Types Of Kernel And Its Functions In Os

The kernel is the core of an operating system that is first loaded and then stored in the main memory (RAM). Since the kernel is in memory and provides essential services to other components of the os.

Its size should be as small as possible. The information in the kernel is often encrypted and stored in a protected area of ​​memory to prevent it from being overwritten by other programs.

The kernel is generally responsible for memory and processing management and disk space management. The hardware kernel connects the computer to the application software before and after the booting process.

OS Kernel Functions

Access to computer resources or mobile devices: The kernel can access various computer resources such as processors, input devices and output devices, and other resources. The kernel acts as a bridge between the user and the computer resources.

Resource Management: The kernel’s mission is to divide resources between different processes and create access to integrate resources in each process.

Memory Management: Each process requires space or the same amount of memory. Therefore, some memory must be allocated to it and then removed, and all of this memory is either managed by the kernel.

Device Management: Devices connected to the computer are managed by this process. Therefore, the hardware allocation is managed by the kernel.

kernel in os
kernel in os

Difference Between Kernel And OS

  • OS ensures protection and security while Kernel ensures memory management, desk management, process management, and task management.
  • All systems must need OS to run smoothly while all OS need Kernel to run smoothly.

Kernel Tasks in the Operating System

The kernel is responsible for low-level tasks such as disk management, memory management, and task management, and provides an interface between the user and computer hardware components.

The request that is sent to the process kernel is called a system call. The operating system kernel is equipped with a protected kernel space. This area does not have access to memory and other applications. That is, the system memory space is divided into two parts:

  • The Kernel Space,
  • The Userspace

Therefore, the kernel code is loaded instead of this protected kernel. Userspace is the memory used by other programs. Since these two memory spaces are different, the communication between them will be a little slower

There are special algorithms that should only be executed by the kernel. So, for example, CPU algorithms work only in kernel or kernel mode and cannot be accessed by regular programs.