Linux Appliance Design

11/03/2012 · No Responses

Modern appliances are complex machines with processors, operating systems, and application software. While there are books that will tell you how to run Linux on embedded hardware, and books on how to build a Linux application, Linux Appliance Design is the first book to demonstrate how to merge the two and create a Linux appliance. You’ll see for yourself why Linux is the embedded operating system of choice for low-cost development and a fast time to market.
Linux Appliance Design shows how to build better appliances—appliances with more types of interfaces, more dynamic interfaces, and better debugged interfaces.

You’ll learn how to build backend daemons, handle asynchronous events, and connect various user interfaces (including web, framebuffers, infrared control, SNMP, and front panels) to these processes for remote configuration and control. Linux Appliance Design also introduces the Run-Time Access library, which provides a uniform mechanism for user interfaces to communicate with daemons.

Learn to:

Separate your user interfaces from your daemons
Give user interfaces run time access to configuration, status, and statistics
Add professional network management capabilities to your application
Use SNMP and build a MIB
Build a web-based appliance interface
Build a command line interface (CLI)
Build a framebuffer interface with an infrared control as input
Manage logs and alarms on an appliance

Table of Contents
Chapter 1. Appliance Architecture
Chapter 2. Managing Daemons
Chapter 3. Using Run-Time Access
Chapter 4. Building and Securing Daemons
Chapter 5. The Laddie Alarm System. A Sample Appliance
Chapter 6. Logging
Chapter 7. Laddie Event Handling
Chapter 8. Designing a Web Interface
Chapter 9. Designing a Command Line Interface
Chapter 10. Designing a Front Panel Interface
Chapter 11. Designing a Framebuffer Interface
Chapter 12. Infared Remote Control
Chapter 13. Hands-On Introduction to SNMP
Chapter 14. Designing Your SNMP MIB
Chapter 15. Implementing Your SNMP MIB

Appendix A. RTA Reference
Appendix B. A Review of SNMP
Appendix C. Installing a Framebuffer Device Driver
Appendix D. A DB-to-File Utility
Appendix E. The Laddie Appliance Bootable CD