Course Outline
Embedded Linux Fundamentals & Platform Overview
- Introduction to Embedded Linux
- Key differences from desktop Linux
- Typical use cases and operational constraints
- Overview of i.MX6 platform architecture
- SoC blocks and the boot process (ROM, SPL, U-Boot, kernel)
- Device Tree concepts and their application to i.MX6
- Hardware and Emulator setup, covering board layout, interfaces, JTAG/serial connections, and SD/eMMC boot mechanisms
Build Environment & Yocto Project Basics
- Introduction to the Yocto Project
- Poky and BitBake
- The concept of layers
- Metadata structure, including recipes and bbfiles
- Setting up the host build environment
- Prerequisites
- Required toolchains
- Repository synchronization
- Exploring the Yocto directory structure
- meta directory
- poky directory
- meta-classes directory
Customizing Images & Adding Packages
- Understanding layer structures
- BSP layer
- Board-specific layers
- Application layer
- Incorporating packages into the image
- Writing simple recipes
- Integrating them into the image
- Customizing the image configuration
- Root filesystem size
- System services
- Kernel modules
Kernel, Device Tree & Board Support on i.MX6
- Kernel build workflow
- Configuration
- Cross-compilation
- Module management
- Device Tree implementation
- Formatting standards
- Node definitions
- Overlays
- Enabling peripherals on i.MX6
- BSP specifics for i.MX6
- Bootloader (U-Boot) configuration
- Board-specific patches
- Memory layout
Troubleshooting and Optimization
- Common build and boot failures and debugging techniques
- Serial console analysis
- U-Boot debugging
- Kernel oops interpretation
- Root filesystem issues
- Optimization strategies
- Reducing image size
- Improving boot time
- Basics of power management (Overview Only)
Wrap Up
- Summary and Conclusion
- Key take-aways
- Next steps for participants, including driver development and advanced BSP work
- Feedback and Q&A
Requirements
Participants are expected to possess the following:
- Strong proficiency in Embedded C or C++ programming (mandatory)
- Basic familiarity with microcontrollers and embedded system concepts, including:
- UART, I2C, SPI, and GPIO interfaces
- Cross-compilation and toolchains (conceptual understanding is sufficient)
- Foundational understanding of Linux from a user perspective (preferred but not mandatory), such as the ability to utilize terminal commands like cd, ls, cp, mkdir, and chmod.
Note: Extensive Linux expertise is not required, as the course begins with the fundamentals of Embedded Linux.
Target Audience
- Embedded engineers proficient in Embedded C++ who are new to deploying Linux on embedded platforms.
- Engineers tasked with developing Linux-based systems on i.MX6 or i.MX9 hardware.
- Team members preparing to build custom Linux images, configure kernels, manage BSPs, and deploy solutions on embedded boards.
Testimonials (2)
I understood the process of the operating system and how do we link all factors together information of network as well so now I have an obvious and full picture about what is going on these computers how they communicate with each others ultimately gained knowledge about the most important operating system which is Linux and how do we implement our own embedded Linux
Rawda Alnaqbi - beamtrail
Course - Introduction to Embedded Linux (Hands-on training)
Practical excersises
