PTXdist - Reproducable Embedded Linux Systems

What is the best way to build a Linux distribution for an embedded system in a reproducable way, caring about long term maintenance and small footprint?

PTXdist is a GPL licensed build system for userlands, started by Pengutronix. It uses the Kconfig configuration system from the Linux kernel.

Although PTXdist (without patches) still fits on one disc, a whole root filesystem can be built as easy as "ptxdist go".

"Executable Documentation"

PTXdist is no 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 sources. PTXdist is considered to be "executable documentation", which means that the steps necessary to build a target system are put into scripts which can be easily reviewed, but also executed with one click by a less experienced user.

Current Revision

The current release of PTXdist is 2012.01.0

Documentation: In this section you'll find PTXdist application notes, the FAQ and the list of known issues for released versions.

Download Area: This is where all current and old versions of PTXdist can be found, as well as the patch stacks for released revisions.

GIT: The development of PTXdist is performed on the GIT server. Here you can checkout the current revision.

Patch System: Often the original sources have to be modified to be able to cross compile them. PTXdist has a patch repository, storing the necessary patches until they are integrated upstream.