Kernel Task Viewer Module

Welcome to the Kernel Task Viewer Module, a Linux kernel module designed to list and display all currently running tasks in the system. This project dynamically traverses the process tree, starting from the initial process (init), and logs vital information about every active task.

Overview

This project demonstrates how to interact with the Linux kernel to retrieve and display task information, such as the Process ID (PID), Process State, Parent PID, and Task Name. The module creates a structured process tree starting from the init process, providing a snapshot of the system's tasks in real-time.

The core functionality is implemented in the C file CS345.c, which integrates directly with the Linux kernel, and is compiled using the accompanying Makefile.

Features

• Dynamic Task Tree Traversal: The module starts with the init process and recursively lists all child and sibling tasks.
• Detailed Process Information: For each task, it logs the State, PID, Parent’s PID, and Task Name.
• Real-Time Kernel Logging: Task information is output to the kernel logs using printk(), viewable through dmesg.
• Modular and Clean: The module is easy to load, unload, and manage within the Linux kernel.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Installation
3. Usage
4. Module Functions
5. Sample Output

Getting Started

To build and run this module, you need a Linux environment with kernel module support enabled. Familiarity with basic Linux commands and kernel module management is also recommended.

Prerequisites

• Linux OS (with kernel development tools installed)
• GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)
• Root access (for inserting and removing kernel modules)

Files

• CS345.c: Main C file containing the kernel module logic.
• Makefile: Instructions to compile and manage the module.

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/rohan-chandrashekar/Kernel-Task-Viewer.git
   cd Kernel-Task-Viewer

2. Compile the module:

   make

3. Insert the compiled module into the kernel:

   sudo insmod CS345.ko

4. Verify the module insertion:

   lsmod | grep CS345

Usage

Once the module is loaded, it starts by traversing the system's process tree from the init process, recursively listing all active tasks. You can view the logged output using dmesg.

Commands

• Compile the module:

  make

• Insert the module into the kernel:

  sudo insmod CS345.ko

• View the process information:

  dmesg

• Remove the module from the kernel:

  sudo rmmod CS345.ko

• Verify module removal:

  lsmod | grep CS345

Module Functions

• mod_init(): Initializes the kernel module, starting from the init process, and sets up the task traversal.
• tree_proc(): Recursively traverses the task tree, logging the state, PID, parent PID, and task name.
• mod_exit(): Handles cleanup when the module is removed from the kernel.

Sample Output

After loading the module, you can use dmesg to view the output:

[ 1234.5678 ] Task Name: systemd, PID: 1, Parent PID: 0, State: Running
[ 1234.5679 ] Task Name: bash, PID: 2345, Parent PID: 1, State: Sleeping
[ 1234.5680 ] Task Name: sshd, PID: 6789, Parent PID: 2345, State: Running
...

The output will show the state of every process, its PID, its parent PID, and its name.

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