What Is
Embedded Linux?

Embedded Linux is built on the same Linux kernel, available from kernel.org, as all Linux systems. But embedded systems have tight constraints that enterprise systems simply don’t have, ranging from higher reliability and security requirements to tighter resource availability and the need for engineering support that often lasts 10 years or more. Furthermore, embedded devices usually need to communicate with each other and with cloud resources.

Linux for embedded systems, then, requires additional packages beyond the original kernel. Which specific packages are required for your distribution depends on what you are going to build, and the best solution will differ for different use cases. Ultimately, each embedded Linux system is unique, purpose built for the intelligent edge.

Embedded Linux is an open source operating system that is purpose built for the intelligent edge.

Linux developers must follow these three foundational principles for all open source software and tools:

Collaborate: Share code, review others’ code, contribute to fixes and patches, write documentation, and participate in discussion boards and mailing lists.

Innovate: Adapt and adopt new technologies.

Comply: Review regulatory standards and licenses, including license compliance and license contamination.

Embedded devices are restricted by environments that generally dictate low power consumption, reduced processing power, memory limitation, and peripheral availability by design. There are a multitude of hardware architectures, including x86, Arm, PPC, and RISC-V, each having their own advantages and limitations (such as low power consumption and limited software support).

A board support package (BSP) is a layer of software containing hardware-specific drivers and other routines that allow Linux to function in a particular hardware environment. It should be customized not just to the correct architecture/OS combination but down to the exact system-on-chip (SoC) and board configuration. To optimize an embedded environment, the BSP should also include a customized version of Linux (or another OS). Your BSP vendor can provide customized test suites, developer assistance from experts, and other professional services.

An aggregation of subsystems cooperates so that the system can deliver overarching functionality and ensure that the subsystems function together as a system. System integration involves coordinating existing, often disparate, embedded systems so that the specialized use case can be addressed.

There are a bewildering variety of flavors of Linux distributions — some built for enterprise use, some specifically for embedded; some from the open source community, some supported commercially; some that are provided as part of a package with hardware, some that are developed in-house — and all these categories can overlap.

The general-purpose server and desktop Linux distributions from Red Hat, Ubuntu, and others are intended for well-resourced, multipurpose, and often multiuser solutions and are typically configured to support a wide range of devices. Supported customizations are usually limited to package installation and configuration files. The results are a solid user experience, reliability suitable for general-purpose use, and an inexpensive support model for three to five years. However, off-the-shelf enterprise Linux is usually a poor choice for embedded systems: It is resource intensive, has a large attack surface, and offers short maintenance windows .

Enterprise Linux vs. Embedded Linux

Community vs. Commercial Linux

Community and commercial Linux distributions are mutually inclusive. Every major commercial distribution has a free open source variant from the community based on and used for upstreaming content. Technology investment (such as that from the Linux Foundation) or commercial investment backs the various communities that produce these variants.

There is no one distro to rule them all, but Linux is extremely versatile and brings power to the use cases it is deployed for. Server and cloud infrastructure platforms, together with workstations, rely on general-purpose distributions, whereas embedded devices and systems are specialized and purpose built. It is difficult to find a distribution for embedded solutions, so you may need to rely on a distribution builder to tailor your solution. Below are challenges and capabilities to consider when choosing a Linux distro and building a solution.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, over the lifecycle of the product, proven commercial embedded Linux with support and maintenance tends to be much less expensive than maintaining a roll-your-own Linux solution in-house. It is difficult to predict the cost of creating and maintaining a large, complicated RYO Linux system, and it is expensive to support, patch, and manage security vulnerabilities in an ongoing fashion. The bottom line is that the cost will be considerable and that it is easy to underestimate it, especially if your organization is new to embedded development, deployment, and servicing.

Wind River Linux runs on hundreds of millions of deployed devices worldwide, and the Wind River Linux suite of products and services offers a high degree of confidence and flexibility for prototyping, developing, and moving to real deployment.