Section outline

• Select section Day 1: Introduction to Linux Kernel Programming and Module Development (7 Hours)

  Day 1: Introduction to Linux Kernel Programming and Module Development (7 Hours)

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  Module 1: Introduction to the Linux Kernel (1 hour)

  • Overview of Linux Kernel Architecture.
  • Kernel Space vs. User Space.
  • Key Kernel Components and Role of Kernel Modules.

  Module 2: Setting Up the Development Environment (2 hours)

  • Cross-Compilation Tools for Embedded Linux.
  • Configuring and Compiling the Linux Kernel.
  • Using Yocto/Buildroot for building embedded distributions.
  • Setting up serial communication and debugging tools.

  Lab: Configuring a development environment with Buildroot and GCC Toolchain.

  Module 3: Writing and Compiling Kernel Modules (2 hours)

  • Writing a Hello World Kernel Module.
  • Using insmod and rmmod for loading/unloading modules.
  • Kernel Logs and Debugging with dmesg.

  Lab: Writing and compiling a simple kernel module.

  Module 4: Kernel Programming Essentials (2 hours)

  • Kernel Data Structures and Memory Management.
  • Using kmalloc and kfree.
  • Working with Character Device Drivers.

  Lab: Creating a simple character driver for basic data exchange.
• Select section Day 2: Device Drivers, Interrupts, and Kernel Debugging (7 Hours)

  Day 2: Device Drivers, Interrupts, and Kernel Debugging (7 Hours)

  Module 5: Developing Embedded Device Drivers (2 hours)

  • Introduction to Linux Device Drivers.
  • Working with hardware registers and memory mapping.
  • Writing and Registering Character Device Drivers.

  Lab: Writing a basic GPIO driver for an embedded board.

  Module 6: Interrupt Handling and Synchronization (2 hours)

  • Interrupt Request (IRQ) handling.
  • Working with Bottom Halves, Tasklets, and Workqueues.
  • Synchronization Primitives: Spinlocks, Semaphores, Mutexes.

  Lab: Implementing interrupt handling for GPIO inputs.

  Module 7: Kernel Debugging and Optimization (2 hours)

  • Debugging Tools: GDB, KGDB, ftrace, perf.
  • Diagnosing Kernel Crashes and Kernel Oops.
  • Performance Profiling using perf.

  Lab: Debugging a kernel crash using ftrace and dmesg.

  Module 8: Integrating Kernel Modules with User Space (1 hour)

  • Exposing Kernel Modules via /proc and /sys.
  • Communicating between Kernel Modules and User Space.
  • Practical Examples: GPIO, I2C, and SPI Devices.

  Lab: Creating a sysfs entry for controlling an LED.