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ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

resinos.io

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Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#51

Post by alexandros »

joezydeco wrote: post #43
alexandros wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Our model is not a commandment for everyone. There will always be cases where containers don't make sense. However, every new level of abstraction meets this instinctive reaction at first. People didn't want VMs in the data centre messing with their bare metal either, I'll bet. The point of containers is to make updateability easy. To bring embedded software closer in line with what's going on in the cloud. To enable…

"To bring embedded software closer in line with what's going on in the cloud." Can you give some examples of types of software that would benefit from this?

anything that would benefit from a consistent build pipeline, fast deployments, isolated failures, etc etc.

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#52

Post by amorphic »

alexandros wrote: post #4
tostitos1979 wrote: post #3

Very cool stuff! Some boards, like the beaglebone, have specialized hw like PRUs or I2C pins. Is it possible to access these with Docker containers? Also, what is the minimum memory footprint? i.e. how many containers can I fit within say 1 GB.

The version of Docker on the OS right now is 1.10 so the ram footprint of the OS is fairly small. The team is all asleep (being in Berlin and whatnot), but I'd estimate about 50mb is a decent approximation. We're working on getting a newer Docker but its RAM footprint is one of our concerns, though we do have ways forward. The number of containers is kinda a red herring for a couple reasons. For one, you can make a t…

You missed this part of the question: "Some boards, like the beaglebone, have specialized hw like PRUs or I2C pins. Is it possible to access these with Docker containers?"

I'm really interested in the answer also!

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#53

Post by swiley »

derefr wrote: post #15
chapingt wrote: post #7

I always have trouble calling platforms that can run a system of this magnitude "embedded." For some reason I always had the term "single-purpose" linked with the idea of an embedded system. Once you add tons of RAM, a relatively powerful processor, and can only last a couple of hours on a battery--I feel like then it's just a small general purpose computer.

I feel like in modern usage, "embedded" has shifted to refer less to the constraints imposed by size and power and cost (because, increasingly, there aren't any), and more to the extra peripherals present. Basically "working in embedded systems" now means what "robotics" used to mean. Has your thing got always-on sensors, or actuators, or both? Your job title is probably "embedded software developer."

I'm pretty sure one of the DEC PDP series machines used to be common for "embedded" applications in the mid/late 20th century.

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#54

Post by neuromancer2701 »

alexandros wrote: post #41
neuromancer2701 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just added the BeagleBoard X15 to the board support list. Do you anticipate supporting loading the other embedded processors? The BeagleBoard X15 has 2 - Cortex M4s and 2 DSPs but I think a simple case would be the single core dsp on the Beaglebone.

You mean that you tried the image and it worked on the X15? That's fantastic! We hadn't tried the board before. What does support of the other processors entail? Is it a kernel modification? Are you sure the dsp on the Beagle doesn't work? Say hi on the gitter channel ( https://gitter.im/resin-os/chat ) and the resinOS team will be there tomorrow morning (european time) to talk more.

No, I added it to the support request tracker on github.

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#55

Post by joezydeco »

alexandros wrote: post #51
joezydeco wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"To bring embedded software closer in line with what's going on in the cloud." Can you give some examples of types of software that would benefit from this?

anything that would benefit from a consistent build pipeline, fast deployments, isolated failures, etc etc.

Sorry, I'm a long-time embedded developer and that's gibberish to me.

We don't deploy fast. We deploy once.

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#56

Post by pharkmillups »

noonespecial wrote: post #37
creshal wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A movement away from Arduino might be around the corner if there is something as accessible but much more powerful available. The block is no doubt "power management" - suspending/hibernating Linux boards for battery operation etc... What are RasPi and similar boards lacking? Power management? Not enough GPIO pins?

>What are RasPi and similar boards lacking? Power management? Not enough GPIO pins? For me its the ability to "blink" (sleep a designated time and then re-awaken for a brief burst of activity) and so perform some task for 6 months straight on a pair of alkaline AA batteries.

If you're looking for a sensor platform that will let you quickly deploy a sensor that will run for a few years on a pair of AAs, check out what we're putting together at Helium [1]. We just rolled out the presale of our Helium Atom Development Board [2] which uses the Atom - our drop in connectivity and compute module - as the basis for a sensor development board that is actually fit for production. The OS that runs on the module - cleverly named Helium OS [3] - is the basis for our edge programmability and abstracts the annoying, hard things like battery/power management, wireless, and security. Also OTA upgrades are built in. :)

mark@helium.com

[1] helium.com [2] https://store.helium.com/ [3] https://www.helium.com/helium-os/

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#57

Post by CamperBob2 »

After about 30 seconds or so your device should be up and connected to your local network, you should see it broadcasting itself as resin.local.

Why does it take so long to boot? Is it limited by the speed of the SD card? I wonder how it would do on a Zynq platform with QSPI flash.

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#58

Post by alexandros »

joezydeco wrote: post #55
alexandros wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

anything that would benefit from a consistent build pipeline, fast deployments, isolated failures, etc etc.

Sorry, I'm a long-time embedded developer and that's gibberish to me. We don't deploy fast. We deploy once.

We used to release anually in the data centre too. If the benefits of incremental and iterative deployment don't move you, consider all the iot security issues recently. And if that doesnt do it either, consider NASA's Mars rovers, Tesla, nest, and the multitude other embedded products that use updating to great effect. You may disagree, but gibberish is a bit harsh don't you think?

Re: ResinOS, run Docker containers on embedded devices

#60

Post by alexandros »

amorphic wrote: post #52
alexandros wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The version of Docker on the OS right now is 1.10 so the ram footprint of the OS is fairly small. The team is all asleep (being in Berlin and whatnot), but I'd estimate about 50mb is a decent approximation. We're working on getting a newer Docker but its RAM footprint is one of our concerns, though we do have ways forward. The number of containers is kinda a red herring for a couple reasons. For one, you can make a t…

You missed this part of the question: "Some boards, like the beaglebone, have specialized hw like PRUs or I2C pins. Is it possible to access these with Docker containers?" I'm really interested in the answer also!

I don't think resinOS affects that either way, but I will check and come back to you in a few hrs as the team in Europe wakes up.
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