Yocto Project: Build Your Own Custom Embedded Kernel Image

The Yocto Project is an open source collaboration project that provides templates, tools and methods to help you create custom Linux-based systems for embedded products regardless of the hardware architecture. The first official release (Yocto Project 1.0) has been made available on the 6th of April 2011.

Yocto Project Overview

See this short video presentation of the Yocto Project which explains its goals.

It’s a complete embedded Linux development environment with tools, metadata, and documentation – everything you need such as emulation environments, debuggers, an Application Toolkit Generator, etc…

It is not a new build system however such as buildroot, instead it relies on the Poky build tools that provide an open source development environment targeting the ARM, MIPS, PowerPC and x86 architectures.

The Yocto Project Development Environment
The Yocto Project Development Environment

Here’s what the Yocto Project provides:

  • A recent Linux kernel along with a set of system commands and libraries suitable for the embedded environment.
  • System components such as X11, Matchbox, GTK+, Pimlico, Clutter, GuPNP and Qt (among others) so you can create a richer user interface experience on devices that use displays or have a GUI. For devices that don’t have a GUI or display you simply would not employ these components.
  • A focused and stable core compatible with the OpenEmbedded project with which you can easily and reliably build and develop.
  • Support for a wide range of hardware and device emulation through the QEMU Emulator.
Here’s what you need to get started:

Getting Started

The best is to read the Yocto Project Quick Start Guide and join the Yocto Project Community.

The Yocto Project was also widely discussed at the Embedded Linux Conference in April 2011 (Click on links to download presentation slides):

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8 Replies to “Yocto Project: Build Your Own Custom Embedded Kernel Image”

    1. Thanks for the report. I wrote that post over 7 years ago, and Yocto change their website. I’ve now updated the link to something more recent (and that works).

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