Experience: 12+ Years of expert level experience in Linux PCIe device driver development
Qualification: Masters/Bachelors in ECE/CS/IT or related technical field
Primary Skills: Linux Kernel Programming, C/C++ Programming, PCIe Protocol and Hardware Knowledge, Device Driver Development Lifecycle
Preferred: Linux Driver Subsystems, Networking, Storage, Graphics Stacks, Cross-Compilation, Experience with FPGA, SoC, or Custom Hardware

Role Overview:

A Linux PCIe device driver developer occupies a crucial role in the creation and maintenance of hardware interface software, enabling a wide variety of PCIe devices — such as network cards, storage controllers, graphics adapters and custom hardware accelerators — to function seamlessly with the Linux operating system. Developing drivers for PCIe devices, a keen understanding of kernel subsystems and a disciplined approach to software engineering.  This position is required for client’s CTO office, reporting directly to CTO.

Job Description:

A Principal Engineer must master both the art and science of low-level software engineering, combining a deep technical understanding of hardware and kernel architectures with the discipline to write maintainable, robust, and secure code.

• Design, implement, and maintain PCIe device drivers for the Linux kernel
• Collaborate with hardware engineers to define device requirements and troubleshoot issues
• Optimize driver performance for reliability, low latency, and high throughput
• Write and maintain technical documentation for driver software and APIs
• Participate in code reviews, testing, and release processes
• Contribute to upstream Linux kernel or open-source projects as needed

Technical Skills:

Linux Kernel Programming

• Deep Understanding of Linux Kernel Architecture: Familiarity with kernel space versus user space, kernel modules, device driver concepts, and memory management
• Kernel Module Development: Experience writing loadable kernel modules (LKMs) and integrating them with the Linux build system.
• Debugging and Profiling: Proficiency with debugging tools such as kgdb, ftrace, perf, dmesg, and sysfs interfaces to troubleshoot and optimize drivers.

C/C++ Programming

• Expertise in C Language: Mastery of C for low-level, performance-sensitive code, including bitwise operations, memory management, pointer arithmetic, and data structure optimization.
• Familiarity with C++: Advantageous for certain projects, though most Linux kernel drivers are written in C. Understanding object-oriented concepts in a C context is also helpful.

PCIe Protocol and Hardware Knowledge

• Comprehensive Understanding of PCIe Specification: Knowledge of the PCIe standard, including enumeration, configuration space, BARs (Base Address Registers), MSI/MSI-X interrupts, and bus mastering
• Device Datasheet Interpretation: Ability to read and interpret PCIe device hardware documentation, including register maps, timing requirements, and signaling protocols
• Interfacing with Firmware/BIOS: Understanding how PCIe devices are initialized during system boot, and the mechanisms by which firmware and BIOS communicate with hardware

Device Driver Development Lifecycle

• Probing and Initialization: Experience writing probe() and remove() functions to handle device enumeration and teardown
• Resource Management: Skills in managing memory and hardware resources, including DMA (Direct Memory Access), I/O regions, and interrupt lines
• Interrupt Handling: Ability to write efficient and robust interrupt handlers, using mechanisms such as bottom halves, tasklets, work queues, and threaded interrupts
• Power Management: Familiarity with runtime and system power management interfaces, including suspend/resume operations
• Concurrency and Synchronization: Understanding race conditions, atomic operations, spinlocks, mutexes, and semaphores in a preemptible kernel environment

Linux Driver Subsystems

• Open Source Contribution: Experience contributing to the Linux kernel or relevant open-source projects is highly valued
• Character and Block Device Drivers: Understanding the differences and appropriate use-cases for each device class
• Sysfs and Procfs Interfaces: Skills in exposing driver parameters and status to user space, and handling configuration via these interfaces
• Networking, Storage, and Graphics Stacks: Knowledge of subsystem-specific APIs when developing drivers for devices in these categories

Development Tools and Environment

• Cross-Compilation and Toolchains: Familiarity with building for different hardware architectures (x86, ARM, PowerPC, etc)
• Version Control: Proficiency with git and collaborative workflows such as pull requests and code reviews
• Continuous Integration: Experience with automated build and test systems, static analysis, and quality assurance for kernel code
• Emulators and Hardware Debuggers: Working knowledge of QEMU, JTAG, and other hardware-in-the-loop debugging tools
• Testing and Validation: Skills in writing and executing test cases, using tools like KUnit, LTP, or custom user space utilities for driver validation

Additional Experiences/Skills

• Knowledge of Other Operating Systems: Familiarity with Windows, FreeBSD or RTOS driver models for cross-platform development
• Experience with FPGA, SoC, or Custom Hardware: Useful for teams working on nonstandard PCIe endpoints or accelerators
• Performance Tuning: Skills in profiling and optimizing for low-latency, high-throughput data paths
• Community Engagement: Involvement in Linux kernel mailing lists, conferences (such as Linux Plumbers Conference), or speaking at industry event
• Secure Coding Practices: Understanding common vulnerabilities in kernel code, such as buffer overflows, race conditions, and privilege escalation risks
• Robust Error Handling: Ensuring drivers handle hardware faults, invalid inputs, and unexpected states gracefully, without compromising system stability
• Compliance: Awareness of licensing and intellectual property guidelines for kernel code, especially when integrating proprietary firmware or hardware components

Soft Skills & Professional Qualities:

• Analytical Thinking: Ability to decompose complex problems and design robust, maintainable solutions
• Attention to Detail: Careful and methodical approach to low-level programming, where small mistakes can have significant consequences
• Collaboration: Strong communication skills for working with hardware teams, QA, and other software engineers
• Documentation: Ability to write clear, comprehensive documentation for driver interfaces, installation, and troubleshooting
• Adaptability: Willingness to learn new technologies, adapt to evolving kernel APIs, and respond to feedback from code reviews and the open-source community.

About QUTRIX SOLUTION PRIVATE LIMITED 

https://qutrix.io | NASSCOM Member | D.U.N.S. Registered

Qutrix is a trustworthy Center-Of-Excellence (CoE) software technology provider and SaaS product company. Our culture is built upon the values of the product company’s innovation and service company’s delivery excellence. Focused on redefining quality in traditional and new technology product development, Qutrix offers software engineering services, R&D support, exclusive talent augmentation models and specialized technology solutions & services. Our in-house SaaS platforms with Gen-AI capabilities and automation abilities address engineering challenges faced by technology product manufacturers, multinational enterprises, startups, SMEs & OEM partners across world.

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