Training Yocto Project Expert: Advanced Yocto Project usage and adaptation

Prerequisite

Good C programming skills (see our oL2 - C Language for Embedded MCUs course)
Knowledge of Linux Embedded systems (see our oD1 - Embedded Linux course)
Knowledge of Yocto Project Development (see our oY1 - Yocto Project Development course)
Preferably knowledge of Linux user programming (see our oD0 - Linux User Mode Programming course)

Course Environment

Theoretical course

PDF course material (in English).
Course dispensed using the Teams video-conferencing system.
The trainer answers trainees' questions during the training and provide technical and pedagogical assistance through the Teams video-conferencing system.

Practical activities

Practical activities represent from 40% to 50% of course duration.
Code examples, exercises and solutions
One Online Linux PC per trainee for the practical activities.
The trainer has access to trainees' Online PCs for technical and pedagogical assistance.
Eclipse environment and GCC compiler.
QEMU Emulated board or physical board connected to the online PC (depending on the course).
Some Labs may be completed between sessions and are checked by the trainer on the next session.

Downloadable preconfigured virtual machine for post-course practical activities
At the start of each session the trainer will interact with the trainees to ensure the course fits their expectations and correct if needed

Duration

Total: 12 hours
2 sessions, 6 hours +/- 30 min each (excluding break time)
From 50% to 60% of training time is devoted to practical activities
Some Labs may be completed between sessions and are checked by the trainer on the next session

Target Audience

Any embedded systems engineer or technician with the above prerequisites.

Evaluation modalities

The prerequisites indicated above are assessed before the training by the technical supervision of the traineein his company, or by the trainee himself in the exceptional case of an individual trainee.
Trainee progress is assessed in two different ways, depending on the course:

For courses lending themselves to practical exercises, the results of the exercises are checked by the trainer while, if necessary, helping trainees to carry them out by providing additional details.
Quizzes are offered at the end of sections that do not include practical exercises to verifythat the trainees have assimilated the points presented

At the end of the training, each trainee receives a certificate attesting that they have successfully completed the course.

In the event of a problem, discovered during the course, due to a lack of prerequisites by the trainee a different or additional training is offered to them, generally to reinforce their prerequisites,in agreement with their company manager if applicable.

First Session

Development process using the extensible SDK and devtool

Using devtool to create a package and its recipe
Using devtool to modify an existing package and recipe
Using devtool to update a recipe to build a new version of a package

Exercise:

Create, test and modify a recipe for an existing package using devtool

Develop and debug applications using SDK and eclipse

Adding eclipse remote debug packages
Configuring eclipse

Exercise:

Create remote debugging session using eclipse

Writing tasks in python

Introduction to python
Using python in Yocto

The main bitbake classes
Defining variable values in Python
Writing tasks in Python

Exercise:

Writing a task and customizing a recipe in Python

Porting Yocto

Porting Yocto to a new board
BSP architecture

Selecting and configuring u-boot recipe
Selecting and configuring kernel recipe

Adding a new BSP layer (yocto-bsp create)

Exercise:

Creating a new BSP layer

Second Session

BSP Development

Adding a custom u-boot to Yocto
Customizing the Yocto kernel recipe

Setting the default configuration
Adding patches
Specifying the kernel sources

Configuring Linux Kernel

Using menuconfig
Using patches
Creating Configuration Fragments
Validating Configuration

Kernel device tree

Exercise:	Create u-boot and kernel recipes to use custom versions, test the result
Exercise:	Patch kernel and activate new options using a fragment
Exercise:	Create and use a new device tree

Out-of-Tree Modules

Adding modules to image
Creating an out-of-tree module
Kernel modules with eSDK

Exercise:

Build and test modules

Tailoring the build system

Setting up a Yocto source cache

Local, per system, cache setup
Setting up a global, network wide, cache

Customizing the build system

Using a prebuilt toolchain
Using a pre-compiled kernel

Optimizing Yocto build times

Using prebuilt, binary, packages
Using shared compilation caches

Exercise:	Setting up a global source cache
Exercise:	Setting up an optimized build environment and rebuilding an image

	Labs are conducted QEMU ARM-based board
	We use a recent version of Yocto

Training Yocto Project Expert: Advanced Yocto Project usage and adaptation

Course Outline