February, 2007
by Cliff Brake
Welcome to the Embedded Perspective Newsletter, a free monthly newsletter providing insights, reviews, and perspective on Embedded Systems development and related industries.
Feedback is appreciated. Email me at: cbrake@bec-systems.com.
For back issues or to subscribe, visit: http://bec-systems.com/web/content/view/39/35/ . These articles also appear on the BEC Systems web site and are available in an RSS feed. Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested.
In this issue:
* Introduction to OpenEmbedded part 1
* Compulab cm-x270 module review
* Building a tiny "safe" boot image using OpenEmbedded
* Do you need "software update" functionality in your Embedded Linux system?
| Introduction to OpenEmbedded part 1 | |
This is the first in a multi-part series on the OpenEmbedded development environment. This and subsequent articles will provide an introduction to OpenEmbedded, why to use it, how it works, and will provide examples of how BEC has used OE in various projects. Part 1 -- Why do we need OpenEmbedded? This article discusses some of the problems developers face when building embedded Linux systems, such as collecting the pieces needed, setting up a repeatable build environment, cross-compiling, customizing a system, and licensing issues. Future articles will cover how OE addresses some of these issues. | |
| Read more... | |
| Compulab cm-x270 PXA270 module review | |
| We are in the process of supporting a customer who is designing a product that uses the Compulab cm-x270 "Computer-on-module". The cm-x270 is a small computer module 66x44x7mm that contains an Intel PXA270 ARM processor similar to those found in many PDAs or smart phones. This review provides an overview of the cm-x270, why it was selected, and how we are using it. | |
| Read more... | |
| Building a tiny "safe" boot image using OpenEmbedded | |
We are currently working a project that contains cm-x270 module (http://bec-systems.com/web/content/view/62/9/ ) which contains 4MB of NOR flash and 128MB of NAND flash. The Linux kernel and a small root file system (rootfs) will be stored in NOR flash, and the main rootfs in the NAND flash. The rootfs in the NOR flash will be used to update the system from a USB Flash drive in the field. This article describes how to build a small boot rootfs using OpenEmbedded. We also look at various ways to store the image in flash. | |
| Read more... | |
| Do you need "software update" functionality in your Embedded Linux system? | |
| In this day and age, most embedded systems include a way for users to easily update software once the device has been deployed. This article discusses the requirements for a field update mechanism along with pointers for how to implement. | |
| Read more... | |
| Embedded Perspective Newsletter | |
BEC Systems publishes a FREE email newsletter called the Embedded Perspective. This newsletter is composed of articles, reviews, and other industry news taken from our website and is designed to be helpful for managers and developers involved with Embedded Systems engineering. Subscribe to the FREE Embedded Perspective newsletter | |
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