PTXdist

When developing devices based on embedded Linux, there is always the question of how to assemble the firmware in a way which maximizes control and long-term maintainability.

PTXdist is a build system developed by Pengutronix since 2001 for the generation of firmware images. The configuration system Kconfig from the Linux kernel is used to select and configure each package. The collection of recipes is based on GNU Make and Bash.

“Executable Documentation”

PTXdist is not a distribution: Our experience is that binary distributions are too inflexible for embedded systems. That’s why PTXdist builds the target system directly from the original source code. Here, PTXdist is intended as “executable documentation”: the necessary steps for generating the target system are stored in a form in which they can be reviewed and reproduced as required, but can also be executed by a less savvy user at the push of a button.