Kernel

Controls the hardware via device drivers and firmware, and manages interactions between hardware and software.

the Kernel is responsible for:

• Process scheduling
  • Decides which processes get to run, when and for how long
• Inter-process communication
  • Allows programs to talk to one another
• Memory Management
  • Allocates memory for running programs, and manages contention when memory is scarce
• File Management
  • Allows processes to read and write files
• Networking
  • Enables communication with remote systems
• Device Management
  • Interacts with system and peripheral hardware: graphics cards, keyboards, speakers, etc.