Embedded Linux

Introduction

Embedded Linux is the craft of creating a Linux system run for so-called "embedded systems", which are purpose-built computational devices with restricted capabilities, compared to a multi-purpose computer for the consumer market.

Popular tools for creating an embedded Linux system are

• Yocto
• BuildRoot

It is also possible to create a Linux system 'manually', where the components are built and integrated individually, without using the above tools that automate this process. See Linux From Scratch, for example. This very tedious method and error-prone method is not recommended unless you are an expert or have a lot of time to waste.

Useful Boot Settings

In the boot image root folder (/boot) edit the config.txt file to configure a number of system features.

enable_uart=1
Enables communication over the UART serial port. This is useful for reading the log messages of the boot process and for logging in as a user on a headless system where the SSH server is not set up yet.