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vishnunair7 Joined: Jan 17, 2009 Posts: 12 Other Topics	Posted Jan 19, 2009 at 8:37:44 AM Subject: uCLinux I would like some more help on how to embed ucLinux mainly because I’m a Windows User and all the emulators available run on Linux. I’m doing a project in which I'm planning to embed Linux with only internet capabilities and I thought that uCLinux would be perfect. But I would like more details on how it should be done. I have used Ubuntu before. So I do have a basic idea about Linux. I would also like information about what board to use for this purpose(cheapest preferably, because its just a project). Thank You in advance.
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kasiviswanathan Joined Jan 19, 2009 Posts: 2 Location:India Other Topics	Posted: Jan 19, 2009 9:13:31 AM Subject: uCLinux using a distro like ubuntu and planning to do something with uclinux is completely difft. so i wud like u to be more specific and give some more details of what u really want to do Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.
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Rubberman Joined Jul 30, 2007 Posts: 944 Location:40 miles west of Chicago Other Topics	Posted: Jan 20, 2009 3:44:44 AM Subject: uCLinux My opinion: get an industrial strength computer and Linux, such as CentOS. You should be able to run your emulators there just fine, as CentOS is the free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) which is the standard for this sort of development work. You can easily set it up so that you can cross-compile your source code on CentOS with the target architecture of the embedded machine. Then you can test the code in uCLinux running in the emulator or actual target hardware. You can also compile it for the CentOS system so you can do some debugging before you add the additional complexities of the emulation environment. Once you have the basic functionality working, cross-compile for the target architecture and test in the emulator. The final step is to run the code on the actual target hardware. In reality, this is the "rocket science" of cross-platform development. I have to ask, what kind of experience in this area do you have? Embedded system development, even for high-level applications like it appears you are targeting, is not trivial. Sometimes real fast is almost as good as real time. Remember, Google is your friend!
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vishnunair7 Joined Jan 17, 2009 Posts: 12 Other Topics	Posted: Jan 28, 2009 6:40:08 AM Subject: uCLinux Thanks a lot "Rubberman". I think I'l stick to your suggestions.I have keyed down the present situation. Iw ould like more details on how to proceed. I have downloaded CentOS and am going to install it in a bit. I know the board i'm going to use and i have the embedded version of the linux distro i'm going to use as well (Its called ucLinux...I would like suggestions from anyone who has used it before). [b]So now i just have to install the required emulator and test ucLinux right?? I would like to know whether you need any special subject based knowledge to use the emulator...[/b]. I'm hoping they are pretty user friendly :).
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Rubberman Joined Jul 30, 2007 Posts: 944 Location:40 miles west of Chicago Other Topics	Posted: Jan 28, 2009 3:09:13 PM Subject: uCLinux Since I don't have access to the emulator docs I can't say what arcane knowledge you will need to get the carpet off the ground, so to speak. :-) The scientific method works well (if slowly) in these situations. Sometimes real fast is almost as good as real time. Remember, Google is your friend!
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vishnunair7 Joined Jan 17, 2009 Posts: 12 Other Topics	Posted: Jan 28, 2009 6:57:29 PM Subject: uCLinux Well I'm aware that the scientific method works better...lol..but "Rubberman" i just have a month left to complete this thing. Anyway I wanted to ask you....is there any way in which i can convert a desktop Linux distro into an embedded version??..and Would that cause a considerable reduction in size??...In that case...I could create a Customized version of Ubuntu using Reconstructor and then make an embedded version of the same and finish the work....:)...is that possible?
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thobbs Joined Oct 12, 2008 Posts: 238 Location:Texas! Other Topics	Posted: Jan 29, 2009 3:24:57 AM Subject: uCLinux I'm assuming you have already read everything online about the Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded project, like this: [url]http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6616313390.html[/url], for example. There are tons of different ways to approach this project, and we've talked about a few of them in this and other threads. As far as I know, none of us here are embedded Linux experts; Google will probably be your best friend here.
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Rubberman Joined Jul 30, 2007 Posts: 944 Location:40 miles west of Chicago Other Topics	Posted: Jan 29, 2009 5:54:10 PM Subject: uCLinux The thing about Linux desktop distros is that they are desktop distros by virtue of the fact that they have installed X11, some X desktop managers (KDE, Gnome, XFCE, et al), and all the applications that go with it, such as OpenOffice, etc, etc, ad nauseum. If you remove all that cruft and only link in the drivers you really need, then you end up with an embeddable version, other than dealing with the bootstrap issue, which can be resolved if your embedded hardware has a solid-state (flash) disc capability. Sometimes real fast is almost as good as real time. Remember, Google is your friend!
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Rubberman Joined Jul 30, 2007 Posts: 944 Location:40 miles west of Chicago Other Topics	Posted: Jan 29, 2009 5:57:07 PM Subject: uCLinux BTW, you might want to check out the OpenMoko Linux open phone project - that is an embedded Linux and they have the tools to go along with it. You could probably learn a great deal from there what goes into a real embedded Linux distribution. Sometimes real fast is almost as good as real time. Remember, Google is your friend!
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vishnunair7 Joined Jan 17, 2009 Posts: 12 Other Topics	Posted: Jan 29, 2009 8:33:02 PM Subject: uCLinux okie....can i run a normal linux distro from hardware(a chip!) that has USB support??
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Rubberman Joined Jul 30, 2007 Posts: 944 Location:40 miles west of Chicago Other Topics	Posted: Jan 29, 2009 9:28:35 PM Subject: uCLinux Presuming that the distro supports the CPU, probably. Sometimes real fast is almost as good as real time. Remember, Google is your friend!
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vishnunair7 Joined Jan 17, 2009 Posts: 12 Other Topics	Posted: Jan 30, 2009 7:40:09 AM Subject: uCLinux I checked this board named Pico-Itx after "Bllinky" referred it to me.....looks fit for my use but costs around 300$'s....anybody with any experience with using this board....please let me know..... Seems like i can install a proper linux distro and run it probably using a pen drive . but "Rubberman" I would still like to it embedded man...anyway check this out.... http://www.linux.com/forums/topic/4085 i have pointed my project in simple words....want u to tell me if anything can be done..... and Anyway am gonna give embedded a shot....i have installed CentOS....gonna get the emulator and let me see if i can play around with it....Thanks man!!
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Rubberman Joined Jul 30, 2007 Posts: 944 Location:40 miles west of Chicago Other Topics	Posted: Jan 30, 2009 6:19:06 PM Subject: uCLinux Let us know how it works out for you. My early career was in embedded and real time systems. Sometimes real fast is almost as good as real time. Remember, Google is your friend!
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