anthonyprintup/linux-kernel-cpp

Add C++ support to Linux kernel modules.

^{sudo insmod kernel-module.ko && sudo rmmod kernel_module}

What?

This project is an attempt to add basic C++ support to the Linux kernel.

How?

By manually performing the required build steps we're able to write C++ and run our code in the kernel.

Build Steps (CMakeLists.txt):

• Add compiler options (fno-exceptions, fno-rtti, ...),
• add preprocessor definitions (__KERNEL__, MODULE),
• determine the platform that's being used (kernel paths change between distros),
• locate the kernel include headers and copy them to the local project (required when modifying headers for C++ compatibility),
• include the kernel directories,
• define a build target for the kernel module;
  • define an OBJECT library to generate the object files which will get linked at a later stage,
  • generate a Kbuild file with the necessary object files and linker scripts,
  • invoke make to run the kernel build system.

Why?

As a C++ enthusiast I found it difficult to use C to write kernel modules, so I decided to add some basic C++ support to the kernel using CMake.

Supported features:

• exceptions (TODO)
• RTTI (TODO)
• dynamic initializers
• operator new/delete
• kernel headers in C++ code (TODO)