Embedded Linux Session 5

Points covered:

1. Linux root filesystem: Principles and solutions:
   1. Filesystems.
   2. mount/umount.
   3. Root filesystem.
   4. Location of the root filesystem.
   5. Mounting rootfs from storage devices.
   6. rootfs in memory: initramfs.
2. Linux root filesystem contents:
   1. Root filesystem organization.
   2. Important directories.
   3. Separation of programs and libraries.
   4. Devices:
      1. Types of devices.
      2. Devices: every thing is a file.
      3. Device file examples.
      4. Creating device files.
   5. proc virtual filesystem.
   6. proc contents
   7. sysfs filesystem.
   8. Basic applications.
   9. Overall booting process.
3. Busybox:

   1. Why BusyBox?

   2. General purpose toolbox: BusyBox.

   3. BusyBox commands.

   4. Applet highligh: BusyBox init.

   5. Applet highlight - BusyBox vi.

   6. Configuring BusyBox.

   7. BusyBox make xconfig.

   8. Compiling BusyBox.

4. Block filesystems:
   1. Block vs. flash.
   2. Block device list.
   3. Traditional block filesystems.
   4. Journaled filesystems.
   5. Filesystem recovery after crashes.
   6. Journaled block filesystems.
   7. Creating ext2/ext3 volumes.
   8. Mounting filesystem images.
   9. Squashfs.
      1. Squashfs - How to use.
   10. tmpfs.
   11. Mixing read-only and read-write filesystems.
5. Flash filesystems:
   1. The MTD subsystem
   2. MTD devices
   3. MTD partitioning
   4. Definition of MTD partitions
   5. Modifying MTD partitions
   6. mtd-utils
   7. jffs2
      1. jffs2 - How to use
      2. How to create a jffs2 image
      3. Mounting a jffs2 image on your host
      4. Initializing jffs2 partitions from U-boot
   8. yaffs2
      1. yaffs2 - How to use
   9. UBI
      1. UBIFS
      2. UBI layout
      3. UBI - Preparation
      4. UBI - Attaching
      5. UBI - Volume management
      6. UBIFS - How to use
      7. Ubinize
      8. UBIFS - How to prepare a root fs
   10. Our benchmarks
   11. Issues with flash-based block storage
   12. Reducing the number of writes
6. Filesystem choice summary

Present:

• Mohamed Nour El-Din.
• Islam Hassan.
• Ahmed Mamdouh

Assignments:

• If you have a memory card, try to work on the "Block filesystems" lab.

• Download busybox & explore it using "make menuconfig".

• Search for qemu & what it's capable of.

See also:

Session 1: 2011-07-08-EmbeddedLinuxSessions
Session 2: 2011-07-23-EmbeddedLinuxSessions
Session 3: 2011-07-30-EmbeddedLinuxSessions
Session 4: 2011-08-06-EmbeddedLinuxSessions