debugging embedded system
 

I am a novice embedded engineer I plan to purchase board and run embedded linux. I haven seen embedded board with rs232 port for debugging. what are my options for debugging? is USB and option? I plan on using unbuntu linux.

It depends entirely on what board you purchase and what kind of development you'll be doing.

As much as I tout Ubuntu for recreational use, I do NOT recommend Ubuntu for embedded.

Beagle boards are good for starters, ARM processors. There are versions of the board which have serial, USB, network interfaces, maybe even video so that you can hook up a monitor if you add extra hardware.

http://beagleboard.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeagleBoard

First you should search proper about Embedded Linux Distributions, take a look at here.
http://elinux.org/Embedded_Linux_Distributions

Then you should search for board according to your requirement.
http://eda360insider.wordpress.com/2...want-the-list/