Kubos SDK Cheatsheet

Creating a Project

Run the kubos init -l command followed by the name of your project to bootstrap your Kubos project. This will create a new directory under your current working directory with your project’s name and add the source files for a basic Kubos project (kubos-linux-example).

::

$ kubos init -l linux-project-name # creates a project

Note: Inside of the build system there are several reserved words, which cannot be used as the name of the project. These are test, source, include, yotta_modules and yotta_targets.

The contents of your project directory should look something like this:

$ ls
CONTRIBUTING LICENSE.txt module.json README source yotta_modules yotta_targets

Here is a quick rundown of the files that were generated:

File/folder	Description
project-name	This folder is where header files live
source	This folder is where source files live
test	This folder is where test source files live
module.json	This file is yotta’s module description file
yotta_modules	This directory holds the symlinks for the project’s module dependencies
yotta_targets	This directory holds the symlinks for the available Kubos targets
CONTRIBUTING.md	The doc outlining the process of contributing to a Kubos project
LICENSE.txt	The software license associated with the example project
README.md	The readme for the example project that outlines some of the basic details of the example

Kubos uses the yotta build/module system, which is where this file structure comes from. You can read more about yotta here.

Selecting a Target

Kubos needs to know which target you intend to build for so it can select the proper cross compiler. Kubos currently supports several different targets:

Vendor	Kubos Target	Description
ISIS	kubos-linux-isis-gcc	ISIS-OBC
Pumpkin	kubos-linux-pumpkin-mbm2-gcc	Pumpkin Motherboard Module 2
Beaglebone	kubos-linux-beaglebone-gcc	Beaglebone Black, Rev. C
(Vagrant)	x86-linux-native	Native target for the Kubos Vagrant image

To select a target, use the kubos target command with the appropriate value from the “Kubos Target” column.

For example

$ kubos target kubos-linux-beaglebone-gcc

To see all of the available targets run:

$ kubos target --list

Building a Project

To build a KubOS project, all we need to do is run the kubos build command. The Kubos CLI will read the module.json file, determine what libraries are needed and build them.

Basic build command:

$ kubos build

Build with verbose output:

$ kubos build -- -v

Note: The Kubos CLI commands have their own specific arguments that can be used. There are also global arguments (like --verbose or -v) a double hyphen -- separates the command specific arguments from the global arguments

Clean command:

$ kubos clean

To build a project from scratch run kubos clean to remove all remaining files generated for previous builds followed by kubos build.

Linking Local Modules and Targets

The Kubos SDK comes with all of the latest Kubos modules and targets pre-packaged and pre-linked. If a module or target needs to be modified locally, the CLI comes with the ability to link that local module into the build process.

Modules and Targets

Modules are groups of source code that implement a feature or unit of functionality. Kubos operating systems are split into a number of modules. An example of a Kubos module is the Kubos HAL

Targets are groups of configuration files that allow toolchains to build and cross-compile modules for specific hardware targets. One example of a Kubos target is the Beaglebone Black Target

Linking Modules:

Links are made in two steps - first globally then locally.

By linking a module globally you are making it available to link into any of your projects. By linking the module locally you are including the linked module in your build.

• To link a module globally:

  $ cd .../<module-directory>/
  $ kubos link
  

• To link a module that is already globally linked into a project:

  $ cd .../<project-directory>/
  $ kubos link <module name>
  

The next time your project is built it will use your local development module, rather than the packaged version.

Note: To verify where all of your targets are being loaded from kubos list will show you which modules are linked and which are local to your project

Linking Targets:

Custom or modified targets are linked in a very similar way to modules.

Links are made in two steps - first globally then locally.

By linking a target globally you are making it available to link into any of your projects. By linking the target locally you are now able to use the linked target in your build.

• To link a target globally:

  $ cd .../<target-directory>/
  $ kubos link-target
  

• To link a target that is already globally linked into a project:

  $ cd .../<project-directory>/
  $ kubos link-target <target name>
  

• You may now use the standard target command to select the newly linked target:

  $ cd ../<project-directory>/
  $ kubos target <target name>
  

The next time your project is built it will use your local development target, rather than the packaged version.

Note: Running kubos target will show you whether you are using a local or a linked copy of a target

Flashing your Project

Flashing your project using the kubos tool is a relatively straightforward process:

1. Ensure that your board is plugged into your computer. Running the following command will list all of the available devices in your Kubos SDK box.

   $ lsusb
   

2. Run the flash command

   $ kubos flash
   

Note: If your current user does not have read/write permission to your hardware device you may need to run this command as root

$ sudo kubos flash

Debugging your Project

A gdb server must be started to allow your gdb instance to connect and debug directly on your hardware device. After building your project with kubos build the kubos-cli can start a gdb server and gdb instance for you.

Start a gdb server and instance: Note: This may need to run as root depending on your USB device permissions

$ kubos debug

If the debug command is successful you will be prompted with a gdb instance attached to your device and ready to debug!

Note: The kubos debug command is not yet implemented for KubOS Linux projects.