Posted to News on 30th Sep 2008, 13:48
Building Embedded Linux Systems
A welcome update to the first edition published in April 2003, this useful book covers some of the Linux advances that have taken place in the intervening period, particularly the number of real-time extensions and companion environments.
Also since then, enthusiastic open source programmers have simplified the building and installation of GNU/Linux components and this edition introduces a world of high-level tools, including Eclipse and "tools that build the build tools" for embedded Linux systems.
In the preface, the book states that it ""makes no assumptions as to the tools you have at hand or the scope of your project. All that is required"is an Internet connection to download the necessary packages, browse specific online documentation, and benefit from other developers' experiences, as well as share your own. Besides giving the greatest degree of freedom and control over your design, this approach is closest to that followed by the pioneers who have spearheaded the way for Linux's use in embedded systems."
This book features previously undocumented procedures that explain how to:
- Build your own GNU development toolchain
- Select, configure, build, and install a target-specific kernel
- Create a complete target root filesystem
- Set up, manipulate, and use solid-state storage devices
- Install and configure a bootloader for your target
- Cross-compile a slew of utilities and packages
- Debug your embedded system using a plethora of tools and techniques
- Use the uClibc, BusyBox, U-Boot, OpenSSH, thttpd, tftp, strace, and gdb packages
- Exploit real-time feature with Xenomai or the RT kernal patch
By presenting how to build the operating system components from pristine sources and how to find more documentation or help, Building Embedded Linux Systems greatly simplifies the task of keeping complete control over your embedded operating system.
A wide range of the hardware commonly used by embedded Linux systems is covered, including the eight most common processor architectures:
tstart{c}
thead{Processor| Buses |Interfaces|Networking}
tdata{ARM|PCI/PCI-X/PCIe|SCSI/iSCSI|Ethernet}
tdata{AVR32|ExpressCard|USB|IrDA}
tdata{Intel x86|PC/104|IEEE1394(FireWire)|IEEE802.11A/B/G/N}
tdata{M32R|PC/104-Plus|Infiniband|Bluetooth}
tdata{MIPS|PCI-104|GPIB|CAN}
tdata{Motorola 68000|PCI/104-Express|I2C|Modbus}
tdata{PowerPC|||}
tdata{SuperH|||}
tend{}
Building Embedded Linux Systems, Second Edition
Karim Yaghmour , Jonathan Masters , Gilad Ben-Yossef
ISBN: 9780596529680, 462 pages, Book Price: $49.99, 30.99, 40 €
www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529680
About the Authors
Gilad Ben-Yossef is the cofounder and CTO of Codefidence LTD. and has been assisting OEMs make use of free and open source software in commercial products and services since 1998. He is also cofounder of Hamakor, an NPO devoted to the promotion of FOSS in Israel, and a founding organizer of "August Penguin," an Israeli community FOSS conference.
Jonathan Masters works on the Linux kernel for Red Hat.
Karim Yaghmour is the founder and president of Opersys Inc., a company providing expertise and courses on the use of open source and free software in embedded systems.
