The specification defines a detailed configuration structure in ROM that the boot up processor can read to find the full configuration of the processors and busses. It also defines a procedure for starting up the other processors. For any kernel to function in a sane manner it has to provide internal locking and protection of its own tables to prevent two processes updating them at once and for example allocating the same memory block. There are two strategies for this within current Unix and Unixlike kernels. Traditional unix systems from the earliest of days use a scheme of 'Coarse Grained Locking' where the entire kernel is protected as a small number of locks only.
Some modern systems use fine grained locking.
Because fine grained locking has more overhead it is normally used only on multiprocessor kernels and real time kernels. Within the Linux kernel certain guarantees are made. No process running in kernel mode will be pre-empted by another kernel mode process unless it voluntarily sleeps. This ensures that blocks of kernel code are effectively atomic with respect to other processes and greatly simplifies many operation. Secondly interrupts may pre-empt a kernel running process, but will always return to that process.