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Lecture 9 — Module 7: Kernel, bootloader, device tree (integrator level)

Course: Yocto guide | Phase 2 — Embedded Linux, Yocto

Previous: Lecture 08 | Next: Lecture 10 — Module 8

1. What Yocto expects you to know

At this stage you are not required to be a kernel maintainer. You are responsible for:

  • Selecting the right kernel provider / recipe for your BSP.
  • Carrying board device trees and any kernel config fragments your hardware needs.
  • Understanding where boot artifacts come from in the deploy directory.

2. Typical customization paths

  • Config fragments — preferred for maintainable kernel option changes when supported.
  • Patches — for drivers, DTS fixes, or backports (with review and upstreaming plan).
  • Out-of-tree modules — sometimes the right boundary for proprietary or fast-moving drivers.

3. Lab 7 — Trace boot artifacts

For your MACHINE, list which tasks produce:

  • Kernel image / device tree blobs (if applicable).
  • Bootloader binary(ies).

Done when: you can open the deploy directory and point to each file the flashing script would use.

Previous: Lecture 08 | Next: Lecture 10 — Module 8