kernelcall

noun

UK /ˈkɜːnəl kɔːl/

US /ˈkɝːnəl kɔːl/

A kernelcall is when a computer program asks the heart of the computer to do a special job for it.

The program made a kernelcall to read data from the disk.

SYNONYMS

system call syscall service request supervisor call kernel request

RELATED WORDS

kernel operating system interrupt privilege level API

OTHER MEANINGS

2. A request made by a user program to the operating system's core for a protected service.

Opening a file usually triggers a kernelcall.

3. The act of switching from user mode to kernel mode to run trusted code.

The debugger traced each kernelcall during startup.

4. In computing slang, any low-level call that must go through the operating system.

Too many kernelcalls can slow down a program.