Mastering Embedded Linux Programming

Harness the power of Linux to create versatile and robust embedded solutions

Key Features

• Learn how to develop and configure robust embedded Linux devices
• Explore the new features of Linux 5.4 and the Yocto Project 3.1 (Dunfell)
• Discover different ways to debug and profile your code in both user space and the Linux kernel

Book Description

If you’re looking for a book that will demystify embedded Linux, then you’ve come to the right place. Mastering Embedded Linux Programming is a fully comprehensive guide that can serve both as means to learn new things or as a handy reference.

The first few chapters of this book will break down the fundamental elements that underpin all embedded Linux projects: the toolchain, the bootloader, the kernel, and the root filesystem. After that, you will learn how to create each of these elements from scratch and automate the process using Buildroot and the Yocto Project. As you progress, the book will show you how to implement an effective storage strategy for flash memory chips and install updates to a device remotely once it’s deployed.

You’ll also learn about the key aspects of writing code for embedded Linux, such as how to access hardware from apps, the implications of writing multi-threaded code, and techniques to manage memory in an efficient way. The final chapters demonstrate how to debug your code, whether it resides in apps or in the Linux kernel itself.

You’ll also cover the different tracers and profilers that are available for Linux so that you can quickly pinpoint any performance bottlenecks in your system.

By the end of this Linux book, you’ll be able to create efficient and secure embedded devices using Linux.

What you will learn

• Use Buildroot and the Yocto Project to create embedded Linux systems
• Troubleshoot BitBake build failures and streamline your Yocto development workflow
• Update IoT devices securely in the field using Mender or balena
• Prototype peripheral additions by reading schematics, modifying device trees, soldering breakout boards, and probing pins with a logic analyzer
• Interact with hardware without having to write kernel device drivers
• Divide your system up into services supervised by BusyBox runit
• Debug devices remotely using GDB and measure the performance of systems using tools such as perf, ftrace, eBPF, and Callgrind

Who this book is for

If you’re a systems software engineer or system administrator who wants to learn how to implement Linux on embedded devices, then this book is for you. It's also aimed at embedded systems engineers accustomed to programming for low-power microcontrollers, who can use this book to help make the leap to high-speed systems on chips that can run Linux. Anyone who develops hardware that needs to run Linux will find something useful in this book – but before you get started, you'll need a solid grasp on POSIX standard, C programming, and shell scripting.

Table of Contents

1. Starting Out
2. Learning about Toolchains
3. All about Bootloaders
4. Configuring and Building the Kernel
5. Building a Root Filesystem
6. Selecting a Build System
7. Developing with Yocto
8. Yocto Under the Hood
9. Creating a Storage Strategy
10. Updating Software in the Field
11. Interfacing with Device Drivers
12. Prototyping with Breakout Boards
13. Starting Up – The init Program
14. Starting with BusyBox runit
15. Managing Power
16. Packaging Python
17. Learning about Processes and Threads
18. Managing Memory
19. Debugging with GDB
20. Profiling and Tracing
21. Real-Time Programming

Frank Vasquez is an independent software consultant specializing in consumer electronics. He has over a decade of experience designing and building embedded Linux systems. During that time, he has shipped numerous devices including a rackmount DSP audio server, a diver-held sonar camcorder, and a consumer IoT hotspot. Before his career as an embedded Linux engineer, Frank was a database kernel developer at IBM where he worked on DB2. He lives in Silicon Valley.

Chris Simmonds is a software consultant and trainer living in southern England. He has almost two decades of experience in designing and building open-source embedded systems. He is the founder and chief consultant at 2net Ltd, which provides professional training and mentoring services in embedded Linux, Linux device drivers, and Android platform development. He has trained engineers at many of the biggest companies in the embedded world, including ARM, Qualcomm, Intel, Ericsson, and General Dynamics. He is a frequent presenter at open source and embedded conferences, including the Embedded Linux Conference and Embedded World.