This whitepaper, written by Greg Ungerer of SnapGear, provides a discussion of theory and methods for building uClinux systems that boot, run, and operate using Flash memory. The paper begins with a brief introduction to Flash memory technology, followed by a discussion of the different ways uClinux system components can be laid out in Flash. After that, there is a description of the process of kernel driver configuration and setup, as well as information regarding root filesystem choices. The paper wraps up with a real life example that should crystallize some of the finer details.

Hopefully by the end you'll have an understanding of how to build uClinux systems that take advantage of Flash Memory, and will be aware of some of the choices you can make, and the implications and trade-offs involved. Although aimed at using Flash memory, most of the layout ideas apply equally to Flash and ROM (you just won't have the ability to update it in circuit, or to run a read/write filesystem with standard ROM devices).

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