Creating Custom Distributions with Yocto for Embedded Linux Systems

Amazeng Technical Team
8 min read
YoctoEmbedded LinuxBuild SystemsIoT

Introduction

When developing embedded Linux systems, creating a customized and optimized operating system distribution is critically important. Yocto Project is a powerful tool that has become the industry standard for this purpose.

What is Yocto Project?

Yocto Project is an open-source collaboration project used to create embedded Linux distributions. It is built on top of the BitBake build engine and OpenEmbedded layer architecture.

Key Advantages

  • Customization: Minimal or full-featured systems tailored to your needs
  • Easy Maintenance: Easy updates with layered architecture
  • Wide Hardware Support: Works on various architectures
  • Community Support: Active developer community

Getting Started

To start developing with Yocto, you first need to install the required tools:

sudo apt-get install gawk wget git diffstat unzip texinfo gcc build-essential chrpath socat cpio python3 python3-pip python3-pexpect xz-utils debianutils iputils-ping python3-git python3-jinja2 libegl1-mesa libsdl1.2-dev pylint3 xterm python3-subunit mesa-common-dev zstd liblz4-tool

Creating Layers

To create your own layer:

bitbake-layers create-layer meta-mycompany

Recipe Writing

Basic structure of an application recipe:

SUMMARY = "My Custom Application"
LICENSE = "MIT"
LIC_FILES_CHKSUM = "file://LICENSE;md5=..."

SRC_URI = "git://github.com/mycompany/myapp.git;protocol=https"
SRCREV = "${AUTOREV}"

inherit cmake

do_install() {
    install -d ${D}${bindir}
    install -m 0755 myapp ${D}${bindir}
}

Conclusion

Yocto Project offers flexibility and control in embedded Linux development. When used correctly, it allows you to create easy-to-maintain and optimized systems.

At Amazeng, we provide consulting and development services for embedded Linux systems. Contact us for your needs.

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