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 6.6 and the Yocto Project 5.0 (Scarthgap)
• Discover different ways to debug and profile your code in both user space and the Linux kernel

Book Description

Mastering Embedded Linux Development' is designed to be both a learning resource and a reference for your embedded Linux projects. The book starts by breaking down the fundamental elements that underpin all embedded Linux projects: the toolchain, the bootloader, the kernel, and the root filesystem. First, you will download and install a pre-built toolchain. After that, you will cross-compile each of the remaining three elements from scratch and learn to automate the process using Buildroot and the Yocto Project. The book progresses with coverage of over-the-air software updates and rapid prototyping with add-on boards. Two new chapters tackle modern development practices including Python packaging and deploying containerized applications. These are followed by a chapter on writing multithreaded code and another on techniques to manage memory in an efficient way. The final chapters demonstrate how to debug your code, whether it resides in user space or in the Linux kernel itself. In addition to GDB, the book also covers 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 book, you will be able to create efficient and secure embedded devices with Linux that will delight your users.

What you will learn

• Cross-compile embedded Linux images with Buildroot and Yocto
• Enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity with a Yocto board support package
• Update IoT devices securely in the field with Mender or SWUpdate
• Prototype peripheral additions by connecting add-on boards, reading schematics, and coding test programs
• Deploy containerized software applications on edge devices with Docker
• Debug devices remotely using GDB and measure the performance of systems using tools like perf and bpftrace

Who this book is for

If you are a systems software engineer or system administrator who wants to learn how to apply Linux to embedded devices, then this book is for you. The book is also aimed at embedded software engineers accustomed to programming low-power microcontrollers and will help them make the leap to high-speed system on a chips that can run Linux. Anyone who develops hardware for Linux will find something useful in this book. But before you get started, you will need a solid grasp of the POSIX standard, C programming, and shell scripting.