Embedded

Geek Guide: Purpose-Built Linux for Embedded Solutions

The explosive growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) is just one of several trends that is fueling the demand for intelligent devices at the edge. Increasingly, embedded devices use Linux to leverage libraries and code as well as Linux OS expertise to deliver functionality faster, simplify ongoing maintenance, and provide the most flexibility and performance for embedded device developers.

What Does It Take to Make a Kernel?

The kernel this. The kernel that. People often refer to one operating system's kernel or another without truly knowing what it does or how it works or what it takes to make one. What does it take to write a custom (and non-Linux) kernel?

When Choosing Your Commercial Linux, Choose Wisely!

“Linux is Linux is Linux,” is a direct quote I heard in a meeting I had recently with a major multi-national, critical-infrastructure company. Surprisingly and correctly, there was one intelligent and brave engineering executive who replied to this statement, made by one of his team members, with a resounding, “That’s not true.” Let’s be clear, selecting a commercial Linux is not like selecting corn flakes. This is especially true when you are targeting embedded systems.

Arduino from the Command Line: Break Free from the GUI with Git and Vim!

Love Arduino but hate the GUI? Try arduino-cli. In this article, I explore a new tool released by the Arduino team that can free you from the existing Java-based Arduino graphical user interface. This allows developers to use their preferred tools and workflow. And perhaps more important, it'll enable easier and deeper innovation into the Arduino toolchain itself.

Linux IoT Development: Adjusting from a Binary OS to the Yocto Project Workflow

Introducing the Yocto Project and the benefits of using it in embedded Linux development. In embedded Linux development, there are two approaches when it comes to what operating system to run on your device. You either build your own distribution (with tools such as Yocto/OpenEmbedded-Core, Buildroot and so on), or you use a binary distribution where Debian and derivatives are common.

Bringing the Benefits of Linux Containers to Operational Technology

Linux container technology was introduced more than a decade ago and has recently jumped in adoption in IT environments. However, the OT (operational technology) environments, typically made up of heterogenous embedded systems, have lagged in the adoption of container technologies, due to both the unique technology requirements and the business models that relied on proprietary systems.

Why We Need Our Nonprofits

A confession: before I heard Bradley Kuhn's talk at Freenode.live last November, I didn't know that HDMI was a proprietary interface. I just assumed that HDMI was like VGA, USB and dozens of other standardized ways to connect the jacks on two devices through a cable with plugs at both ends.

Indie Makers Using Single-Board Computers

Possibly the most amazing thing, to me, about single board computers (SBCs) is that they allow small teams of people (and even lone individuals) to create new gadgets using not much more than SBCs and 3D printers. That opportunity for makers and small companies is absolutely astounding. Two such projects have really caught my attention lately: the Noodle Pi and the TinyPi.

FOSS Project Spotlight: Mender.io, an Open-Source Over-the-Air Software Update Manager for IoT Devices

Mender is an open-source (Apache 2.0) project to address over-the-air (OTA) software update management for Linux-based IoT devices. When we researched this five years ago, there were no open-source end-to-end (device-to-server) options to manage the lifecycle of OTA updates for connected devices. Some open-source options were available, but they either had a proprietary management server, or they were client-only and required integration with another back-end server.

Supporting the NDS32 Architecture

Green Hu posted a patch to support the NDS32 architecture. He described the current status as, "It is able to boot to shell and passes most LTP-2017 testsuites in nds32 AE3XX platform." Arnd Bergmann approved the patch, but Linus Torvalds wanted a little more of a description—an overview of the "uses, quirks, reasons for existing" for this chip, to include in the changelog. Arnd replied:

Custom Embedded Linux Distributions

The proliferation of inexpensive IoT boards means the time has come to gain control not only of applications but also the entire software platform. So, how do you build a custom distribution with cross-compiled applications targeted for a specific purpose? As Michael J. Hammel explains here, it's not as hard as you might think.

iStorage diskAshur Storage Drives

With software-free setup and operation, the new iStorage diskAshur group of ultra-secure storage drives works across all operating systems, including Linux, macOS, Android, Chrome, thin and zero clients, MS Windows and embedded systems.

eCosCentric Limited's eCosPro

eCos—which means the "Embedded Configurable Operating System"—is an open-source RTOS for deeply embedded applications. Deployed in a diversity of markets and devices, eCos' popularity is a result of a variety of commercial and technical advantages over competing RTOS offerings.

Key Considerations for Software Updates for Embedded Linux and IoT

The Mirai botnet attack that enslaved poorly secured connected embedded devices is yet another tangible example of the importance of security before bringing your embedded devices online. A new strain of Mirai has caused network outages to about a million Deutsche Telekom customers due to poorly secured routers.

BeBop Sensors, Inc.'s Marcel Modular Data Gloves

In the fabric-embedded sensors space, all controllers need to be accurate and fast. "If latency is more than 6–8 milliseconds, you are out of the band", cautions BeBop Sensors Inc., maker of the new Marcel Modular Data Glove solution for virtual and augmented reality OEMs.