Windows NT File System Internals presents the details of the NT I/O Manager, the Cache Manager, and the Memory Manager from the perspective of a software developer writing a file system driver or implementing a kernel-mode filter driver. The book provides numerous code examples included on diskette, as well as the source for a complete, usable filter driver.This book appeals to a wide audience: system programmers implementing kernel-mode code such as file systems, device drivers, network redirectors, or filter drivers; system administrators who simply want to learn more about the systems they manage; software engineers interested in NT internals; and computer science students examining the intricacies of file system technology.Topics covered in the book include:
- An introduction to NT system components
- The NT I/O Manager
- The NT Virtual Memory Manager
- The NT Cache Manager
- Structured driver development under Windows NT
- Writing a file system driver
Writing a filter driver
Writing kernel-mode Windows NT programs--such as file-system drivers (FSDs), filter drivers, and antivirus programs--poses a challenge to even experienced Windows programmers. It's hard enough to get these programs to work, but getting them to live peacefully with other kernel programs and NT itself is an art. Nagar sorts through the mechanics of writing such programs in this book, which is no mean feat considering that Microsoft provides no documentation for its development kit. The author begins by orienting the reader to NT's kernel mode, detailing what runs there, how the various programs interact, and what you need to keep in mind when developing software for the kernel mode.
The book then explores NT's key managers--I/O, virtual memory, and cache--covering the operation and exposed services for each. Nagar then takes the explanatory information he's provided and works it into a how-to guide to developing FSDs. In walking you through developing an actual FSD, the author covers I/O requests, cache operations, and buffers. Exercise files appear on the companion diskette.
Short of having a live instructor, you could not ask for a better guide to this complicated subject.
