QEMU for Kernel Development

Purpose

Guide agents through QEMU-based kernel and driver development workflows: building/booting custom kernels, attaching virtio block/network, using Buildroot or minimal initramfs, and rapid module test cycles — focused on kernel dev vs general skills/virtualization/qemu-kvm.

When to Use

• Test kernel patch without bare metal
• Develop driver against virtio or emulated DT platform
• CI kernel boot smoke test
• NFS or 9p root for fast edit-compile-test

Workflow

1. Minimal direct kernel boot (arm64 virt)