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Embedded Programming with Modern C++ Cookbook
Embedded Programming with Modern C++ Cookbook

Embedded Programming with Modern C++ Cookbook: Practical recipes to help you build robust and secure embedded applications on Linux

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Embedded Programming with Modern C++ Cookbook

Setting Up the Environment

To start working with an embedded system, we need to set up an environment. Unlike the environment we use for desktop development, the environment for embedded programming requires two systems:

  • A build system: The system you use to write the code
  • A target system: The system your code is going to be run on

In this chapter, we will learn how to set up these two systems and connect them together. Configurations of build systems may vary significantly— there may be different operating systems, compilers, and IDEs. The variance in target system configurations is even greater since each embedded system is unique. Moreover, while you can use your laptop or desktop as a build system, you do need some sort of embedded board as a target system.

It would be impossible to cover all the possible combinations of build and target systems. Instead...

Setting up the build system in a Docker container

In this recipe, we will set up a Docker container to run Ubuntu 18.04 on your desktop or laptop. It does not matter what operating system runs on your machine, as Docker supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. As a result of this recipe, you will have a unified, virtualized Ubuntu Linux build system running within your host operating system.

If your operating system already runs Ubuntu Linux, feel free to skip to the next recipe.

How to do it...

We are going to install the Docker application on our laptop or desktop and then use a ready-made image of Ubuntu to run this operating system in a virtual environment:

  1. In your web browser, open the following link and follow...

Working with emulators

Using a real embedded board is not always possible or practicalhardware is not yet ready, or the number of boards is limited. Emulators help developers use an environment that's as close to the target system as possible, yet do not depend on hardware availability. It is also the best way to start learning embedded development.

In this recipe, we will learn how to set up QEMU (a hardware emulator) and configure it to emulate an ARM-based embedded system running Debian Linux.

How to do it...

We need a virtual environment that, unlike Docker, can emulate processors with architectures that differ from the architecture of our computer:

  1. Navigate to https://www.qemu.org/download/ and click...

Cross-compilation

We have already learned that the environment for embedded development consists of two systems: the build system, where you write and build code, and the host system, which runs the code.

We now have two virtualized environments set up:

  • Ubuntu Linux in a Docker container, which will be our build system
  • QEMU running Raspbian Linux, which will be our host system

    In this recipe, we will set up the cross-compilation tools required to build Linux applications for the ARM platform and build a simple Hello, world! application to test the setup.

    Getting ready

    To set up the cross-compilation toolkit, we will need to use Ubuntu Linux, which we set up in the Setting up the build system in a Docker container...

    Connecting to the embedded system

    After an embedded application is built on a build system using a cross-compiler, it should be transferred to the target system. The best way to do this on Linux-based embedded systems is by using networking connectivity and a remote shell. Secure Shell (SSH) is widely used due to its security and versatility. It allows you to not only run shell commands on a remote host but also copy files from one machine to another using cryptographic encryption and key-based authentication.

    In this recipe, we will learn how to copy the application binary to the emulated ARM system using secure copy, connect to it using SSH, and run the executable in SSH.

    Getting ready

    We will use the Raspberry Pi emulator...

    Debugging embedded applications

    Debugging embedded applications depends significantly on the type of the target embedded systems. Microcontroller manufacturers often provide specialized debuggers for their microcontroller units (MCUs) as well as hardware support for remote debugging using a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) protocol. It allows developers to debug the microcontroller code immediately after the MCU starts executing instructions. 

    If the target board runs Linux, the most practical method of debugging is to use an extensive debug output and to use GDB as an interactive debugger.

    In this recipe, we will learn how to run our application in a command-line debugger: GDB.

    Getting ready

    We have...

    Using gdbserver for remote debugging

    As we have discussed, the environment for embedded development usually involves two systems—a build system and a target system (or emulator). Sometimes, interactive debugging on the target system is impractical because of the high latency of remote communication. 

    In such situations, developers can use remote debugging support provided by GDB. In this setup, an embedded application is launched on the target system using gdbserver. Developers run GDB on a build system and connect to gdbserver over the network.

    In this recipe, we will learn how to start debugging an application using GDB and gdbserver.

    Getting ready

    In the Connecting to the embedded system recipe, we...

    Using CMake as a build system

    In the previous recipes, we learned how to compile a program that consists of one C++ file. Real applications, however, usually have a more complex structure. They can contain multiple source files, depend on other libraries, and be split into independent projects.

    We need a way to conveniently define build rules for any type of application. CMake is one of the most well-known and widely used tools that allow developers to define high-level rules and translate them into a lower-level build system, such as a Unix make.

