* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_STAGING_OPT+ contains the make options
used to install the package to the staging directory. By default, the
- value is +DESTDIR=$$(STAGING_DIR) install+, which is
+ value is +DESTDIR=$(STAGING_DIR) install+, which is
correct for most autotools packages. It is still possible to override
it.
* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_TARGET_OPT+ contains the make options
used to install the package to the target directory. By default, the
- value is +DESTDIR=$$(TARGET_DIR) install+. The default
+ value is +DESTDIR=$(TARGET_DIR) install+. The default
value is correct for most autotools packages, but it is still possible
to override it if needed.
* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_STAGING_OPT+ contains the make options used to
install the package to the staging directory. By default, the value
- is +DESTDIR=$$(STAGING_DIR) install+, which is correct for most
+ is +DESTDIR=$(STAGING_DIR) install+, which is correct for most
CMake packages. It is still possible to override it.
* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_TARGET_OPT+ contains the make options used to
install the package to the target directory. By default, the value
- is +DESTDIR=$$(TARGET_DIR) install+. The default value is correct
+ is +DESTDIR=$(TARGET_DIR) install+. The default value is correct
for most CMake packages, but it is still possible to override it if
needed.
according to the compilation process required by the package.
If you package software that might be useful for other people, don't
-forget to send a patch to Buildroot developers!
+forget to send a patch to the Buildroot mailing list!
your software, for example +libfoo+.
Some packages have been grouped by topic in a sub-directory:
-+multimedia+, +java+, +x11r7+, and +games+. If your package fits in
++multimedia+, +x11r7+, +efl+ and +matchbox+. If your package fits in
one of these categories, then create your package directory in these.
Examples: +
+LIBFOO_SITE=http://www.libfoosoftware.org/libfoo+ +
+LIBFOO_SITE=http://svn.xiph.org/trunk/Tremor/+ +
- +LIBFOO_SITE=git://github.com/kergoth/tslib.git+
- +LIBFOO_SITE=/opt/software/libfoo.tar.gz+
+ +LIBFOO_SITE=git://github.com/kergoth/tslib.git+ +
+ +LIBFOO_SITE=/opt/software/libfoo.tar.gz+ +
+LIBFOO_SITE=$(TOPDIR)/../src/libfoo/+
* +LIBFOO_SITE_METHOD+ determines the method used to fetch or copy the
name) that are required for the current target package to
compile. These dependencies are guaranteed to be compiled and
installed before the configuration of the current package starts. In
- a similar way, +HOST_LIBFOO_DEPENDENCIES+ lists the dependency for
+ a similar way, +HOST_LIBFOO_DEPENDENCIES+ lists the dependencies for
the current host package.
* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_STAGING+ can be set to +YES+ or +NO+ (default). If
Now, the variables that define what should be performed at the
different steps of the build process.
-* +LIBFOO_CONFIGURE_CMDS+, used to list the actions to be performed to
- configure the package before its compilation
+* +LIBFOO_CONFIGURE_CMDS+ lists the actions to be performed to
+ configure the package before its compilation.
-* +LIBFOO_BUILD_CMDS+, used to list the actions to be performed to
- compile the package
+* +LIBFOO_BUILD_CMDS+ lists the actions to be performed to
+ compile the package.
-* +HOST_LIBFOO_INSTALL_CMDS+, used to list the actions to be performed
+* +HOST_LIBFOO_INSTALL_CMDS+ lists the actions to be performed
to install the package, when the package is a host package. The
package must install its files to the directory given by
+$(HOST_DIR)+. All files, including development files such as
headers should be installed, since other packages might be compiled
on top of this package.
-* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS+, used to list the actions to be
+* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS+ lists the actions to be
performed to install the package to the target directory, when the
package is a target package. The package must install its files to
the directory given by +$(TARGET_DIR)+. Only the files required for
to the target, if the +development files in target filesystem+
option is selected.
-* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_STAGING_CMDS+, used to list the actions to be
+* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_STAGING_CMDS+ lists the actions to be
performed to install the package to the staging directory, when the
package is a target package. The package must install its files to
the directory given by +$(STAGING_DIR)+. All development files
should be installed, since they might be needed to compile other
packages.
-* +LIBFOO_CLEAN_CMDS+, used to list the actions to perform to clean up
+* +LIBFOO_CLEAN_CMDS+, lists the actions to perform to clean up
the build directory of the package.
