Inside the Android OS is the first comprehensive guide and reference for developers who want to customise and integrate Android into their own embedded devices. Replete with code examples, it encourages you to create your own working code versions as you read -- whether for your own personal insight or for a workplace project in the fast-growing marketplace for non-phone Android devices. G. Blake Meike responds to the real-world needs of embedded and IoT developers moving to Android, providing indispensable information without becoming obscure or too specialised. Meike teaches through a book-length project that covers everything developers need to know to create their own custom Android service. You will find approachable yet precise coverage of:

• Why Android is becoming a pervasive embedded platform
• Using the Android four-tier architectural model in embedded devices
• Setting up a build platform, downloading the AOSP source, and building an Android image
• Walking through system startup on a running Android system
• Running native services on embedded systems
• Using the Android Native Development Kit (NDK) and HAL to link interpreted Java with native C/C++ code
• Taking a deep dive into the seminal Zygote application and its Dalvik interpreter
• Quickly building Java system services
• Working with Binder, the heart and the root of the Android security and access control models
• Establishing permissions and access control
• Enabling apps to use the services you have created

The Complete Guide to Customizing Android for New IoT and Embedded Devices

Inside the Android OS is a comprehensive guide and reference for technical professionals who want to customize and integrate Android into embedded devices, and construct or maintain successful Android-based products. Replete with code examples, it encourages you to create your own working code as you read---whether for personal insight or a professional project in the fast-growing marketplace for smart IoT devices.

Expert Android developers G. Blake Meike and Larry Schiefer respond to the real-world needs of embedded and IoT developers moving to Android. After presenting an accessible introduction to the Android environment, they guide you through boot, subsystem startup, hardware interfaces, and application support---offering essential knowledge without ever becoming obscure or overly specialized.

Reflecting Android's continuing evolution, Meike and Schiefer help you take advantage of relevant innovations, from the ART application runtime environment to Project Treble. Throughout, a book-length project covers all you need to start implementing your own custom Android devices, one step at a time.

You will:

• Assess advantages and tradeoffs using Android in smart IoT devices
• Master practical processes for customizing Android
• Set up a build platform, download the AOSP source, and build an Android image
• Explore Android's components, architecture, source code, and development tools
• Understand essential kernel modules that are unique to Android
• Use Android's extensive security infrastructure to protect devices and users
• Walk through Android boot, from power-on through system initialization
• Explore subsystem startup, and use Zygote containers to control application processes
• Interface with hardware through Android's Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)
• Provide access to Java programs via Java Native Interface (JNI)
• Gain new flexibility by using binderized HAL (Project Treble)
• Implement native C/C++ or Java client apps without bundling vendor libraries

Autorentext
Blake Meike is a passionate engineer, code poet, and veteran of more than 10 years of Android development at organizations including D2, Realm, Twitter, and Cyanogen. As a teacher, he has trained hundreds of new Android developers. He is author of several books on Android development, including O’Reilly’s bestselling Programming Android and Addison-Wesley’s Android Concurrency. He holds a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College and lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Larry Schiefer is the CTO and co-founder of HIQES, LLC, a mobile platform and app engineering services company. He has made a career out of creating software solutions for mobile, embedded, and desktop systems. He started his career at Motorola working on large area telecommunications systems then moved to startups in the telecommunications, networking, and embedded spaces. Digging into Android’s internals was a natural progression with his background in telecommunications, embedded systems, and Linux kernel work. He has traveled around the world training engineers at Intel, Qualcomm, Bose, and others about the internal workings of Android. In addition to being an entrepreneur and technical leader, he continues to stay involved with the development of new software and platform solutions.

Klappentext

The Complete Guide to Customizing Android for New IoT and Embedded DevicesInside the Android OS is a comprehensive guide and reference for technical professionals who want to customize and integrate Android into embedded devices, and construct or maintain successful Android-based products. Replete with code examples, it encourages you to create your own working code as you read---whether for personal insight or a professional project in the fast-growing marketplace for smart IoT devices.Expert Android developers G. Blake Meike and Larry Schiefer respond to the real-world needs of embedded and IoT developers moving to Android. After presenting an accessible introduction to the Android environment, they guide you through boot, subsystem startup, hardware interfaces, and application support---offering essential knowledge without ever becoming obscure or overly specialized.Reflecting Android's continuing evolution, Meike and Schiefer help you take advantage of relevant innovations, from the ART application runtime environment to Project Treble. Throughout, a book-length project covers all you need to start implementing your own custom Android devices, one step at a time.You will:Assess advantages and tradeoffs using Android in smart IoT devicesMaster practical processes for customizing AndroidSet up a build platform, download the AOSP source, and build an Android imageExplore Android's components, architecture, source code, and development toolsUnderstand essential kernel modules that are unique to AndroidUse Android's extensive security infrastructure to protect devices and usersWalk through Android boot, from power-on through system initializationExplore subsystem startup, and use Zygote containers to control application processesInterface with hardware through Android's Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)Provide access to Java programs via Java Native Interface (JNI)Gain new flexibility by using binderized HAL (Project Treble)Implement native C/C++ or Java client apps without bundling vendor libraries

Inhalt

Preface xiii

Chapter 1 Why Android? 1

Adopting Android 1

Full Stack 2

Broad Acceptance 2

Beautiful UI 2

Linux Based 2

Powerful Development Environment 3

Open Source 3

AOSP and Google 5

Other Choices 6

Micro-Controllers 6

Other RTOSs 7

Summary 8

Chapter 2 Booting Acme 9

Setting Up a Build Machine 10

Downloading the Code 11

Repo 11

Forking the Source 15

Android Version Selection 16

Local Mirror 17

Hosted Git Repositories 18

Tree Snapshot 19

Repository Commit Pinning 19

Example: Local Mirror of Forked Repositories 19

Building an Image 24

Device Tools 27

fastboot 28

adb 29

Flashing the Device 30

Summary 33

Chapter 3 Getting Started 35

Putting Android in Its Place 35

Hardware 36

The Linux Kernel 36

System Libraries 37

Applications 38

The Android Framewo…