Embedded Android Boot Camp

Course Overview

Course Length:

4 Days

CEUs:

3.0

Format:

Hands-on/Lecture

Barr Group's Embedded Android Boot Camp™ is a 4-day immersion into the Linux kernel and Android operating system and its use on embedded hardware platforms. This intense educational (yet fun) program is designed to lead software engineers through the steps of bringing up embedded hardware with the Android OS, developing custom device drivers, and publishing the APIs of those custom Linux device drivers to Android apps. Android Oreo features, such as the Soong build system and Project Treble will also be included.

Attendees will complete approximately ten hands-on programming exercises, including a large app-to-driver capstone. Exercises are interspersed with the lectures and all take place on an ARM Cortex-A8 processor board that attendees can keep. Students will use dedicated, high-performance cloud servers to modify and build Android and the Linux kernel.

Topics covered during this course include:

Building and Installing Linux and Android
Linux Kernel Architecture
Linux Kernel Modules
Linux Drivers
Android Architecture
Java and JNI
Android System Server
Exposing Unique Hardware to Android Apps
Android Security
New Android Oreo Features (Project Treble and Soong Build System)

Attendees will also learn to:

Build a bootloader, the Linux kernel, and Android
Create and debug Linux and Android device drivers for unique hardware
Add custom system services and frameworks to Android
Call custom C libraries from Java using JNI
Integrate custom Android and C apps into Android
Use Binder for Interprocess Communication
Improve the security of your Android device
Tips for speeding Android ports and AOSP builds

This course is appropriate for:

Embedded software developers moving up to the Android operating system or Android app
Linux software developers who want to learn the internals of the Linux kernel or Android OS

Prerequisites: Attendees should arrive with a working familiarity of the C programming language and experience writing embedded software.

Requirements: Each student will need to bring a computer, such as a laptop, running Windows 7 (or later), Mac OS X, or Linux with at least one available USB port — two are recommended — and administrator privileges. Students will be required to install course materials and several small development tools on their computer.

Explore this course:

Syllabus

The following summary covers the major course topics and may be modified at the instructor's discretion based on the needs and pace of the class.

Building and Installing Linux and Android

Embedded Android Development Process
Architectural Overview
ARM SoC Development Kit Overview
GNU Toolchain
Kernel Build Configuration
How to Build U-Boot
How to Build the Linux Kernel
Android Development Workstation Setup
Downloading AOSP
Version Control (Git and Repo)
How to Build Android
Installing / Booting Android
ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

Linux Kernel Architecture

Introduction to Software Frameworks
Linux Kernel Architecture
ARM Linux Boot Process
ARM Linux Machine-Specific Initializations
Introduction to Platform Bus Devices
Debugging the Linux Kernel

Linux Kernel Modules

Introduction to Kernel Modules
Kernel Module Framework and Lifecycle
GNU Makefiles
Building a Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) Out-Of-Tree
Installing a Loadable Kernel Module (LKM) Using ADB

Linux Drivers

Linux Device Model
Sysfs Attributes
Bus Devices and Frameworks
Bus Device Drivers
Class Devices and Frameworks
File Operations
Kernel Memory Allocation
Passing Data Between Kernel and User-Space
Accessing MMIO

Android Architecture

Multi-User Security
Android Init Process
Android Boot Scripts
AOSP Directory Structure
AOSP Device Configuration
AOSP Build System
AOSP Makefile Templates
Soong Build System (Android Oreo)
Logcat and Android Debugging

Java and JNI

Java for C Programmers
Java Implementation and Evolution on Android
Zygote
Bionic
Shared Libraries
JNI Introduction
Android NDK Overview
Adding Components
Debugging AOSP Using Logger

Android System Server

System Server Architecture
Android HAL
Binder
Project Treble (Android Oreo)
Adding Custom System Services
Modifying Android Application Frameworks

Exposing Unique Hardware to Android Apps

Reaching the Kernel from Android Apps
Pros and Cons of Different Approaches

Android Security

Application Security Issues
Obfuscation
Best Practices
SE Android Overview

Related Courses

Find out More

Contact us now to find out more about this course or to enquire about an on-site training at your company.

Recording Policy

Barr Group's courses may not be audiotaped, videotaped, or photographed without consent from Barr Group's executive team.