BootableKernel

This is a small personal learning project for exploring how a kernel boots on bare metal. It uses NASM assembly, a multiboot-compatible setup, and GRUB to boot a minimal kernel in QEMU.

What it does

Currently, the kernel boots in a simple 32-bit environment and prints "Hello World This is my first bootable kernel!!!" to the screen. The project also includes files for both 32-bit and 64-bit multiboot v2 boot setups as part of the learning process.

Project structure

• boot.asm - the kernel entry point and simple VGA output
• multiboot_header.asm - multiboot v2 header for GRUB
• multiboot_header_32bit.asm - 32-bit multiboot v2 example
• linker.ld - linker script for the kernel layout
• makefile - build commands
• build/isofiles/boot/grub/grub.cfg - GRUB boot configuration

Build and run

Run the following commands from the project root:

make
qemu-system-x86_64 -kernel kernel.bin

Purpose

This project is meant to help me learn low-level programming, bootloaders, and kernel basics.

Future ideas

• add a simple print function for writing multiple lines to the screen
• add a basic keyboard input loop

Websites referred to

• https://mars-research.github.io/posts/2020/10/hello-world-on-bare-metal/
• https://www.gnu.org/software/grub/manual/multiboot/multiboot.html