Unveiling the latest enhancements to our Yocto BSP: Welcome "Scarthgap"!

Our AMD-based System-on-Modules (SOM’s) are driven by an advanced Linux distribution aligned with the Yocto project. As AMD continues its commitment to Yocto compatibility, we’re excited to introduce “Scarthgap”, the latest Yocto release now supported on our Linux platform.  

For this release we asked Francois Loubser, Lead Engineer at TOPIC, about what’s new in the “Scarthgap" release, and how it will benefit our customers’ developments.  

Francois: “Our new Linux release based on Scarthgap delivers significant updates and improvements designed to enhance performance, flexibility, and robustness for embedded projects. This release brings a host of new features that our team has been diligently working on, and we're excited to share them.” 

So, here’s what's new in the "Scarthgap" release!  

Under the Hood: Kernel and Core System Updates  

• At the heart of "Scarthgap" is the upgrade to the latest Linux Kernel 6.6. This brings a multitude of upstream improvements, bug fixes, and enhanced hardware support, ensuring a more stable and performant base for your applications.  

• The 8GB DDR4 system-on-module variants from TOPIC are now fully supported. This opens new possibilities for more demanding applications requiring larger memory resources.  

• “Scarthgap" now defaults to systemd as the init manager. This modern and widely adopted init system offers improved parallelization of services, better dependency management, and more comprehensive logging, leading to faster boot times and enhanced system control. For those who prefer it, the sysvinit option remains available.  

Robustness and Flexibility for Production  

• A major highlight of this release is the support for booting read-only SquashFS images directly from eMMC and SD cards. This method offers superior robustness and often faster boot times compared to ext4 filesystems, making it ideal for production environments where reliability and speed are paramount. These images can be easily upgraded via SWUpdate and can be interchanged with ext4 images as needed, providing excellent flexibility.  

• We've transitioned to using mainline U-boot for our 7-series Zynq support, moving away from a Xilinx-specific fork. This commitment to upstreaming ensures that we benefit from ongoing community development and maintain better compatibility with future U-boot releases. Full support for this is actively being upstreamed.  

Advanced Connectivity and Customization  

• We are making use of advanced capabilities for USB gadget configuration. By default, it emulates an Ethernet connection on all available USB ports. However, projects can now easily adapt a provided script to create custom multi-function gadgets. Imagine configuring your device to act as an Ethernet adapter, mass storage device, and serial port simultaneously, or even exploring more exotic combinations like camera and audio functionalities – the possibilities are now at your fingertips!  

We are confident that these updates in "Scarthgap" in combination with our AMD-based System-on-Modules will provide a more powerful, flexible, and reliable foundation for embedded developments.  

Working on a new development? We encourage you to explore these new features and leverage them in your next project. Feel free to reach out to learn more via contact@topic.nl !  

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Did you know that TOPIC is a premier partner of AMD since 2009? In our latest blog, we explore how this partnership benefits our customers' development: through direct collaboration with AMD experts, access to advanced technologies and our multidisciplinary design team. Check out the blog here : How our premier embedded partnership with AMD helps accelerate product development

Pictured: Francois Loubser, Lead Engineer at TOPIC Embedded Systems