linux is a monolithic kernel, but doesn't it have servers like a microkernel?
 

doesn't the linux kernel use servers to allow hardware to interact with applications?

I thought monolithic kernels aren't supposed to have hardware servers

It's a modular monolithic kernel. Somewhere in-between a true monolithic and a microkenel.
You can have drivers / filesystems / whatever compiled into the kernel (monolithic style) or compiled as modules (microkernel style). Or you can leave them out.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'servers' though.

Dave

I think he means daemons that interact directly between hardware-software.

yeah maybe....

sorry I'm pretty confused about the difference between a monolithic and microkernel.


from what I understand, monolithic kernels have support for talking to certain hardware and support for understanding certain commands built in.

whereas a microkernel only manages the communication between processes and hardware (through servers)


correct?

I think you mean services, not servers.

According to O'Reilly's "Running Linux": "The Linux kernel is a monolithic kernel, in that all core functions and device drivers are part of the kernel proper. Some OS's employ a microkernel architecture whereby device drivers and other components (such as filesystems and memory mgmt code) are not part of the kernel - rather they are treated as independent services or regular user applications. There are advantages and disadvantages to both designs......"

That being said, I concur 100% with ilikejam's comments, in that Linux does give you the choice to have certain modules either built-in or load-on-demand. -- J.W.