10 Device Driver Development Books That Define the Craft

Drawing from his extensive experience as an embedded Linux and kernel engineer, John Madieu offers a detailed guide to developing custom device drivers for Linux systems. You’ll gain concrete skills in handling complex subsystems like PCI, ALSA for SoC, and V4L2, along with practical insights into kernel helpers, power management, and multimedia device integration. The book’s deep dive into topics such as the Regmap and IRQ subsystems equips you to write reliable, feature-rich drivers tailored to embedded environments. If you’re working in embedded Linux development or system programming and want to master kernel-level device support, this book is a solid resource to expand your technical toolkit.

When John Madieu first realized how daunting Linux kernel internals can be for developers, he crafted this book to bridge that gap with clarity and hands-on guidance. You’ll learn specifics like memory management, kernel caching, IRQ handling, and how to write drivers for I2C, SPI, and network devices using the latest Linux kernel APIs. The book’s detailed chapters walk you through frameworks such as PWM, RTC, and IIO, giving you the tools to build robust device drivers for embedded Linux systems. This is ideal if you’re an embedded Linux developer seeking to deepen your technical proficiency beyond the basics. While it demands commitment, it lays out a clear path from core concepts to advanced driver implementations.

This personalized framework on Linux device driver development provides a tailored approach that focuses on practical techniques and real-world examples relevant to your specific hardware and proficiency level. It presents structured methodologies to design, implement, and debug device drivers within the Linux kernel environment, addressing common subsystems such as PCI, USB, I2C, and SPI. The book adjusts its content based on your development goals and experience, cutting through irrelevant advice to fit your unique context. It emphasizes strategies for efficient resource management, synchronization, and integration with kernel services, facilitating a hands-on understanding that bridges theory with your particular project needs.

Drawing from decades of hands-on experience with Linux system programming, Kaiwan N. Billimoria unpacks the intricate workings of the Linux kernel in this detailed guide. You’ll learn how to build the 6.1 LTS kernel from source, write modular kernel code using the Loadable Kernel Module framework, and navigate core internals like memory management and CPU scheduling. Billimoria’s methodical approach walks you through kernel synchronization techniques including mutexes and spinlocks, grounding theory in practical application. This book suits you if you’re a developer eager to deepen your kernel knowledge and tackle real-world device driver challenges with confidence.

When Peter G. Viscarola and W. Anthony Mason collaborated on this guide, they challenged the common notion that device driver development for Windows NT is inaccessible to all but a few experts. Drawing from their deep expertise in Windows NT internals, they offer detailed explanations of the operating system architecture, kernel mode driver implementation, and I/O management. You'll gain insight into interrupt handling and synchronization that remains relevant despite the book's original 1998 publication date. This book suits engineers and programmers who want a thorough understanding of Windows NT device drivers, though those seeking modern Windows versions might find some content dated.

Jonathan Corbet, with decades of hands-on experience from BSD Unix to Linux systems, offers you an insider’s view into device driver programming in this detailed guide. You’ll learn how to write drivers for a variety of peripherals on Linux, understand kernel interfaces, and explore new driver types like USB and console drivers. The book assumes you know C and some Unix system calls but doesn’t require kernel hacking expertise, making it accessible if you’re looking to deepen your Linux programming skills. If your work involves embedded systems or hardware interfacing on Linux, this book provides practical examples and updates aligned with the Linux 2.6 kernel that enhance both efficiency and flexibility.

This tailored book provides a focused framework on embedded device driver programming fundamentals, designed to fit your specific embedded systems context. It presents core methodologies for developing device drivers that interface efficiently with hardware, emphasizing practical approaches to memory management, interrupt handling, and hardware abstraction layers. The personalized framework cuts through generic advice by aligning content with your target processor architectures, embedded environments, and proficiency level. You gain an adaptive roadmap to implement drivers that meet real-world constraints and system requirements, supported by modular design strategies and debugging techniques essential for robust embedded software development.

John Madieu's expertise in Linux kernel development and embedded systems shines throughout this book, born from his deep involvement in device driver creation and subsystem work. You get detailed guidance on configuring and building the Linux kernel, plus hands-on insights into managing interrupts, memory, and concurrency via workqueues. Practical chapters cover GPIO, I2C, SPI, DMA, and device trees, giving you the tools to write drivers tailored to embedded hardware. If you're an embedded developer or hobbyist aiming to master Linux device drivers and understand kernel abstractions, this book delivers precise, example-driven instruction without fluff.

Unlike most device driver books that focus heavily on theory, Sreekrishnan Venkateswaran draws from over a decade of hands-on experience at IBM to deliver a practical, example-driven approach to Linux driver development. You learn how to write drivers for a wide array of devices, from serial buses like I2C and SPI to multimedia and wireless technologies, with clear explanations of kernel threads, asynchronous notification, and user-space drivers. The book’s chapters walk you through real kernel source analysis and full example implementations, making it especially valuable if you want to develop reliable Linux drivers efficiently. While it assumes familiarity with C and operating systems, it’s accessible even if you’re new to driver programming.

Unlike most device driver development books that focus narrowly on theory, Jacob Beningo draws from over 15 years of hands-on experience in automotive, defense, and space industries to deliver a grounded approach to reusable firmware. You’ll learn how to craft portable, reusable drivers and APIs in C tailored for resource-constrained microcontroller environments, with extensive examples and exercises that clarify concepts such as HALs and driver portability across MCU families. This book suits embedded developers with some prior experience looking to elevate their firmware design beyond ad hoc coding toward scalable, maintainable architectures.