Embedded Linux Primer

Book excerpt: Up-to-the-Minute, Complete Guidance for Developing Embedded Solutions with Linux Linux has emerged as today’s #1 operating system for embedded products. Christopher Hallinan’s Embedded Linux Primer has proven itself as the definitive real-world guide to building efficient, high-value, embedded systems with Linux. Now, Hallinan has thoroughly updated this highly praised book for the newest Linux kernels, capabilities, tools, and hardware support, including advanced multicore processors. Drawing on more than a decade of embedded Linux experience, Hallinan helps you rapidly climb the learning curve, whether you’re moving from legacy environments or you’re new to embedded programming. Hallinan addresses today’s most important development challenges and demonstrates how to solve the problems you’re most likely to encounter. You’ll learn how to build a modern, efficient embedded Linux development environment, and then utilize it as productively as possible. Hallinan offers up-to-date guidance on everything from kernel configuration and initialization to bootloaders, device drivers to file systems, and BusyBox utilities to real-time configuration and system analysis. This edition adds entirely new chapters on UDEV, USB, and open source build systems. Tour the typical embedded system and development environment and understand its concepts and components. Understand the Linux kernel and userspace initialization processes. Preview bootloaders, with specific emphasis on U-Boot. Configure the Memory Technology Devices (MTD) subsystem to interface with flash (and other) memory devices. Make the most of BusyBox and latest open source development tools. Learn from expanded and updated coverage of kernel debugging. Build and analyze real-time systems with Linux. Learn to configure device files and driver loading with UDEV. Walk through detailed coverage of the USB subsystem. Introduces the latest open source embedded Linux build systems. Reference appendices include U-Boot and BusyBox commands.