❓ What is the Kernel?
The Kernel is the core part of the Operating System that connects your hardware to your software.
It’s always running in the background, managing:
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CPU usage
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Memory (RAM) access
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Disk input/output
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Device drivers (keyboard, Wi-Fi, etc.)
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Running processes and multitasking
📦 Analogy:
Think of your computer like a factory:
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The Kernel is the factory manager
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Hardware is the machines
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Apps are the employees
The manager (Kernel) decides which machine (CPU, RAM) the employees (apps) can use, and when.
🔍 Kernel Responsibilities (Simple Breakdown)
Responsibility | What it means |
|---|---|
Process Management | Controls which app runs, and when |
Memory Management | Allocates RAM for apps and releases it when done |
Device Control | Talks to hardware through drivers |
File System Access | Reads/writes files to disk |
System Calls | Provides services to apps (like |
🧪 Show Kernel Version in Linux
Let’s check the current kernel version with this simple command:
uname -r
🔎 Example output:
5.14.0-427.el9.x86_64
This tells us:
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You’re running kernel version 5.14
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On an x86_64 (64-bit) system
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Possibly using Red Hat-based Linux