Embedded Linux with QEMU Bootlin

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Project Structure
3. Getting Started
4. Requirements
5. Usage
6. Resources
7. License

Introduction

This project is a comprehensive guide and set of resources for learning embedded Linux development using QEMU, provided by Bootlin. The materials include lab exercises, a tarball with additional files, and presentation slides.

Project Structure

embedded-linux-bootlin/
├── embedded-linux-qemu-labs.pdf         # Lab exercises PDF
├── embedded-linux-qemu-labs.tar.xz      # Tarball with additional lab files
├── embedded-linux-qemu-slides.pdf       # Presentation slides PDF

Getting Started

To get started with this project, follow these steps:

1. Download and extract the lab files:

   tar -xf embedded-linux-qemu-labs.tar.xz -C /path/to/extract/

2. Read the lab exercises: Open embedded-linux-qemu-labs.pdf to understand the exercises and follow the instructions provided.

3. Review the presentation slides: Open embedded-linux-qemu-slides.pdf to get an overview and in-depth knowledge of embedded Linux using QEMU.

Requirements

To work through the exercises in this project, you need the following tools installed on your development machine:

• QEMU
• GCC (GNU Compiler Collection)
• Make
• Linux kernel source code (as specified in the labs)
• A Linux-based operating system (recommended)

You can install these tools using the following commands:

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install qemu gcc make

Fedora

sudo dnf install qemu gcc make

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S qemu gcc make

Usage

Running QEMU

To start QEMU with a specific configuration, follow the steps in the lab exercises PDF. Generally, you will use a command like this:

qemu-system-x86_64 -kernel /path/to/kernel -initrd /path/to/initrd -append "root=/dev/ram rdinit=/sbin/init"

Building the Kernel

To compile and build the Linux kernel for QEMU, you need to configure it properly:

1. Navigate to the kernel source directory:

   cd /path/to/linux-source

2. Configure the kernel:

   make menuconfig

3. Build the kernel:

   make -j$(nproc)

Debugging

QEMU provides various options for debugging:

qemu-system-x86_64 -s -S -kernel /path/to/kernel

This command starts QEMU in a halted state and waits for a GDB connection on port 1234.

Resources

Here are some valuable resources for further reading and understanding:

1. Bootlin's Training Materials: Official training materials for embedded Linux.
2. QEMU Documentation: Official QEMU documentation.
3. Kernel Newbies: A community for aspiring Linux kernel developers.

License

This project is licensed under the GPL License.