This practically-oriented textbook/reference provides a clear introduction to the different component parts of an operating system and how these work together.The easy-to-follow text covers the bootloader, kernel, filesystem, shared libraries, start-up scripts, configuration files and system utilities. The procedure for building each component is described in detail, guiding the reader through the process of creating a fully functional GNU/Linux embedded operating system.Topics and features: presents a concise overview of the GNU/Linux system, and a detailed review of GNU/Linux filesystems; describes how to build an embedded system to run on a virtual machine, and to run natively on an actual processor; introduces the concept of the compiler toolchain, demonstrating how to develop a cross toolchain so that programs can be built on a range of different architectures; discusses the ARM-based platforms BeagleBone and Raspberry Pi; explains how to build OpenWRT firmware images for OMxP Open-mesh devices and the Dragino MS14 series.Ideal for undergraduate and graduate level students studying operating systems, the book will also prove to be highly useful to industry professionals involved in this area.