The Device Tree (DT) is an easy-to-read hardware description file, with a JSON-like formatting style, which is a simple tree structure where devices are represented by nodes with their properties. Properties can be either empty (just the key, to describe Boolean values), or key-value pairs where the value can contain an arbitrary byte stream. This chapter is a simple introduction to the DT. Every kernel subsystem or framework has its own DT binding. We will talk about those specific bindings when we deal with concerned topics. The DT originated from OF, which is a standard endorsed by computer companies, and whose main purpose is defining interfaces for computer firmware systems. That said, you can find more on DT specification at http://www.devicetree.org/. This chapter will cover the basics of DT, such as:

• Naming conventions, as well as aliases...