Kernel and Hardware Services Guide

Kernel and Hardware Services performs the fundamental operating system tasks of managing access to device resources.

Note: This documentation now uses the names, such as Kernel and Hardware Services, for components and groups of components that are specified in the system architecture. Some older naming conventions are still used in some documents. Base is a common name that is given to the lower-level components of Symbian platform, which include the Kernel, the File Server, and some device drivers. EKA2 is a common abbreviation for the Kernel Architecture 2 component.

• Kernel and Hardware Services Quick Start
  The Kernel is designed to simplify porting to hardware with minimal disruption.
• Porting Overview
  This topic describes the typical steps that you will need to do to create a base port.
• Bootstrap
  Describes what is the bootstrap and how to implement it for a specific platform.
• User Library and File Server
  Provides a framework for accessing file systems.
• File Systems
  The File Systems collection contains File System plug-ins for various types of file system.
• Kernel Architecture (EKA2)
  EKA2 is the principal Hardware and Kernel Services module. It manages the CPU and memory resources of a phone, and provides an architecture for device drivers to manage other hardware resources.
• Generic Board Support Packages
  The kernel side Board Support Packages (BSP) collection contains a comprehensive set of base porting templates.
• Generic Driver Support
  Provides an overview of generic driver support.
• Logical Device Drivers
  Provides software components that implement the interface between Symbian platform and peripherals.
• User-Side Hardware Abstraction
  The User-Side Hardware Abstraction (HAL) component provides a simple interface for programs to read and set hardware-specific settings, for example, the display contrast.
• Localisation
  This document introduces you to the localisation package.
• Text Mode Shell
  Provides the text based Symbian platform shell program and its helper applications.
• Kernel Test Suite
  Provides an overview of the Kernel test suite.
• Base API Tests
  Provides various file server and file system related test suites.