Embedded Linux Toolkit

The Embedded Linux Toolkit provides a set of resources for building and managing ROM/Flash based Linux Filesystems, and provides examples and documentation on how to build ROM/Flash based Linux kernels.

Key functionality of the toolkit:

• Capability to specify binary executables to include in filesystem from a source binary tree. These executables are typically the ones found in /bin, /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin.
• Provides automatic library dependency resolution, and population of the /lib directory for the target filesystem.
• Populates the /dev directory based on user specifications.
• Includes a user defined /etc in the filesystem.
• Generates a compressed Linux filesystem suitable for linkage with the kernel.
• Generates a tar file of the Linux filesystem suitable for mounting via NFS for testing and application generation.

Examples are provided for building Linux kernel images which contain the generated filesystem for x86 and PowerPC.

VSH - A VxWorks Like Shell for Linux

VSH is a tool which allows the developer to display and modify memory in the Linux kernel space from the application level. Additionally, it allows developers to invoke subroutines contained within the kernel from the application level. It is comprised of a Linux character device driver, and an application program that can be invoked from the bash prompt. Key functions of VSH:

• Display or set Linux kernel memory using raw, physical addresses.
• Perform ioremap()'s of Linux kernel memory, and then display and set the remaped memory.
• Invoke procedures that reside in kernel space (typically, device driver diagnostics) with up to 10 arguments.

Typically, VSH is used to interactively debug device drivers, and view their status. It is highly useful for debugging custom hardware from the application level.

Feel free to download the Users Guide for evaluation, and contact tbesemer@thomas-iv.com to get an evaluation copy.

VxWorks™ Wind River Systems.

Embedded Developers Toolkit

The Embedded Developers Toolkit (EDT) is a set of common utilities that facilitate rapid deployment of an Embedded Applications Infrastructure. This full-featured toolkit works with VxWorks or Linux, provides the following:

• Complete set of Makefiles for building user applications, including automatic dependency generation.
• An Intertask Communications Manager (ICM) which provides for consistent messaging between tasks.
• A Memory Manager (MM) which frees the user from traditional malloc() type operations. Through this MM, the user can easily query what memory is in use, and by which task.
• A Timer Manager (TM) which provides complete time management functions in the system, using either standard Time of Day operations, or incremental Operating System timer ticks.
• A Diagnostic Interface which allows the user to log message interactions between tasks, and generate test messages for unit testing of tasks/modules (in the VxWorks version, this is a set of shell callable functions, while in the Linux version, this is a complete Command Line Interface).

The EDT gives the developer the means to specify their task model, specify the messages which need to be transferred between the tasks, and rapidly prototype up the projects infrastructure using standardized tasks templates. In most cases, employment of the EDT at the start of a project can save the developer 4-6 weeks of effort at getting infrastructure together. Additionally, through it's promotion of consistent messaging and task models, the developer will find that integration problems are minimized - consistency of design, using ICM, promotes clean, isolated task modules which are easily unit tested, and easily integrated.

The EDT Datasheet may be downloaded (PDF), or viewed online as HTML.