Yocto Vendor BSPs - The good, the bad, the ugly

How a modern Yocto setup could look like

• Anna-Lena Marx
• November 20, 2022
• Embedded , Conferences

In 2015, we built a sophisticated meeting room information system based on Android Things as a student project. As Android Things was deprecated in 2021, we started to use our Yocto Project experience to develop a maintainable, future proof embedded system.

When setting up a new project from scratch, we focused on proper solutions for

• a maintainable, well supported and patchable build environment for the embedded systems
• version control, reproducible builds and continuous integration
• license management
• a secure and stable update mechanism on image base and
• managing releases The talk aims to show how we build a system that matches our requirements using the Yocto Project, KAS, Gitlab CI, and Mender.io. Besides, we will have a short outlook to the application built in Flutter.

Presented at

• Yocto Project Summit 2022.11, virtual, 2022
• buildingIoT, Munich, 2023

Download original slides (Yocto Project Summit) Download updated slides (buildingIoT)

USB Updates - Challenges, Approaches and Practical Tips

• Anna-Lena Marx
• February 24, 2024
• Embedded , Conferences

Over-the-air updates have established themselves as the standard for networked devices, but the effort involved in operating the server side is not always commensurate with the benefits. In such cases, the supposedly simple and quick solution of implementing updates via USB is often chosen. But is it really always that uncomplicated? What considerations are necessary to implement USB updates effectively?

This presentation provides an insight into the challenges of USB updates and presents solutions and practical tips for successful implementation. Find out which aspects need to be considered in order to optimize USB updates and ensure a smooth process

Patching Unpatchable Files

• Anna-Lena Marx
• December 5, 2024
• Embedded , Conferences

In the Yocto world, the .bbappend file is a well-known and documented mechanism for altering recipe files, and an essential part of daily operations. While not common, there are instances where it becomes necessary to modify other file types, such as .inc or .bbclass, which do not offer an equivalent append mechanism. This session will summarize various strategies for effectively handling these file types when patching cannot be avoided.

In my recent presentation at the Yocto Developer Day in Vienna, I mentioned using the KAS patch mechanism for minor modifications to files like .inc or .bbclass, where the Yocto internal overwriting mechanism via .bbappend files does not apply. Initially intended as a helpful side note on how I navigated a few unique situations, this part quickly escalated into the most discussed segment of the talk. Half of the attendees I spoke with found it valuable, while the other half expressed strong objections.