VFS over the Years: An Efficient Change Log and System Call for Kernel Developers

Abstract

“The Linux Kernel is getting bloated and huge, it’s a problem. Sometimes it's a bit sad that we are definitely not the streamlined, small, hyper-efficient kernel that I envisioned 15 years ago … The kernel is huge and bloated” – Linus Torvalds, Linuxcon2009 (Roundtable - The Linux Kernel: Straight From the Source). [1] The Linux Kernel is getting large day by day, both in terms of lines of code and complexity of features and functions. This includes rapid changes in naming conventions of kernel functions, variables and even the flow of data within the code. Moreover, these changes are not well supported by adequate documentation. These issues account to incremental difficulties faced by developers of system code across the globe. This paper is a study of internal working and changes of virtual File System specific code of Linux kernel versions 2.4, 2.6. and 3.0. We have tried to introduce various changes and new addition of several features of the Linux kernel. This survey regarding virtual file system among various kernel versions may play an important role for system developers during system development to gather information about file system in any specific or several kernel versions.