Product Description
Building Embedded Linux Systems shows you how to design and build your own embedded systems using Linux® as the kernel and freely available open source tools as the framework. Written by an active member of the open source community, the book is structured to gradually introduce readers to the intricacies of embedded Linux, with detailed information and examples in each chapter that culminate in describing how Linux is actually put on an embedded device. It covers such topics as system components, an overview of the kernel architecture, debugging, device driver development and system initialization. Details are provided for various chips and other hardware, along with useful tools for monitoring and debugging. Sure to become the authoritative guide to the subject, Building Embedded Linux Systems is the only book that provides everything developers need for understand how and why embedded Linux systems are built they way they are.

Preface     ix
Introduction     1
Definitions     2
Real Life and Embedded Linux Systems     5
Design and Implementation Methodology     27
Basic Concepts     33
Types of Hosts     33
Types of Host/Target Development Setups     39
Types of Host/Target Debug Setups     41
Generic Architecture of an Embedded Linux System     43
System Startup     47
Types of Boot Configurations     48
System Memory Layout     51
Hardware Support     55
Processor Architectures     56
Buses and Interfaces     64
I/O     72
Storage     79
General-Purpose Networking     81
Industrial-Grade Networking     83
System Monitoring     85
Development Tools     87
A Practical Project Workspace     89
GNU Cross-Platform Development Toolchain     91
C Library Alternatives     115
Java     129
Perl     131
Python     134
Other Programming Languages     135
Eclipse: An Integrated Development Environment     135
Terminal Emulators     147
Kernel Considerations     155
Selecting a Kernel     156
Configuring the Kernel     161
Compiling the Kernel     165
Installing the Kernel     167
In the Field     169
Root Filesystem Content     173
Basic Root Filesystem Structure     173
Libraries     177
Kernel Modules     183
Kernel Images     183
Device Files     184
Main System Applications     193
Custom Applications     201
System Initialization     201
Storage Device Manipulation     209
MTD-Supported Devices     209
Disk Devices     231
To Swap or Not To Swap     234
Root Filesystem Setup     235
Filesystem Types for Embedded Devices     235
Writing a Filesystem Image to Flash Using an NFS-Mounted Root Filesystem     254
Placing a Disk Filesystem on a RAM Disk     254
Rootfs and Initramfs     255
Choosing a Filesystem's Type and Layout     258
Handling Software Upgrades     261
Setting Up the Bootloader     273
Embedded Bootloaders     274
Server Setup for Network Boot     278
Using the U-Boot Bootloader     285
Setting Up Networking Services     301
Network Settings     302
Busybox     303
Dynamic Configuration Through DHCP     303
The Internet Super-Server     305
Remote Administration with SNMP     309
Network Login Through Telnet     312
Secure Communication with SSH     314
Serving Web Content Through HTTP     317
Provisioning     321
Debugging Tools     325
Eclipse     326
Debugging Applications with gdb     328
Tracing     333
Performance Analysis     336
Memory Debugging     344
A Word on Hardware Tools     348
Introduction to Real-Time Linux     351
What Is Real-Time Processing?     351
Should Your Linux Be Real-Time?     352
Common Real-Time Kernel Requirements     356
Some Typical Users of Real-Time Computing Technology     358
The Linux Paths to Real-Time     360
The Xenomai Real-Time System     365
Porting Traditional RTOS Applications to Linux      366
The Xenomai Architecture     368
How Xenomai Works     375
The Real-Time Driver Model     379
Xenomai, Chameleon by Design     385
The RT Patch     387
Interrupts As Threads     388
Priority Inheritance     398
Configuring the Kernel with the RT Patch     401
High-Resolution Timers     407
The Latency Tracer     410
Conclusion     417
Index     419