Board support package
lastmod 2025-11-10created 2025-11-102 edits
In embedded systems, a board support package (BSP) is specific support code that makes a board work properly with a real-time operating system. It is usually built together with a bootloader, provides minimal device support for loading the real-time operating system, and refers to the device drivers for all the devices on the hardware board. Some suppliers also provide a root file system, a toolchain, and a configurator for the devices.
About
As the name suggests, a BSP (Board Support Package) can be seen as a bundle of software that makes a Board usable. In more detail, it provides minimal device support for loading the operating system and refers to the drivers for all the devices on the hardware board. Some suppliers provide a root file system, a toolchain for building programs that run on the embedded system, and a configurator for the devices. A BSP generally consists of the following.
Bootloader
A system program that initializes the system hardware and loads the operating system image into RAM; it is strongly hardware-dependent.
OAL (OEM Adaption Layer)
Sits below the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) and supports hardware initialization and management.+ The HAL is an abstraction layer between a computer's hardware and software.
Device Driver
A program that runs as part of the kernel to control specific hardware or devices; each device driver is programmed, integrated into the kernel, and run.
Products
Jetson AGX Thor Developer Kit
See also
- Embedded
- BIOS
- Korean: 통일 확장 펌웨어 인터페이스/Korean: 통합 확장 펌웨어 인터페이스 (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, UEFI)