Android System Programming: Porting, customizing, and debugging Android HAL

Build, customize, and debug your own Android system

Key Features

• Master Android system-level programming by integrating, customizing, and extending popular open source projects
• Use Android emulators to explore the true potential of your hardware
• Master key debugging techniques to create a hassle-free development environment

Book Description

Android system programming involves both hardware and software knowledge to work on system level programming. The developers need to use various techniques to debug the different components in the target devices. With all the challenges, you usually have a deep learning curve to master relevant knowledge in this area. This book will not only give you the key knowledge you need to understand Android system programming, but will also prepare you as you get hands-on with projects and gain debugging skills that you can use in your future projects.

You will start by exploring the basic setup of AOSP, and building and testing an emulator image. In the first project, you will learn how to customize and extend the Android emulator. Then you'll move on to the real challenge―building your own Android system on VirtualBox. You'll see how to debug the init process, resolve the bootloader issue, and enable various hardware interfaces. When you have a complete system, you will learn how to patch and upgrade it through recovery. Throughout the book, you will get to know useful tips on how to integrate and reuse existing open source projects such as LineageOS (CyanogenMod), Android-x86, Xposed, and GApps in your own system.

What you will learn

• Set up the Android development environment and organize source code repositories
• Get acquainted with the Android system architecture
• Build the Android emulator from the AOSP source tree
• Find out how to enable WiFi in the Android emulator
• Debug the boot up process using a customized Ramdisk
• Port your Android system to a new platform using VirtualBox
• Find out what recovery is and see how to enable it in the AOSP build
• Prepare and test OTA packages

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Android System Programming
2. Setting up the Development Environment
3. Discovering Kernel, HAL and Virtual Hardware
4. Customizing the Android Emulator
5. Enabling ARM Translator and Introducing Native Bridge
6. Debugging the Boot up Process Using a Customized Ramdisk
7. Enabling Wi-Fi in the Android Emulator
8. Creating Your Own Device on VirtualBox
9. Booting Up x86vbox Using PXE/NFS
10. Enabling Graphics
11. Enabling VirtualBox-Specific Hardware Interfaces
12. Introducing Recovery
13. Creating OTA Packages
14. Customizing and Debugging Recovery