The Trials and Tribulations with GLIBC: An Exploration of Cross-Compiling for Embedded Linux

Use of embedded Linux has exploded over the last decade from use on Mars to the ever-present RaspberryPI! Buried in the shadows of this success deep below all the splashy UIs lies GLIBC, the core GNU implementation of the C library. GLIBC has been a boon to Linux but comes with a toll when attempting to cross-compile code for embedded Linux systems.

In this talk, we’ll explore the idea of cross-compiling and why it is important in embedded systems. We’ll then introduce problems caused by GLIBC when cross-compiling, and why these problems arise. Finally, we’ll cover several different techniques we can use when cross-compiling for embedded Linux to mitigate or avoid these issues. This talk is intended for users who have some experience with embedded Linux and embedded C/C++ development.