Porting of linux

[chetan deol]

Hello all ,

I have an interesting question ,can we install Embedded linux on any device and then android on it ?

I want exact(good) answer.

Thanks
Chetan

[Rohan Dhruva]

You can install Debian (other distros are possible too, but Debian has been completely ported to the ARM EABI) and use it like you would on a computer. There is a nice installer available. Have a look - http://www.androidfanatic.com/cms/community-forums.html?func=view&catid=9&id=251#251

[Ulf Dittmer]

chetan,

please cut down on the number of smilies you're using. There really is no point in using 4 of them in such a short post.

Also, in the future please UseAMeaningfulSubjectLine.

[Monu Tripathi]

Hi Chetan,

Please take some time to read these - UseAMeaningfulSubjectLine and HowToAskQuestionsOnJavaRanch.

Thanks.

[Ed Burnette]

Given enough time and resources, the answer to your question is yes. The closer the hardware is to an existing device that already has a port, the easier it will be. There are mailing lists dedicated to this question that you should probably join:

# Android porting - You want to port Android to your favorite device. You have downloaded the Android source code, now you're wondering how to combine it with your hardware to create the best Android device ever. Discuss here the specifics of porting Android to individual devices, from obtaining toolchains and merging kernel drivers all the way to configuring applications for your specific configuration.

* Subscribe using Google Groups: android-porting
* Subscribe via email: [e-mail]


# Android kernel - You want to contribute to the Linux kernel that underpins Android. If you've downloaded the kernel code, if you know how to compile it, if you want to write kernel code to specifically support Android, this is your place. Don't discuss user-space here.

* Subscribe using Google Groups: android-kernel
* Subscribe via email: [e-mail]

(from https://sites.google.com/a/android.com/opensource/discuss)

[chetan deol]

Thanks

[chetan deol]

Hello Rohan ,

Thanks for your answer and the link ,but i was asking about porting of an embedded linux to any hardware like LynxOS,BlueCat.
What will be the procedure if i bring any new hardware in the market.


Thanks & Regards
Chetan

[Rohan Dhruva]

chetan dhumane wrote:
I have an interesting question ,can we install Embedded linux on any device and then android on it ?

The answer to this question as asked is no, because android is not an application which runs on top of linux. Android provides a complete "ecosystem" - kernel, userspace, applications, APIs, SDK. You can't, for example, install LynxOS on your ABC phone, and then run android on it. Android is not "linux" - it only uses the linux (modified, not pristine) as it's kernel.

That being said, there is also not much to be gained from trying to port over the userspace of Android to a "normal" linux distro.

[chetan deol]

Thanks Rohan it helped me much to clear my concept regarding Android porting.

[Ed Burnette]

Ok I understand your question now. Android is a complete software stack, starting just above the metal. It might be possible to run Android in a virtual machine (like you can run Linux or Windows with Xen or VMWare, or the way the Android emulator runs on a host OS) but other than that, Android is currently designed to be alone on the hardware device and not "run on top of" any other layer of software.