Embedded Linux boot time optimization training

Learn how to measure and optimize boot time on an embedded Linux system, from the bootloader to the applications.

Course details

Icon from www.flaticon.com

  • Duration: 3 days / 24 hours (on-site) – 4 half days / 16 hours (on-line)
  • Agenda: on-site, on-line
  • Training materials: slides, labs, lab data.
  • Written language: English
  • Available oral languages: English and French.

Types of sessions

Dates of public on-line sessions

Type Dates Time Duration Language Expected
trainer
Cost and registration
Additional sessions at future dates will be announced progressively. We generally announce new sessions when existing ones are either full or already passed.

*The price is excluding VAT. The online shop charges VAT, except for businesses outside of France if they provide valid company information at registration time. Businesses in France, and individuals registering by themselves must pay VAT.

The discount rate is applicable at the following conditions:

  • Booking at least 1 month prior to the training session start
  • Booking and payment made online using credit card
  • Limit of 6 seats per training session at the discount rate

If you are unable to register through our online shop, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be able to provide a training contract and offer alternative payment methods.

Registration on the online shop remains available until the session starts, subject to seat availability.

Target audience

Linux penguin with stop watch This course targets engineers who wish to reduce the boot time of their embedded Linux systems.

At the end of this course, you will be familiar with time measuring tools and techniques, as well as with optimizations and configuration options applicable to each component of your system.

Objectives

  • Be able to use various tools and techniques to measure the boot time of an embedded Linux system.
  • Be able to reduce the boot time spent during the user-space initialization.
  • Be able to reduce the boot time spent during the kernel initialization.
  • Be able to reduce the boot time spent during the bootloader initialization.
  • Be able to use advanced and alternatives techniques of boot time optimization.

See the detailed agenda.

Bootlin’s expertise in embedded Linux boot-time reduction

Bootlin engineers have worked on multiple projects to reduce boot-time on embedded Linux systems. Here are just a few examples:

  • Fast booting splashscreen on a system with an ARM SoC from Maxim Integrated
  • Optimizing the startup time of system with a Qt interface and reading of large ROM contents, with a Microchip at91sam9263 SoC
  • Development of quick boot demos on Microchip SAMA5D3
  • Boot time reduction and implementation of U-Boot Falcon boot mode, on a system based on a SolidRun i.MX6 System on Module
  • File system performance and mounting time benchmarks on flash storage

It is this experience and expertise that Bootlin is sharing through this training course.

Training materials

All the training materials that we use during this course are freely available. Before the session, you can then check that they correspond to your needs.

Practical labs

BeagleBone Black board with LCD cape and USB webcamIn our on-site courses, each lecture is followed by a practical lab done by the participant. The practical labs represent 75% of the whole course time. The system you will try to optimize is built on the BeagleBone Black ARM board), with an LCD touchscreen cape, and using a USB webcam. The root filesystem is built with Buildroot, and the goal is to display the video grabbed by the webcam as quickly as possible after power on. Each lab will let you measure and optimize the time impact of all the components of the system: the toolchain, the video player application, system initialization scripts, the filesystem, the Linux kernel and the U-Boot bootloader.

In our on-line courses, the practical labs are performed as live demonstrations by the trainer. Participants can ask questions at any time. Optionally, the participants who have access to the necessary hardware accessories can reproduce the labs by themselves.

Prerequisites

  • Knowledge and practice of UNIX or GNU/Linux commands: participants must be familiar with the Linux command line. Participants lacking experience on this topic should get trained by themselves, for example with our freely available on-line slides at https://bootlin.com/blog/command-line/
  • Minimal experience in embedded Linux development: participants should have a minimal understanding of the architecture of embedded Linux systems: role of the Linux kernel vs. user-space, development of Linux user-space applications in C. Following Bootlin’s Embedded Linux course allows to fulfill this pre-requisite.
  • Minimal English language level: B1, according to the Common European Framework of References for Languages, for our sessions in English. See the CEFR grid for self-evaluation.

Hardware requirements

  • For on-line courses:
    • Computer with the operating system of your choice, with the Google Chrome or Chromium browser for videoconferencing.
    • Webcam and microphone, from an audio headset
    • High speed access to the Internet
    • Optionally: the hardware accessories needed for the practical labs, if you want to reproduce the practical labs by yourself. Note that this is not mandatory: you can follow the course without those hardware accessories, as the trainer will perform the practical labs as live demonstrations.
  • For on-site courses:
    • Training room
    • Video projector
    • One recent PC computer for each desk (1 or 2 persons) installed with Linux. See the training agenda for detailed requirements.
    • Unfiltered and fast connection to the Internet
    • Bootlin provides the hardware accessories for the practical labs for the duration of the course

Customer feedback


Bootlin has proven time and again that their expertise in Linux trainings is unparalleled. Not only were the already existing trainings invaluable for training of our personnel, but they were also willing to adapt and reintroduce new trainings, custom tailored for our needs.

Nikola Jelić – Zuehlke Engineering

By the way, you can also see evaluations from previous sessions. In the same way we are transparent with our training materials, we share all the evaluations that we collect, not only the best ones.

Participants with disabilities

Participants with disabilities who have special needs are invited to contact us to discuss adaptations to the training course.

Contact

For any question, registration or comment, you can contact us:

Further details about our courses