Android System Programming

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

About the Author

Roger Ye has worked in the area of embedded system programming for more than 10 years. He has worked on system programming for mobile devices, home gateways, and telecommunication systems for various companies, such as Motorola, Emerson, and Intersil.

Most recently, he has worked as an engineering manager, leading a team of Android engineers to develop mobile security applications at Intel Security. With extensive knowledge and experience in the areas of embedded systems and mobile device development, he published a book called Embedded Programming with Android, Addison-Wesley, in 2015.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Android System Programming
Setting up the Development Environment
Discovering Kernel, HAL and Virtual Hardware
Customizing the Android Emulator
Enabling ARM Translator and Introducing Native Bridge
Debugging the Boot up Process Using a Customized Ramdisk
Enabling Wi-Fi in the Android Emulator
Creating Your Own Device on VirtualBox
Booting Up x86vbox Using PXE/NFS
Enabling Graphics
Enabling VirtualBox-Specific Hardware Interfaces
Introducing Recovery
Creating OTA Packages
Customizing and Debugging Recovery