Embedded Linux Essentials

This is an intensive course for kick-starting development of embedded Linux systems. It is targeted to those that have little or no prior knowledge of embedded Linux.

The course is divided into three main categories:

1. Introduction to embedded Linux

2. Building embedded Linux systems

3. Linux driver development

The first section covers topics like: Platform architecture (boot loader, kernel, root file system, services), system operation details (such as: startup procedure, busybox, C-libraries,  file systems suited for embedding, flash disk considerations, …) and open source licenses.

The second part is an introduction to the Yocto Project including topics as: bitbake principles and operation, recipes, variables, operators, layers, SDK’s and how to build images for a specific target.

The final section is an introduction to Linux driver development including: kernel configuration and building, kernel architecture, driver classes, driver debugging, exchanging data with user space, file operations, memory management, blocking/non-blocking operation.

You will practice skills through the following exercises:

• Configure, setup and install the extensible SDK-environment from Yocto.

• Use the extensible SDK for building target images.

• Add package to the target image

• Cross-compile the kernel

• Build a simple driver

• Develop a a basic character device driver

• Implement blocking read/writeThe exercises will be executed in a cloud environment, but the course will provide all details on how to re-create an identical build machine on a computer of your own.