Kernel parameters are the configuration of the Linux kernel (ie linux).
sysctl is the command line tool that manage the kernel parameters.
See On Linux, how to change the Kernel Parameter values (sysctl.conf)?
If you want to change the kernel parameter values, you have to edit and add them to the file /etc/sysctl.conf.
This article talks about this subject: On Linux, how to change the Kernel Parameter values (sysctl.conf)?
Common groups of information and parameters concerning the kernel are set with the help of configuration files and grouped into directories and subdirectories within the /proc/ directory 1).
The most important directories are:
This directory contains configuration files that directly affect the operation of the Kernel
This directory contains an array of options and information concerning various aspects of the file system, including quota, file handle, inode, and dentry information.
This directory contains subdirectories concerning various networking topics. Various configurations at the time of kernel compilation make different directories available here, such as appletalk, ethernet, ipv4, ipx, and ipv6. Within these directories, system administrators are able to adjust the network configuration on a running system.