Linux Kernel and Driver Development Services | Integra Sources

Linux Kernel and Driver Development Services

Peripheral integration for Linux-based devices.

What we do

What’s included

What we do

Our team at Integra Sources has hands-on experience modifying and customizing Linux kernel, building device drivers and integrating periphery. We work with chip-powered devices, electronics, and robotics.

What's included?

We provide Linux kernel and driver development services for clients looking to develop built-in or user-space drivers for their distribution of choice or integrate peripherals into their embedded systems.

Peripheral integration

If you need to incorporate your embedded Linux device with some peripherals on your custom PCB, we can handle this in a fast and easy manner. We write and install drivers for various peripheral devices required for your embedded system using two types of integrations: kernel-mode and user-mode.

Kernel module development

For some performance-critical real-time applications, interacting with hardware requires access to specific information in the system. For these situations, we develop kernel modules. A kernel module is a piece of code that is directly inserted into the Linux kernel. It has access to everything in the system and operates at the highest possible speed.

User-space Linux driver development

For end-user programs and GUI-based applications, we build user-space Linux drivers. These drivers communicate with the device through kernel supported functions. Performance of user-space drivers will not be as high as the performance of drivers running in the kernel.

Check out our recent case study

Kernel and driver development Embedded hardware development IoT Smart home Linux

A Control Panel for IoT-Based Smart Home Automation System

The project consisted of hardware development for three printed circuit boards, embedded software development for a custom Linux image, and driver development for different modules of the smart home system.

We've helped more than 40 companies and individuals build solutions used by millions of people

How we work

Check out the table below to learn more about how we work and where your involvement is most needed depending on the type of collaboration model.

AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

PROJECT-BASED OUTSOURCING

DEDICATED DEVELOPMENT TEAM

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

YOU

SHARED

YOU

ENGINEERING

INTEGRA

INTEGRA

INTEGRA

DEVELOPMENT

INTEGRA

INTEGRA

INTEGRA

TESTING

INTEGRA

SHARED

SHARED

DELIVERY MANAGEMENT

SHARED

SHARED

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Frequently Asked Questions

Read this information to better understand the process of Linux kernel and driver development.

Can you build one driver for all versions of the kernel?

Unfortunately, at present, there is no single driver that will fit all the different versions of the kernel. If a new version of the kernel is compatible with the previous one, it might be enough to make a few tweaks to the driver. If it's not compatible, we might need to rewrite the driver completely.

Can you integrate a driver into the mainline kernel?

Yes! If it makes sense. If you're going to sell your device worldwide or if there is a large demand for your device or the functionality it offers, we can integrate the driver with the mainline kernel so people around the world can easily find and install it.

How do you configure a driver?

A driver is configured in the device tree. It's a special file needed to enable and set up the driver. It is used by Linux kernel for managing hardware components.

Can a kernel module be used with different kernel versions?

A binary module can’t be used with different versions of the kernel. It must be compiled for a specific version. But the source code may be compatible with different kernel versions. If you have the source code, we can install the module using the "compile by install" method where we build the module for a new Linux version.

How does an app connect to a driver?

A good way is to create a file in the "/dev" directory. System calls like read, write, ioctl (input.output control) may be used. The file appears in the file system after we have configured a driver in the device tree.

Can I communicate with a device without a driver?

The Linux kernel has pre-installed drivers for some popular standard interfaces such as SPI, I2C, USB etc. You can control the device in the user-space using these interfaces.

Do you provide driver testing services?

Sure! The drivers you get are fully tested by our team. We run automated tests for software drivers and also use manual testing methods.