one component (like a device driver) can crash the entire system.
- It is contrasted with a microkernel architecture.