Skip to main content
  • Textbook
  • © 2014

Embedded Operating Systems

A Practical Approach

  • Provides an introduction to each of the component parts of an operating system
  • Presents a focus on embedded systems and virtual machines
  • Demonstrates how to build a fully-functional GNU/Linux embedded operating system
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science (UTICS)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiii
  2. Introduction

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 1-12
  3. Overview of GNU/Linux

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 13-37
  4. The Filesystem in Detail

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 39-69
  5. Building an Embedded System (First Pass)

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 71-85
  6. Building an Embedded System (Second Pass)

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 87-114
  7. Compiler Toolchains

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 115-136
  8. Embedded ARM Devices

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 137-160
  9. OpenWRT

    • Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang
    Pages 161-181
  10. Back Matter

    Pages 183-196

About this book

This practically-oriented textbook provides a clear introduction to the different component parts of an operating system and how these work together. The easy-to-follow text covers the bootloader, kernel, filesystem, shared libraries, start-up scripts, configuration files and system utilities. The procedure for building each component is described in detail, guiding the reader through the process of creating a fully functional GNU/Linux embedded OS. Features: presents a concise overview of the GNU/Linux system, and a detailed review of GNU/Linux filesystems; describes how to build an embedded system to run on a virtual machine, and to run natively on an actual processor; introduces the concept of the compiler toolchain, demonstrating how to develop a cross toolchain so that programs can be built on a range of different architectures; discusses the ARM-based platforms BeagleBone and Raspberry Pi; explains how to build OpenWRT firmware images for OMxP Open-mesh devices and the Dragino MS14 series.

Authors and Affiliations

  • IP Performance, Bristol, United Kingdom

    Alan Holt

  • Tata Technologies Ltd., Bristol, United Kingdom

    Chi-Yu Huang

About the authors

Dr. Alan Holt is Chief Technical Officer at the network consultancy company IP Performance Ltd., based in Bristol, UK. His publications include the Springer title Network Performance Analysis: Using the J Programming Language.

Dr. Chi-Yu Huang works for Tata Technologies Ltd., and is currently a software consultant on the Airbus project in Bristol. She was formerly Operations Manager for DL Consulting, New Zealand. Together with Dr. Holt, she is also co-author of the Springer book 802.11 Wireless Networks: Security and Analysis.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Embedded Operating Systems

  • Book Subtitle: A Practical Approach

  • Authors: Alan Holt, Chi-Yu Huang

  • Series Title: Undergraduate Topics in Computer Science

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6603-0

  • Publisher: Springer London

  • eBook Packages: Computer Science, Computer Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2014

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4471-6603-0Published: 08 October 2014

  • Series ISSN: 1863-7310

  • Series E-ISSN: 2197-1781

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIII, 196

  • Number of Illustrations: 50 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Operating Systems