2026-02-02 –, Atlantis
Supporting multiple hardware platforms in a single unified environment is already complex, but introducing fundamentally different architectures such as x86, Arm, and RISC pushes that complexity even further. Differences in boot flows, BSP assumptions, and kernel configuration requirements can quickly fragment a project into parallel realities that are difficult to maintain.
Life is difficult enough, so let's see what we can do to keep it simple.
In the process of creating the Embedded Computing Workbench, I needed to create a single project that would give me images for a diverse set of systems and SBCs from the single core BeagleBone Black through generic x86 to the 128 core Ampere via the RISC BeagleV-Fire.
This talk presents a practical solution I have built to support the full set of boards within a single Yocto-based distribution. It shows the choices, trade-offs, and patterns that make the system work so far and, hopefully, give it the best chance of remaining maintainable as new boards and architectures are added in the future.
I have been a Unix and Linux consultant for over 30 years, starting out life with the large servers for the finance and aviation industries. The systems I worked on became smaller and smaller until about 15 years ago I ended up in the world of Embedded Linux, creating smart traffic systems.
Since then, I have stayed with Embedded Linux creating solutions for a variety of industries including medical and automotive.
I also share my experiences by teaching some of the Embedded Linux courses and regularly partake in the DevHeads discord channel.