Embedded Linux Course

Lesson 1 • Linux Command-Line Essentials

Covers shell navigation, file management, and process control commands. These skills are prerequisites for all hands-on lab work in the course.

Lesson 2 • Linux Kernel and OS Architecture

Explains the Linux kernel's role, monolithic design, and user-space/kernel-space separation. Provides context for later kernel configuration work.

Lesson 3 • Embedded Systems Core Concepts

Defines embedded systems, their constraints, and how they differ from general-purpose computers. Establishes vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Toolchain Validation and Debugging

Verifies toolchain correctness using test binaries and readelf inspection. Prevents common misconfiguration errors before kernel and rootfs builds.

Lesson 2 • Toolchain Architecture and Components

Identifies binutils, compiler, C library, and debugger as toolchain components. Explains host-target relationships central to cross-compilation.

Lesson 3 • Cross-Compiling Applications

Demonstrates compiling C and C++ programs for a target using the cross-toolchain. Introduces Makefile and CMake cross-compilation patterns.

Lesson 1 • Flashing and Recovery Procedures

Covers writing bootloader images to NAND, NOR, and eMMC storage. Includes recovery strategies when a board fails to boot.

Lesson 2 • Configuring and Building U-Boot

Walks through selecting a defconfig, customizing settings, and cross-compiling U-Boot. Produces a bootloader binary ready for flashing to the target.

Lesson 3 • U-Boot Shell and Boot Scripts

Uses the U-Boot interactive shell to load images and set boot arguments. Automates boot with scripts stored in environment or on storage media.

Lesson 4 • Embedded Boot Sequence

Traces the power-on sequence from ROM code through bootloader to kernel. Establishes the layered boot model referenced in all subsequent boot-related work.

Lesson 1 • Kernel Source and Version Management

Introduces kernel.org releases, stable branches, and vendor kernels. Guides cloning and navigating the kernel source tree effectively.

Lesson 2 • Kernel Build System and Output

Explains the Kbuild system, cross-compilation flags, and output artifacts. Students build zImage, Image, and device tree blobs for their target.

Lesson 3 • Kernel Configuration with Kconfig

Uses menuconfig and defconfig files to enable required drivers and subsystems. Teaches systematic reduction of kernel size for embedded targets.

Lesson 4 • Kernel Modules and Dynamic Loading

Covers out-of-tree and in-tree module builds, insmod, modprobe, and depmod. Enables runtime driver loading without rebuilding the full kernel.

Lesson 1 • Building a Minimal Rootfs with BusyBox

Configures and cross-compiles BusyBox to supply core utilities in a single binary. Produces a self-contained rootfs skeleton for the target board.

Lesson 2 • Library Management and Dependencies

Identifies shared library dependencies and copies them into the rootfs staging area. Prevents missing-library runtime errors on the target.

Lesson 3 • Init Systems and System Startup

Compares BusyBox init, SysVinit, and systemd for embedded use cases. Configures inittab and rcS scripts to launch services at boot.

Lesson 4 • Root Filesystem Structure and Standards

Explains the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard and mandatory directories for Linux boot. Provides the structural blueprint for all rootfs construction exercises.

Lesson 1 • Buildroot Architecture and Workflow

Introduces Buildroot's menuconfig-driven workflow for generating toolchain, kernel, and rootfs. Demonstrates rapid prototyping for resource-constrained projects.

Lesson 2 • Yocto Project Core Concepts

Explains layers, recipes, BitBake, and the OpenEmbedded build system architecture. Establishes the mental model required for all Yocto customization work.

Lesson 3 • Creating and Customizing Yocto Layers

Creates a custom layer, writes a recipe, and adds it to a Yocto image. Demonstrates the extensibility pattern used in production Yocto projects.

Lesson 4 • Customizing Buildroot Packages

Creates custom package recipes and overlays to add proprietary software to the image. Extends Buildroot beyond its default package set.

Lesson 1 • Device Tree and Hardware Description

Authors device tree source files to describe hardware topology to the kernel. Binds drivers to hardware nodes using compatible strings and properties.

Lesson 2 • Interrupts and DMA in Drivers

Registers interrupt handlers and configures DMA transfers within a driver. Addresses latency and throughput requirements common in embedded peripherals.

Lesson 3 • Character Device Driver Development

Implements a character driver with open, read, write, and ioctl operations. Demonstrates the complete driver registration and file-operations pattern.

Lesson 4 • Linux Driver Model Fundamentals

Explains the driver-device-bus model, kobjects, and sysfs representation. Provides the conceptual framework for all driver development in this chapter.

Lesson 1 • Over-the-Air Update Strategies

Implements dual-bank and delta update mechanisms for safe field firmware updates. Ensures rollback capability and update integrity in production deployments.

Lesson 2 • Security Hardening for Embedded Linux

Applies read-only rootfs, secure boot, and access control to harden the system. Reduces attack surface for connected embedded products.

Lesson 3 • Memory Footprint Optimization

Reduces kernel size, rootfs size, and runtime memory usage through systematic analysis. Applies stripping, compression, and configuration pruning techniques.

Lesson 4 • Boot Time Measurement and Reduction

Profiles the boot sequence using bootchart and kernel timestamps to find bottlenecks. Applies targeted optimizations to achieve sub-second or fast-boot targets.