Yocto on the Edge - Unusual challenges when building not so embedded systems

Yocto on the Edge - Unusual challenges when building not so embedded systems

Building embedded systems with Yocto on ARM platforms is a common practice, but when the products move further to the edge and become less “embedded,” new challenges arise. In this session, we will explore the requirements and challenges faced when developing Yocto-based systems for edge computing based on Intel.

We will dive into topics such as provisioning x86-based platforms, securely managing Linux user logins on a read-only root file system with enforced password changes, and implementing A/B updates together with secure boot. Real-world project requirements will be used as a guide to discuss practical solutions and best practices for addressing these challenges.

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how to navigate the complexities of Yocto development for “not so embedded” systems and leave with actionable insights to apply to their own projects.

Presented at

  • Yocto Project Developer Day at OSS/ELC-E, Vienna, Austria, 2024

Download slides

Related Posts

Organizing My Desk as an Embedded Engineer

Organizing My Desk as an Embedded Engineer

As an embedded dev, my desk is always a mess (and I think the ones of my colleagues, too). Working with real hardware leads straight to a number of boards, additional debuggers, tools, cables and more. And of course, as the most developers, I have a number of work projects and another of private ones. Even worse, I’m working from home for a good share of my time, so both kinds contribute to the mess there. Managing this is a constant effort and fight, but rarely successful.

Read Post
Advanced System Profiling, Tracing and Trace Analysis with Perfetto in Android and Yocto

Advanced System Profiling, Tracing and Trace Analysis with Perfetto in Android and Yocto

Together with my colleague Stefan Lengfeld.

Tracing is a capable mechanism for deep system analysis and profiling with a minimal overhead. By recording defined system events, in Linux but also Android, tracing can be used to analyze concurrency or latency issues, for example. Android’s systrace tool made it easy to analyze and correlate traces and events due to a graphical UI, in order to help developers identify performance bottlenecks. The successor to this advanced and convenient tool is called Perfetto. It’s available for pure Linux too, and part of Yocto (meta-oe) since Langdale now. In the talk, we’ll have a look into

Read Post
The ZEReader Project - Adopting Agile and Software-First Methods in Open Hardware

The ZEReader Project - Adopting Agile and Software-First Methods in Open Hardware

The ZEReader project is an open-source E-Reader that originated as an electrical engineering thesis. As a hobbyist project, it faces the typical rigidity of hardware iteration. To manage this, I applied an agile, software-first methodology, leveraging my background as an embedded systems developer. Instead of writing drivers for fixed hardware, I utilized the Zephyr driver ecosystem to let software requirements define component choices. This inverted approach enabled rapid proof-of-concept testing before committing to physical designs.

Read Post