-* +LIBFOO_UNINSTALL_TARGET_CMDS+, used to list the actions to
+* +LIBFOO_UNINSTALL_TARGET_CMDS+ lists the actions to
uninstall the package from the target directory +$(TARGET_DIR)+
-* +LIBFOO_UNINSTALL_STAGING_CMDS+, used to list the actions to
+* +LIBFOO_UNINSTALL_STAGING_CMDS+ lists the actions to
uninstall the package from the staging directory +$(STAGING_DIR)+.
-* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_INIT_SYSV+ and +LIBFOO_INSTALL_INIT_SYSTEMD+, used
- to install init scripts either for the systemV-like init systems
+* +LIBFOO_INSTALL_INIT_SYSV+ and +LIBFOO_INSTALL_INIT_SYSTEMD+ list the
+ actions to install init scripts either for the systemV-like init systems
(busybox, sysvinit, etc.) or for the systemd units. These commands
will be run only when the relevant init system is installed (i.e. if
systemd is selected as the init system in the configuration, only
they are provided by the generic infrastructure, they are documented
here. The exception is +LIBFOO_POST_PATCH_HOOKS+. Patching the
package and producing legal info are not user definable, so
-+LIBFOO_POST_PATCH_HOOKS+ and +LIBFOO_POST_LEGAL_INFO_HOOKS+ will be
-userful for generic packages.
++LIBFOO_POST_PATCH_HOOKS+ and +LIBFOO_POST_LEGAL_INFO_HOOKS+ are
+useful for generic packages.
The following hook points are available:
[[github-download-url]]
-How to add package from github
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+How to add a package from github
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If the package has no release version, or its version cannot be
identified using tag, then the sha1 of the particular commit should be
Once you have a known working configuration, run +make
savedefconfig+. This will generate a minimal +defconfig+ file at the
root of the Buildroot source tree. Move this file into the +configs/+
-directory, and rename it +MYBOARD_defconfig+.
+directory, and rename it +BOARDNAME_defconfig+.
It is recommended to use upstream versions of the Linux kernel and
bootloaders where possible, and also to use default kernel and bootloader
long as they use unique output directories.
For ease of use, Buildroot generates a Makefile wrapper in the output
-directory - So after the first run, you no longer need to pass +O=..+
+directory - so after the first run, you no longer need to pass +O=..+
and +-C ..+, simply run (in the output directory):
--------------------
internal toolchain is being built.
+
Note that the uClibc configuration file can also be set from the
- configuration interface, so through the Buildroot .config file; this
+ configuration interface, so through the Buildroot +.config+ file; this
is the recommended way of setting it.
+
* +BUSYBOX_CONFIG_FILE=<path/to/.config>+, path to
the Busybox configuration file.
+
Note that the Busybox configuration file can also be set from the
- configuration interface, so through the Buildroot .config file; this
+ configuration interface, so through the Buildroot +.config+ file; this
is the recommended way of setting it.
+
* +BUILDROOT_DL_DIR+ to override the directory in which
Buildroot stores/retrieves downloaded files
+
Note that the Buildroot download directory can also be set from the
- configuration interface, so through the Buildroot .config file; this
+ configuration interface, so through the Buildroot +.config+ file; this
is the recommended way of setting it.
An example that uses config files located in the toplevel directory and
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Besides changing one or another configuration through +make *config+,
-there are a few ways to customize the resulting target filesystem:
+there are a few ways to customize the resulting target filesystem.
* Customize the target filesystem directly and rebuild the image. The
target filesystem is available under +output/target/+. You can
rebuild the target filesystem image. This method allows you to do
anything to the target filesystem, but if you decide to completely
rebuild your toolchain and tools, these changes will be lost.
- _Changes are not resistent to the +make clean+ command_.
+ _Changes do not survive the +make clean+ command_.
* Create your own 'target skeleton'. You can start with the default
skeleton available under +system/skeleton+ and then customize it to
assembled. The +BR2_ROOTFS_POST_BUILD_SCRIPT+ will allow you to
specify the location of your post-build script. This option can be
found in the +System configuration+ menu. The destination root
- filesystem folder *is given as the first argument to this script,
+ filesystem folder is given as the first argument to this script,
and this script can then be used to copy programs, static data or
any other needed file to your target filesystem. You should,
however, use this feature with care. Whenever you find that a
certain package generates wrong or unneeded files, you should fix
that package rather than work around it with a post-build cleanup
- script. _Among these first 3 methods, this one should be prefere_d.
