book

Embedded Android

by Karim Yaghmour

March 2013

Intermediate to advanced

410 pages

11h 49m

English

O'Reilly Media, Inc.

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Learning How to Embed AndroidAudience for This BookOrganization of the MaterialSoftware VersionsConventions Used in This BookUsing Code ExamplesSafari® Books OnlineHow to Contact UsAcknowledgments
HistoryFeatures and CharacteristicsDevelopment ModelDifferences From “Classic” Open Source ProjectsFeature Inclusion, Roadmaps, and New ReleasesEcosystemA Word on the Open Handset AllianceGetting “Android”Legal FrameworkCode LicensesBranding UseGoogle’s Own Android AppsAlternative App MarketsOracle versus GoogleMobile Patent WarfareHardware and Compliance RequirementsCompliance Definition DocumentSoftwareApplication packaging compatibilityMultimedia compatibilityDeveloper tool compatibilityHardware compatibilityPerformance compatibilitySecurity model compatibilitySoftware compatibility testingUpdatable softwareCompliance Test SuiteDevelopment Setup and Tools
App Developer’s ViewAndroid ConceptsComponentsIntentsComponent lifecycleManifest fileProcesses and threadsRemote procedure calls (RPCs)Framework IntroApp Development ToolsNative DevelopmentOverall ArchitectureLinux KernelWakelocksLow-Memory KillerBinderAnonymous Shared Memory (ashmem)AlarmLoggerOther Notable AndroidismsHardware SupportThe Linux ApproachAndroid’s General ApproachLoading and Interfacing MethodsDevice Support DetailsNative User-SpaceFilesystem LayoutLibrariesInitConfiguration languageGlobal propertiesudev eventsToolboxDaemonsCommand-Line UtilitiesDalvik and Android’s JavaJava Native Interface (JNI)System ServicesService Manager and Binder InteractionCalling on ServicesA Service Example: the Activity ManagerStock AOSP PackagesSystem Startup
Development Host SetupGetting the AOSPInside the AOSPBuild BasicsBuild System SetupBuilding AndroidRunning AndroidUsing the Android Debug Bridge (ADB)Mastering the Emulator
Comparison with Other Build SystemsArchitectureConfigurationenvsetup.shFunction DefinitionsMain Make RecipesCleaningModule Build TemplatesOutputBuild RecipesThe Default droid BuildSeeing the Build CommandsBuilding the SDK for Linux and Mac OSBuilding the SDK for WindowsBuilding the CTSBuilding the NDKUpdating the APIBuilding a Single ModuleBuilding Out of TreeBuilding Recursively, In-TreeBasic AOSP HacksAdding a DeviceAdding an AppAdding an App OverlayAdding a Native Tool or DaemonAdding a Native Library
Typical System ArchitectureThe Baseband ProcessorCore ComponentsReal-World InteractionConnectivityExpansion, Development, and DebuggingWhat’s in a System-on-Chip (SoC)?Memory Layout and MappingDevelopment SetupEvaluation Boards
FilesystemThe Root Directory/system/dataMultiuser supportSD CardThe Build System and the FilesystemBuild templates and file locationsExplicitly copying filesDefault rights and ownershipadbTheory of OperationMain Flags, Parameters, and Environment VariablesBasic Local CommandsDevice Connection and StatusBasic Remote CommandsShellDumping the logsGetting a bug reportPort forwardingDalvik debuggingFilesystem CommandsState-Altering CommandsRebootingRunning as rootSwitching connection typeControlling the emulatorTunneling PPPAndroid’s Command LineThe Shell Up to 2.3/GingerbreadThe Shell Since 4.0/Ice-Cream SandwichToolboxCommon Linux commandsGlobal propertiesInput eventsControlling servicesLoggingioctlWiping the deviceOther Android-specific commandsnandreadnewfs_msdosnotifyrschedtopsetconsolesmdCore Native Utilities and DaemonslogcatnetcfgdebuggerdOther Android-specific core utilities and daemonscheck_prereqlinkerlogwrapperrun-assdcard utilityExtra Native Utilities and DaemonsFramework Utilities and DaemonsInitTheory of OperationConfiguration FilesLocationSemanticsProperty-based triggersAction commandsService declarationsService optionsMain init.rcBoard-specific .rc filesGlobal PropertiesTheory of operationNomenclature and setsStorageThe build systemAdditional property files.rc filesCode/data/propertyueventdBoot Logo
Kick-Starting the FrameworkCore Building BlocksSystem ServicesBoot Animationbootanimation.zipDisabling the boot animationDex OptimizationApps StartupInput methodsPersistent appsHome screenBOOT_COMPLETED intentAPPWIDGET_UPDATE intentUtilities and CommandsGeneral-Purpose UtilitiesservicedumpsysdumpstaterawbuService-Specific UtilitiesampmsvcimeinputmonkeybmgrstagefrightDalvik UtilitiesdalvikvmdvzdexdumpSupport DaemonsinstalldvoldnetdrildkeystoreOther Support DaemonsHardware Abstraction Layer

BasicsTheory of OperationMerging with the AOSPUsing the Combined StacksCaveats and Pending IssuesMoving Forward
The BasicsThe System ServiceThe HAL and Its ExtensionThe HAL ModuleCalling the System ServiceStarting the System ServiceCaveats and Recommendations
Overall DependenciesAssembling the Final PRODUCT_PACKAGESTrimming Packages
2.3/Gingerbread’s default init.rc4.2/Jelly Bean’s Default init Filesinit.rcinit.usb.rcinit.trace.rc
Websites and CommunitiesGoogleSoC VendorsForksDocumentation and ForumsEmbedded Linux Build ToolsOpen Hardware ProjectsBooksConferences and Events

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Appendix E. Resources

There is more to Android than could ever be covered in a single book. For starters, Android has a living ecosystem around it and a lot of community projects. This appendix highlights the major resources you should explore as your work with Android progresses.

Websites and Communities

A vast number of websites and communities are either directly or indirectly related to Android. I’ve tried to categorize them below as neatly as possible.

Google

Android Open Source Project: Google’s main site for the Android platform. It historically contained more information about the system, but it has been removed. It still is a very good reference on how to get the sources and how to set up your development system to build the AOSP. It also contains the latest documentation on the Android Compatibility Program, including the Compliance Definition Document.
Android Developer: This is Google’s site for app developers. Unlike the platform site, this site is quite rich in documentation. It contains tutorials, an API reference, guidelines for graphic designers, and more. In sum, if you’re developing an app, you’re in good hands with this site.
Android Tools Project Site: This is the site that contains the information about Android’s developer tools. This includes the SDK, the Eclipse plug-in, the NDK, etc.

SoC Vendors

TI Android Development Kit for Sitara: This dev kit includes a set of AOSP sources that have been customized to run on boards based on TI’s chips such as the BeagleBone. You may ...