Denx Software Engineering has updated its free embedded Linux SDK (software development kit). Embedded Linux Development Kit (ELDK) 3.1 includes native and cross-development tools, support for RTAI (real-time application interface), and tools for automating runtime creation. New features include improved native development tools, and support for newer versions of Linux.

Denx is a small software engineering service provider specializing in open source software projects, including porting operating systems to new hardware, and device driver authoring. It created the ELDK in order to “keep Denx and our customers independend from third-party, usually more or less proprietary solutions,” according to founder Wolfgang Denk. A 2004 reader survey suggested that ELDK is used in about two percent of all embedded Linux development projects.

According to Denx, ELDK includes:

• Cross development tools, including a compiler, assembler, linker, etc.
• Native tools such as a shell, utilities, and libraries
• Firmware that can be ported easily to new boards and processors
• Linux kernel including all device drivers and board-support functions
• RTAI (Real Time Application Interface) extension of the Linux kernel for systems requiring hard real-time response
• SELF (Simple Embedded Linux Framework), a runtime creation and configuration tool

According to Denx, ELDK is a self-contained environment that can be installed without super-user privileges. Multiple installations can co-exist on a single system, including different releases or releases targeting different architectures.

ELDK supports PowerPC, ARM, and MIPS, and versions of ELDK for different target architectures can be installed in the same directory thanks to auto-selection of header files and libraries, Denx says.

New features

Denx lists the new features of the 3.1 release as follows:

• Linux kernel version 2.4.25
• New tools: GCC 3.3.3, glibc 2.3.1, binutils 2.14-6
• Supports for recent Linux distributions like RedHat-9, Fedora Core 2, SuSE 9.2
• Support for Freescale MPC85xx systems
• Support for little and big endian MIPS systems and for XScale processors
• Many new tools: DHCP, SSH server, AppWeb web server, Net-SNMP, lrzsz
• Improved native development support: RPM, autoconf, byacc, flex, libtool, m4, patch

Availability

All components of ELDK are licensed under the GPL, and can be freely downloaded through mirrors. It is also available on CD-ROM, priced at €99.

 
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