Linux Device Driver Development

Get up to speed with the most important concepts in driver development and focus on common embedded system requirements such as memory management, interrupt management, and locking mechanisms

Key Features

• Write feature-rich and customized Linux device drivers for any character, SPI, and I2C device
• Develop a deep understanding of locking primitives, IRQ management, memory management, DMA, and so on
• Gain practical experience in the embedded side of Linux using GPIO, IIO, and input subsystems

Book Description

Linux is by far the most-used kernel on embedded systems. Thanks to its subsystems, the Linux kernel supports almost all of the application fields in the industrial world. This updated second edition of Linux Device Driver Development is a comprehensive introduction to the Linux kernel world and the different subsystems that it is made of, and will be useful for embedded developers from any discipline.

You'll learn how to configure, tailor, and build the Linux kernel. Filled with real-world examples, the book covers each of the most-used subsystems in the embedded domains such as GPIO, direct memory access, interrupt management, and I2C/SPI device drivers. This book will show you how Linux abstracts each device from a hardware point of view and how a device is bound to its driver(s). You'll also see how interrupts are propagated in the system as the book covers the interrupt processing mechanisms in-depth and describes every kernel structure and API involved. This new edition also addresses how not to write device drivers using user space libraries for GPIO clients, I2C, and SPI drivers.

By the end of this Linux book, you'll be able to write device drivers for most of the embedded devices out there.

What you will learn

• Download, configure, build, and tailor the Linux kernel
• Describe the hardware using a device tree
• Write feature-rich platform drivers and leverage I2C and SPI buses
• Get the most out of the new concurrency managed workqueue infrastructure
• Understand the Linux kernel timekeeping mechanism and use time-related APIs
• Use the regmap framework to factor the code and make it generic
• Offload CPU for memory copies using DMA
• Interact with the real world using GPIO, IIO, and input subsystems

Who this book is for

This Linux OS book is for embedded system and embedded Linux enthusiasts/developers who want to get started with Linux kernel development and leverage its subsystems. Electronic hackers and hobbyists interested in Linux kernel development as well as anyone looking to interact with the platform using GPIO, IIO, and input subsystems will also find this book useful.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Kernel Development
2. Understanding Linux Kernel Module Basic Concepts
3. Dealing with Kernel Core Helpers
4. Writing Character Device Drivers
5. Understanding and Leveraging the Device Tree
6. Introduction to Devices, Drivers, and Platform Abstraction
7. Understanding the Concept of Platform Devices and Drivers
8. Writing I2C Device Drivers
9. Writing SPI Device Drivers
10. Understanding the Linux Kernel Memory Allocation
11. Implementing Direct Memory Access (DMA) Support
12. Abstracting Memory Access – Introduction to the Regmap API: a Register Map Abstraction
13. Demystifying the Kernel IRQ Framework
14. Introduction to the Linux Device Model
15. Digging into the IIO Framework
16. Getting the Most Out of the Pin Controller and GPIO Subsystems
17. Leveraging the Linux Kernel Input Subsystem

John Madieu is an embedded Linux and kernel engineer living in Paris, France. His main activities consist of developing device drivers and Board Support Packages (BSPs) for companies in domains such as IoT, automation, transport, healthcare, energy, and the military. John is the founder and chief consultant at LABCSMART, a company that provides training and services for embedded Linux and Linux kernel engineering. He is an open source and embedded systems enthusiast, convinced that it is only by sharing knowledge that we can learn more. He is passionate about boxing, which he practiced for 6 years professionally, and continues to channel this passion through training sessions that he provides voluntarily.