Summary
In this chapter, BeagleBone Black was introduced, starting with its hardware and key features. It was compared with other platforms regarding its power and energy requirements. Special attention was paid to the internal architecture of the central processing unit, the I/O-interfaces, and control buttons, as well as the embedded memory features.
For the following system setup, the internal flash partition system was described and special caution was taken on the variable partition mapping regarding an optional microSD card expansion.
The default boot mechanism and how it can be altered using the onboard boot selection button was explained. It was also mentioned how to unbrick the system if it fails to boot.
A short description of available operating systems was given as well as an explanation of the importance of native floating point support. The chapter ended with a short introduction to the basics of software programming, keeping an eye on the basic functionality of compilers and linkers. The difference between static and dynamic linking was explained, which will be of further importance in the next chapter. Missing elements such as data types will be explained where necessary.
In the next chapter, we will cover practical things. I will show you how to connect the boards, build a simple frame, and how to get a cheap power supply. You will also be introduced to the basic network structure and the general idea of a Beowulf cluster's topology.
