This section contains the high-level procedure you can follow
to create a BSP using the Yocto Project's
BSP Tools.
Although not required for BSP creation, the
meta-intel
repository, which contains
many BSPs supported by the Yocto Project, is part of the
example.
For an example that shows how to create a new layer using the tools, see the "Creating a New BSP Layer Using the yocto-bsp Script" section.
The following illustration and list summarize the BSP creation general workflow.
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Set up Your Host Development System to Support Development Using the Yocto Project: See the "Setting Up to Use the Yocto Project" section in the Yocto Project Quick Start for options on how to get a build host ready to use the Yocto Project.
Establish the meta-intel
Repository on Your System:
Having local copies of these supported BSP layers on
your system gives you access to layers you might be able
to build on or modify to create your BSP.
For information on how to get these files, see the
"Preparing Your Build Host to Work with BSP Layers"
section.
Create Your Own BSP Layer Using the
yocto-bsp
script:
Layers are ideal for isolating and storing work for a
given piece of hardware.
A layer is really just a location or area in which you
place the recipes and configurations for your BSP.
In fact, a BSP is, in itself, a special type of layer.
The simplest way to create a new BSP layer that is
compliant with the Yocto Project is to use the
yocto-bsp
script.
For information about that script, see the
"Creating a New BSP Layer Using the yocto-bsp Script"
section.
Another example that illustrates a layer is an application. Suppose you are creating an application that has library or other dependencies in order for it to compile and run. The layer, in this case, would be where all the recipes that define those dependencies are kept. The key point for a layer is that it is an isolated area that contains all the relevant information for the project that the OpenEmbedded build system knows about. For more information on layers, see the "Understanding and Creating Layers" section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual. For more information on BSP layers, see the "BSP Layers" section.
Five BSPs exist that are part of the Yocto
Project release:
beaglebone
(ARM),
mpc8315e
(PowerPC),
and edgerouter
(MIPS).
The recipes and configurations for these five BSPs
are located and dispersed within the
Source Directory.
Three core Intel BSPs exist as part of the Yocto
Project release in the
meta-intel
layer:
intel-core2-32
,
which is a BSP optimized for the Core2 family of CPUs
as well as all CPUs prior to the Silvermont core.
intel-corei7-64
,
which is a BSP optimized for Nehalem and later
Core and Xeon CPUs as well as Silvermont and later
Atom CPUs, such as the Baytrail SoCs.
intel-quark
,
which is a BSP optimized for the Intel Galileo
gen1 & gen2 development boards.
When you set up a layer for a new BSP, you should
follow a standard layout.
This layout is described in the
"Example Filesystem Layout"
section.
In the standard layout, you will notice a suggested
structure for recipes and configuration information.
You can see the standard layout for a BSP by examining
any supported BSP found in the
meta-intel
layer inside the Source
Directory.
Make Configuration Changes to Your New BSP
Layer:
The standard BSP layer structure organizes the files
you need to edit in conf
and
several recipes-*
directories within the BSP layer.
Configuration changes identify where your new layer
is on the local system and identify which kernel you
are going to use.
When you run the yocto-bsp
script,
you are able to interactively configure many things for
the BSP (e.g. keyboard, touchscreen, and so forth).
Make Recipe Changes to Your New BSP
Layer:
Recipe changes include altering recipes
(.bb
files), removing recipes you
do not use, and adding new recipes or append files
(.bbappend
) that you need to
support your hardware.
Prepare for the Build:
Once you have made all the changes to your BSP layer,
there remains a few things you need to do for the
OpenEmbedded build system in order for it to create
your image.
You need to get the build environment ready by
sourcing an environment setup script
(i.e. oe-init-build-env
)
and you need to be sure two key configuration
files are configured appropriately: the
conf/local.conf
and the
conf/bblayers.conf
file.
You must make the OpenEmbedded build system aware
of your new layer.
See the
"Enabling Your Layer"
section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual
for information on how to let the build system
know about your new layer.
The entire process for building an image is overviewed in the section "Building Images" section of the Yocto Project Quick Start. You might want to reference this information.
Build the Image: The OpenEmbedded build system uses the BitBake tool to build images based on the type of image you want to create. You can find more information about BitBake in the BitBake User Manual.
The build process supports several types of images to satisfy different needs. See the "Images" chapter in the Yocto Project Reference Manual for information on supported images.