Introduction
Moblin Image Creator is a tool aimed at simplifying the process of creating a target file system for an embedded device. Applications can be developed and run within this target file system on the workstation without needing a device. The target file system can also be used to create a USB image that can be run live or installed on an embedded device. Moblin Image Creator is designed to be flexible, with platform-specific knowledge isolated to each platform definition. Moblin Image Creator's initial focus is on a new class of devices known as Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), but its design is not MID-specific and may be extended or customized to handle Netbooks, settop boxes, or other embedded Linux-based devices.
These steps detail how to get Moblin Image Creator installed and running.
Supported Devices
Image Creator currently allows you to create an image for a Samsung Q1 Ultra (Mccasslin-based device) as well as Menlow-based devices becoming available in 2008. However, you don't need to have this device to develop applications. For application or driver development, or to simply test run the UI, you can run everything on your Linux workstation using Image Creator.
System Requirements
The instructions in this guide assume that you have the following components:
- A development environment running a Linux distribution. Ubuntu-Hardy is recommended for this guide.
- Your environment should have the following packages installed:
- git-core
- automake
- autotools-dev
- build-essential
- dh-make
- fakeroot
- python
- debootstrap
- curl
- Removable USB Drive ( >= 1 GB)
Get, Build, Install, and Run Moblin Image Creator
Complete the following steps on your development workstation.
$ cd moblin-image-creator
$ ./autogen.sh
$ sudo make install
$ sudo image-creator
To rebase your image-creator on the latest source in the git repository, run the following from the moblin-image-creator directory created in the previous step.
$ ./autogen.sh
$ sudo make install
You can also run Moblin Image Creator from the command-line. This is useful for scripting and automation. To see the available list of command-line arguments, use the following command:
Note: Moblin Image Creator installs a bash completion configuration file. This allows you to type the first part of a command-line option and then hit the Tab key to auto-complete it.
View the Source OnlineThe Moblin Image Creator source is contained in a git source repository and can be viewed online at: http://git.moblin.org/repos/tools/moblin-image-creator.git .