Linux Device Drivers Development

Develop customized drivers for embedded Linux

Publisher:Packt Publishing Limited

Paid access

|Oct 2025

E-Book €41.99Institutions €143.95

Description

Develop Linux device drivers from scratch, with hands-on guidance focused on embedded systems, covering key subsystems like I2C, SPI, GPIO, IRQ, and DMA for real-world hardware integration using kernel 4.13

Key Features

Develop custom drivers for I2C, SPI, GPIO, RTC, and input devices using modern Linux kernel APIs
Learn memory management, IRQ handling, DMA, and the device tree through hands on examples
Explore embedded driver development with platform drivers, regmap, and IIO frameworks

Book Description

Linux kernel is a complex, portable, modular and widely used piece of software, running on around 80% of servers and embedded systems in more than half of devices throughout the World. Device drivers play a critical role in how well a Linux system performs. As Linux has turned out to be one of the most popular operating systems used, the interest in developing proprietary device drivers is also increasing steadily.
This book will initially help you understand the basics of drivers as well as prepare for the long journey through the Linux Kernel. This book then covers drivers development based on various Linux subsystems such as memory management, PWM, RTC, IIO, IRQ management, and so on. The book also offers a practical approach on direct memory access and network device drivers.
By the end of this book, you will be comfortable with the concept of device driver development and will be in a position to write any device driver from scratch using the latest kernel version (v4.13 at the time of writing this book).

What you will learn

Use kernel facilities to develop powerful drivers
Develop drivers for widely used I2C and SPI devices and use the regmap API
Write and support devicetree from within your drivers
Program advanced drivers for network and frame buffer devices
Delve into the Linux irqdomain API and write interrupt controller drivers
Enhance your skills with regulator and PWM frameworks
Develop measurement system drivers with IIO framework
Get the best from memory management and the DMA subsystem
Access and manage GPIO subsystems and develop GPIO controller drivers

Who this book is for

This book is ideal for embedded systems developers, engineers, and Linux enthusiasts who want to learn how to write device drivers from scratch. Whether you're new to kernel development or looking to deepen your understanding of subsystems like I2C, SPI, and IRQs, this book provides practical, real-world instructions tailored for working with embedded Linux platforms. Foundational knowledge of C and basic Linux concepts is recommended.