Embedded Linux Primer: A Practical Real-World Approach

7.6. Chapter Summary

  • The bootloader's role in an embedded system cannot be overstated. It is the first piece of software that takes control upon applying power.

  • This chapter examined the role of the bootloader and discovered the limited execution context in which a bootloader must exist.

  • Das U-Boot has become a popular universal bootloader for many processor architectures. It supports a large number of processors, reference hardware platforms, and custom boards.

  • U-Boot is configured using a series of configuration variables in a board-specific header file. Appendix B, contains a list of all the standard U-Boot command sets supported in a recent U-Boot release.

  • Porting U-Boot to a new board based on a supported processor is relatively straightforward. In this chapter, we walked through the steps of a typical port to a board with similar support in U-Boot.

  • There is no substitute for detailed knowledge of your processor and hardware platform when bootloader modification or porting must be accomplished.

  • We briefly introduced additional bootloaders in use today so you can make an informed choice for your particular requirements.

7.6.1. Suggestions for Additional Reading

Application Note: Introduction to Synchronous DRAM

Maxwell Technologies

www.maxwell.com/pdf/me/app_notes/Intro_to_SDRAM.pdf

Using LD, the GNU linker Free Software Foundation

www.gnu.org/software/binutils/manual/ld-2.9.1/ld.html

The DENX U-Boot and Linux Guide (DLUG) for TQM8xxL

Wolfgang Denx et al., Denx Software Engineering

www.denx.de/twiki/bin/view/DULG/Manual

RFC 793, "Trivial File Transfer Protocol"

The Internet Engineering Task Force

www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc793.txt

RFC 951, "Bootstrap Protocol"

The Internet Engineering Task Force

www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc951.txt

RFC 1531, "Dynamic Host Control Protocol"

The Internet Engineering Task Force www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1531.txt

PowerPC 405GP Embedded Processor user's manual International Business Machines, Inc.

Programming Environments Manual for 32-bit Implementations of the PowerPC Architecture

Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

Lilo Bootloader

www.tldp.org/HOWTO/LILO.html

GRUB Bootloader www.gnu.org/software/grub/

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