Embedded Linux

Using Docker for OE/Yocto builds

by Cliff Brake
2016-04-21

Why Docker? When using OE to build software for products, we often run into the scenario where software needs to be built using the same version of OpenEmbedded over the course of several years. Production builds need to be predictable. We’ve also observed that old versions of OE often break as new Linux distros come out. This is just the result of the complexity of building tool chains. Additionally, for predictable builds you really don’t want to be changing the build OS. This requirement automatically rules out Arch Linux, Debian Unstable, Gentoo, etc as production build machines. Additionally, having developers debug OE build issues on varying workstation distributions is frustrating and time consuming.

Go Language for Embedded ARM Linux Systems

by Cliff Brake
2016-03-08

In the quest for technologies that work well for embedded Linux systems, I recently gave Go another try. The last time I tried this was very early on and there were some floating point issues on ARM that appear to be fixed now. Having spent a few days porting an existing application to Go, there is a lot to like about Go.

OpenEmbedded / Yocto Usage Survey

by Cliff Brake
2015-11-18

Recently, I sent a survey to the OpenEmbedded and Yocto mail lists asking a series of questions about how they use OE. 38 people responded. The average number of years using OE is 4.8 years.

Best practices for using CMake in OpenEmbedded/Yocto

by Cliff Brake
2015-03-10

I’ve already written about using autotools and qmake in OE. With recent projects, we’re using CMake to build most C/C++ components. Like any good tool, CMake has a learning curve, but it seems to do its job quite well. Below are examples of a CMake build file, and corresponding OE recipe.

Library sizes for C vs C++ in an embedded Linux system

by Cliff Brake
2013-12-18

Is the size of the libraries required for C++ (vs C) a concern in Embedded Linux systems? Most Embedded Linux systems likely include some C++ code, so this is probably not even a decision we need to make in many cases. However, often there is a need for a small initramfs that is used as part of the boot process (perhaps for software updates) before switching to the main root file system. In this case, it makes sense to keep the initramfs as small as possible, and we might be concerned here with the size of C++ libraries.

Why systemd in Embedded Linux Systems?

by Cliff Brake
2013-12-11

Recently I was asked why use systemd vs sysvinit in embedded systems? There are many discussions on this, and really most of the reasons people use it for servers and desktops are also valid for embedded systems. Lennart Poettering’s articles explain very well why you might want to consider systemd. A few things that rank high on my list:

Setting up an OpenEmbedded Package Feed Server

by Cliff Brake
2013-12-11

With the BEC OE build template, you can easily set up an opkg feed server that serves up packages from your build directory. This allows… Read More »Setting up an OpenEmbedded Package Feed Server

OpenEmbedded Build Template

by Cliff Brake
2013-06-282023-09-05

How does one set an OpenEmbedded/Yocto/Poky/Angstrom build? There are many options. Some include: Angstrom setup scripts Poky Freescale Community BSP OpenEmbedded core standalone (I’m sure… Read More »OpenEmbedded Build Template

OS Containers for Build Systems

by Cliff Brake
2013-05-08

Since I’ve been running archlinux on some of my systems, one thing I’ve found useful is systemd-nspawn. systemd-nspawn containers (or chroots on non-systemd systems) give… Read More »OS Containers for Build Systems

OpenEmbedded Source Mirrors

by Cliff Brake
2013-01-07

When using OpenEmbedded for product development, there are several reasons you may want to consider setting up a source mirror for your OpenEmbedded build: over… Read More »OpenEmbedded Source Mirrors

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