Building an embedded Linux system emulator

Building an embedded Linux system emulator by Gilad Ben-Yossef One of the hallmarks of embedded system programming is working with specialized hardware. Unfortunately, embedded system developers do not always have the luxury to develop and test their code on the actual hardware they target. Often, the hardware is developed in tandem with the system software and therefore it it is not available for much of the embedded system software development cycle. While one can develop and test much...

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Porting Android to a new device

Porting Android to a new device by Peter McDermott Executive summary If you're having trouble estimating the time and complexity of porting Google's Android mobile platform to your embedded device, our experience porting Android to a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet may provide you with useful information. Android overview Android is a mobile phone software platform created by Google. It is based on the Linux kernel, a number of software libraries written in 'C,' a Java-like virtual machine...

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Simple Embedded Linux System (part 5)

Introduction This is the fifth article in a series demonstrating the fundamental aspects of constructing embedded systems. We discuss some issues about the end of a project and then consider alternative tools and methods for building systems. The whole series of articles assumes a basic understanding of a Linux-based operating system. While discussing concepts and general approaches these concepts are demonstrated with extensive practical examples. All the practical examples are based upon...

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Simple Embedded Linux System (part 4)

Introduction This is the fourth article in a series demonstrating the fundamental aspects of constructing embedded systems. This article covers the targeting of the web kiosk system from the previous article to a specific ARM based hardware platform. This document, and indeed the whole series of articles, assumes a basic understanding of a Linux-based operating system. While discussing concepts and general approaches these concepts are demonstrated with extensive practical examples. All the...

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Simple Embedded Linux System (part 3)

Introduction This is the third article in a series demonstrating the fundamental aspects of constructing embedded systems using Linux. This article covers the construction of a web browser with a command shell on the serial console. It assumes a basic understanding of a Linux-based operating system. Practical examples listed here are based upon a Debian- or Ubuntu-based distribution. Pushing the limits So far in this series we have used binaries from the host system or from pre-packaged...

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Simple Embedded Linux System (part2)

Introduction This is the second article in a series demonstrating the fundamental aspects of constructing embedded systems. In this article, we cover the construction of a simple web server with a command shell on the console. This article, and indeed the whole series, assumes a basic understanding of a Linux-based operating system. While discussing concepts and general approaches these concepts are demonstrated with extensive practical examples. All the practical examples are based upon a Debian- or Ubuntu-based distribution. Automated, reproducible, reliable building One of the common...

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Simple Embedded Linux System (part 1)

Introduction Constructing an embedded system with Linux is often seen as a complex undertaking. This article is the first in a series which will show the fundamental aspects of constructing such systems and enable the reader to apply this knowledge to their specific situation. This first article covers the construction of the most basic system possible, which will provide a command shell on the console. Along with the rest of the series, it assumes a basic understanding of a Linux-based operating system. While discussing concepts and general approaches, these concepts are demonstrated...

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