Kernel

In computer terminology, a kernel is a basic, yet essential part of an operating system. It is responsible for managing system resources such as the communication between software and hardware components. A kernel offers the lowest-level abstraction layer for resources that software is required to function. This includes processors, system memory and I/O devices. In general, it allows these facilities to be available to application processes via system calls and various inter-process communication mechanisms. Certain tasks may be performed differently depending on the type of kernel, a factor which essentially depends on it’s design and implementation. A monolithic kernel will attempt to achieve it’s goals by executing code in the same address space, a tactic designed to increase the overall performance of a system. A mircokernel will run the majority of it’s services in user space, focusing on improving the management of the codebase. These two kernels make way for a range of different possibilities.