I want to code drivers in C in linux os, though I think its very tough. Can I get some hints as to how to start or books to follow? Drivers can be from my USB port to graphics card!!
I know as to where I can search for books, I would like to know as to what the basic knowledge I should start with. Do I need to have hardware knowledge and which specific books are good for novice like me?
try amazon !! there is many books there for drivers . some have samples 2 !!
"Linux Device Drivers" (the O'Reilley book) by Rubini and Corbet is the definitive book for Linux Device Drivers.
Cool! see the free pdf version in Roddy's answer & kristina's comment!
Start with Linux Device Drivers by Rubini and Corbet, published by O'Reilly.
It's also available as a free PDF download.
Before you jump into designing drivers you should first get exceptional C skills and probably some Linux Kernel know-how. Desigining drivers is not trivial and might scare you off if you are not used to programming on a low-level.
I might recommend The C programming Language if you are not accustomed to C as it is, in my opinion, the primer on C if you have some programming background.
Several texts:
Just look at the source codes of current drivers. I wrote my usb rndis driver by only reading the comments put above the codes.
Get the kernel source and look at /drivers directory. Usb drivers are in usb directory, however usb drivers about networking are resided in /net/usb.
You can learn lots by reading the comments.