+ script. _Among these first 3 methods, this one should be preferred_.
* A special package, 'customize', stored in +package/customize+ can be
used. You can put all the files that you want to see in the final
However, it allows to tune major settings, such as:
-* Linux header version
+* Linux headers version;
-* http://www.uclibc.org/[uClibc] configuration (see xref:uclibc-custom[uClibc])
+* http://www.uclibc.org/[uClibc] configuration (see xref:uclibc-custom[uClibc]);
-* Binutils, GCC, Gdb and toolchain options
+* Binutils, GCC, Gdb and toolchain options.
-This is directly available after selecting the +Buildroot toolchain+ type in
+These settings are available after selecting the +Buildroot toolchain+ type in
the menu +Toolchain+.
Using the Crosstool-NG backend
* Gdb and some toolchain options
-Then, the toolchain can be finely tuned invoking +make ctng-menuconfig+.
+Then, the toolchain can be fine-tuned by invoking +make ctng-menuconfig+.
similar to the one used in the Linux kernel or Buildroot,
appears. Make your configuration changes as appropriate.
-* Copy the +$(O)/toolchain/uclibc-VERSION/.config+ file to a different
- place (like +toolchain/uClibc/uClibc-myconfig.config+, or
- +board/mymanufacturer/myboard/uClibc.config+) and adjust the uClibc
- configuration (configuration option +BR2_UCLIBC_CONFIG+) to use this
+* Copy the +$(O)/toolchain/uClibc-VERSION/.config+ file to a different
+ place (e.g. +board/MANUFACTURER/BOARDNAME/uClibc.config+) and adjust
+ the uClibc configuration file option +BR2_UCLIBC_CONFIG+ to refer to this
configuration instead of the default one.
* Run the compilation of Buildroot again.
-Otherwise, you can simply change +toolchain/uClibc/uClibc.config+,
+Otherwise, you can simply change +toolchain/uClibc/uClibc-VERSION.config+,
without running the configuration assistant.
-If you want to use an existing config file for uclibc, then see
+If you want to use an existing config file for uClibc, then see
xref:env-vars[].
You might wonder why such a tool is needed when you can compile +gcc+,
+binutils+, +uClibc+ and all the other tools by hand. Of course doing
-so is possible but, dealing with all of the configure options and
+so is possible, but dealing with all of the configure options and
problems of every +gcc+ or +binutils+ version is very time-consuming
and uninteresting. Buildroot automates this process through the use
of Makefiles and has a collection of patches for each +gcc+ and
* Use a predefined external toolchain profile, and let Buildroot
download, extract and install the toolchain. Buildroot already knows
- about a few CodeSourcery toolchains for ARM, PowerPC, MIPS and
- SuperH. Just select the toolchain profile in +Toolchain+ through the
+ about a few CodeSourcery, Linaro, Blackfin and Xilinx toolchains.
+ Just select the toolchain profile in +Toolchain+ from the
available ones. This is definitely the easiest solution.
* Use a predefined external toolchain profile, but instead of having
toolchain C library+ options. Then, you have to tell Buildroot what
your external toolchain supports. If your external toolchain uses
the 'glibc' library, you only have to tell whether your toolchain
- supports C++ or not. If your external toolchain uses the 'uclibc'
+ supports C\+\+ or not and whether it has built-in RPC support. If
+ your external toolchain uses the 'uClibc'
library, then you have to tell Buildroot if it supports largefile,
IPv6, RPC, wide-char, locale, program invocation, threads and
C++. At the beginning of the execution, Buildroot will tell you if
Our external toolchain support has been tested with toolchains from
-CodeSourcery, toolchains generated by
+CodeSourcery and Linaro, toolchains generated by
http://crosstool-ng.org[crosstool-NG], and toolchains generated by
Buildroot itself. In general, all toolchains that support the
'sysroot' feature should work. If not, do not hesitate to contact the
As mentioned above, Buildroot is basically a set of Makefiles that
download, configure, and compile software with the correct options. It
also includes patches for various software packages - mainly the ones
-involved in the cross-compilation tool chain (+gcc+, +binutils+ and
+involved in the cross-compilation toolchain (+gcc+, +binutils+ and
+uClibc+).
There is basically one Makefile per software package, and they are
Buildroot supports numerous processors and their variants; it also
comes with default configurations for several boards available
off-the-shelf. Besides this, a number of third-party projects are based on,
-or develop their BSP footnote:[BSP: Board Software Package] or
-SDK footnote:[SDK: Standard Development Kit] on top of Buildroot.