    In this recipe, we will learn how to set up CMake and create a simple project definition for our Hello, world! application.

    Getting ready

    As discussed earlier, a common embedded...

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    Key benefits

    • Get hands-on experience in developing a sample application for an embedded Linux-based system
    • Explore advanced topics such as concurrency, real-time operating system (RTOS), and C++ utilities
    • Learn how to test and debug your embedded applications using logs and profiling tools

    Description

    Developing applications for embedded systems may seem like a daunting task as developers face challenges related to limited memory, high power consumption, and maintaining real-time responses. This book is a collection of practical examples to explain how to develop applications for embedded boards and overcome the challenges that you may encounter while developing. The book will start with an introduction to embedded systems and how to set up the development environment. By teaching you to build your first embedded application, the book will help you progress from the basics to more complex concepts, such as debugging, logging, and profiling. Moving ahead, you will learn how to use specialized memory and custom allocators. From here, you will delve into recipes that will teach you how to work with the C++ memory model, atomic variables, and synchronization. The book will then take you through recipes on inter-process communication, data serialization, and timers. Finally, you will cover topics such as error handling and guidelines for real-time systems and safety-critical systems. By the end of this book, you will have become proficient in building robust and secure embedded applications with C++.

    Who is this book for?

    This book is for developers, electronic hardware professionals, and software and system-on-chip engineers who want to build effective embedded programs in C++. Familiarity with the C++ programming language is expected, but no previous knowledge of embedded systems is required.

    What you will learn

    • Get to grips with the fundamentals of an embedded system
    • Understand how to optimize code for the targeted hardware platforms
    • Explore cross-compilation, build types, and remote debugging
    • Discover the importance of logging for debugging and root cause analysis of failures
    • Uncover concepts such as interrupt service routine, memory model, and ring buffer
    • Recognize the need for custom memory management in embedded systems
    • Delve into static code analyzers and tools to improve code quality
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    Publication date : Apr 17, 2020
    Length: 412 pages
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    Language : English
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    Product Details

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    Table of Contents

    16 Chapters
    Fundamentals of Embedded Systems Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Setting Up the Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Working with Different Architectures Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Handling Interrupts Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Debugging, Logging, and Profiling Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Memory Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Multithreading and Synchronization Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Communication and Serialization Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Peripherals Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Reducing Power Consumption Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Time Points and Intervals Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Error Handling and Fault Tolerance Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Guidelines for Real-Time Systems Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Guidelines for Safety-Critical Systems Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Microcontroller Programming Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
    Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

    Customer reviews

    Top Reviews
    Rating distribution
    Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.9
    (7 Ratings)
    5 star 57.1%
    4 star 0%
    3 star 28.6%
    2 star 0%
    1 star 14.3%
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    Tim Feb 25, 2023
    Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
    This book is extremely easy to follow! Every step is crystal clear. I guess the author must have spent lots of time checking, double-checking ... ... I've got many years' C++ experience on developing GUIs and algorithms. Newly break into embedded, have bought quite a few other embedded books, but this book is the gem, helped me a lot as it is quite an enjoyable read! easy to follow, no errors found so far. Many thanks to the author and reviewer for their hard work!!!
    Amazon Verified review Amazon
    Anand May 10, 2020
    Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
    The book provides a comprehensive guide for developing embedded C++ modules with a highly practical and systematic approach.The book uses latest tools available in the industry (Docker, CMAKE, etc.), which makes it a breeze to get right into the process of learning.You just need a development machine (Linux, OSX or Windows) to set up the environment and start developing ! The author provides detailed instructions to set up your environment and provides compilable code to get you started from the get go.The author takes on major fundamental blocks required for every successful embedded system like IPC, debugging, memory management, scheduling, logging, build system, etc., providing detailed explanation with clear code snippets of pros and cons of various approaches which can be used to tackle each problem. This is really useful for seasoned developers who are interested in writing/architecting production level code.The author provides great insights into using the right functionalities of latest C++-11/14 which can be utilized to replace traditional C style programming, hence increasing the velocity of development for any team.Overall, I would highly recommend this book for developers who want to start developing for the embedded world and also seasoned developers who want to have a reference to the vast nuances and pitfalls of developing for devices with small form factor.
    Amazon Verified review Amazon
    Cesar Trejo Jul 14, 2023
    Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
    Libros de mucha calidad!
    Amazon Verified review Amazon
    Billy Apr 02, 2022
    Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
    Everything I needed is in there
    Amazon Verified review Amazon
    san Sep 19, 2020
    Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 3
    A good reference book for embedded software engineers, I understand the focus of the book is not about microcontrollers but more coverage on this important topic would been useful as it is the center of most embedded devices. Content coverage is average
    Amazon Verified review Amazon
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