Linux Appliance Design
Graham Phillips, Bill Pierce, Bob Smith John Hardin
NO STARCH PRESS; Pap/Cdr edition (30 Mar 2007)
ISBN 978-1593271404
385 pages
Buy from Amazon
About: Linux Appliance Design - B. Smith What is special about the computer as a machine is that it can do a wide range of jobs, so the idea of turning it into a "fixed function" appliance might seem strange, but it is becoming an increasingly important Phenomenon. All manner of networking "boxes", switches, routers, network storage and security devices are example of appliance, and many of them are based on Linux.The reason for using Linux is simply that it is free and we have access to the source code so that it can be modified, but for the programmer more familiar with Windows the change can be a barrier. So can the developer shift from writing code for a general purpose system to the usually more limited environment of an appliance? If you are already feeling a bit lost, this book isn't going to be much help unless you have an experienced co-worker who will deal with these low-level issues. However, if you are interested in higher level architectural concerns of how to implement the software of an appliance you will find much of interest. It's a well written book with a sense of humour. It describes an API that the authors have developed for implementing the user interface of an appliance via a database-style query language. The software is included on a disc bound into the back of the book. A single example of implementing a burglar alarm runs though the book, and some of the details of hardware- switches, indicators and displays in general- are given, but you are left with no overall idea of how it all fits together.
Conclusion
What is missing is any discussion of embedded processor system that is at the g-heart of any appliance. Details of the Linux operating system are also noticeable by their absence. How if you want to know about the SMTP protocol then this is the best description I have found, and makes the book worth investing even if you don't plan to build an appliance. Overall this is a very good book as long as you want to stay at the higher level of appliance design and leave other to worry about the lower leave hardware. Highly recommended.Resources
About the Author
Bob Smith, John Hardin, Graham Phillips, and Bill Pierce have experience in embedded systems, commercial Linux and BSD appliances, network management systems, and designing software solutions for business problems.Latest Offers
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