Author and open source contributor Karim Yaghmour will teach a course in Montreal, Canada Dec. 1-5 on building embedded Linux systems using only open source and free software. Yaghmour says attendees will learn how to build systems without having to purchase any prepackaged distribution, pay per-unit royalties, or depend on any single supplier.

Students will build their own GNU toolchain, build a customized kernel, populate a root filesystem, set up a target's solid-state storage devices, and configure a bootloader for booting the customized kernel with its root filesystem from the solid-state storage device. Each topic will be discussed in lecture format, then exercised through instructor-led hands-on sessions.

Outline highlights:

• Open source and free software fundamentals
• Building the GNU toolchain
• Kernel internals
• Populating the root filesystem
• Bootloader setup
• Kernel debugging primer
• Programming for real-time Linux
• Networking services
• Application debugging

Example packages and software covered: uClibc, BusyBox, U-Boot, OpenSSH, rsync, gdb, glibc, gcc, binutils, RTAI, Adeos, TinyLogin, MTD tools, CRAMFS, JFFS2, GRUB, Net-SNMP, LTT, gprof, Electric Fence, DHCP, NFS, TFTP.

Students are expected to bring their own host laptop running Linux, but will be provided with an ARM or PowerPC target board for use during the course.

Yaghmour is author of O'Reilly's Building Embedded Linux Systems book, which students will receive a copy of. He also maintains the Linux Trace Toolkit, and is an active member of the open source and free software community.

Enrollment is limited to 12 students, and costs $2,400. For more information, including registration details, visit Yaghmour's OperSys Website.

 
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