+or develop their BSP footnote:[BSP: Board Support Package] or
+SDK footnote:[SDK: Software Development Kit] on top of Buildroot.
Legal notice and licensing
==========================
-Complying with opensource licenses
-----------------------------------
+Complying with open source licenses
+-----------------------------------
All of the end products of Buildroot (toolchain, root filesystem, kernel,
-bootloaders) contain opensource software, released under various licenses.
+bootloaders) contain open source software, released under various licenses.
-Using opensource software gives you the freedom to build rich embedded
+Using open source software gives you the freedom to build rich embedded
systems, choosing from a wide range of packages, but also imposes some
obligations that you must know and honour.
Some licenses require you to publish the license text in the documentation of
* A manifest file listing the configured packages, their version, license and
related information.
Some of this information might not be defined in Buildroot; such items are
- clearly marked as "unknown" or similar.
+ marked as "unknown".
* A +licenses/+ subdirectory, which contains the license text of packages.
If the license file(s) are not defined in Buildroot, the file is not produced
and a warning in the +README+ indicates this.
package licenses. Buildroot does not try to produce the exact material that
you must somehow make public. Certainly, more material is produced than is
needed for a strict legal compliance. For example, it produces the source code
-for packages released under BSD-like licenses, that you might not want to
+for packages released under BSD-like licenses, that you are not required to
redistribute in source form.
Moreover, due to technical limitations, Buildroot does not produce some
material that you will or may need, such as the toolchain source code and the
-Buildroot source code itself.
+Buildroot source code itself (including patches to packages for which source
+distribution is required).
When you run +make legal-info+, Buildroot produces warnings in the +README+
file to inform you of relevant material that could not be saved.
[[legal-info-list-licenses]]
+License abbreviations
+---------------------
+
Here is a list of the licenses that are most widely used by packages in
Buildroot, with the name used in the manifest file:
* +GPL+:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html[
GNU General Public License] (any version);
+* +LGPLv2+:
+ http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.0.html[
+ GNU Library General Public License, version 2];
+* +LGPLv2++:
+ http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.0.html[
+ GNU Library General Public License, version 2.1]
+ or (at your option) any later version;
* +LGPLv2.1+:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/lgpl-2.1.html[
GNU Lesser General Public License, version 2.1];
Complying with the Buildroot license
------------------------------------
-Buildroot itself is an opensource software, released under the
+Buildroot itself is an open source software, released under the
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html[GNU General Public
License, version 2] or (at your option) any later version.
However, being a build system, it is not normally part of the end product:
'make' tips
-----------
-Because Buildroot is a set of Makefiles and patches, there are a few
-things that are useful to know, such as:
+This is a collection of tips that help you make the most of Buildroot.
-+make *config+ commands offer a search tool. Read the help message in
+.Configuration searches:
+
+The +make *config+ commands offer a search tool. Read the help message in
the different frontend menus to know how to use it:
-* in _menuconfig_, search tool is called by pressing +/+;
-* in _xconfig_, search tool is called by pressing +ctrl+ + +f+.
+* in _menuconfig_, the search tool is called by pressing +/+;
+* in _xconfig_, the search tool is called by pressing +Ctrl+ + +f+.
The result of the search shows the help message of the matching items.
-Display all commands executed by make:
+.Display all commands executed by make:
--------------------
- $ make V=0|1 <target>
+ $ make V=1 <target>
--------------------
-Display all available targets:
+.Display all available targets:
--------------------
$ make help
--------------------
-Note that some settings in the +.config+ file may hide some targets:
+.Not all targets are always available,
+
+some settings in the +.config+ file may hide some targets:
+
+* +linux-menuconfig+ and +linux-savedefconfig+ only work when
+ +linux+ is enabled;
+* +uclibc-menuconfig+ is only available when the
+ Buildroot internal toolchain backend is used;
+* +ctng-menuconfig+ is only available when the
+ crosstool-NG backend is used;
+* +barebox-menuconfig+ and +barebox-savedefconfig+ only work when the
+ +barebox+ bootloader is enabled.
+
+.Cleaning:
-* +busybox-menuconfig+ depends on whether +busybox+ is enabled or not
- in the +Package selection+ menu
-* +linux-menuconfig+ and +linux-savedefconfig+ depend on whether
- +linux+ is enabled or not
-* +uclibc-menuconfig+ depends on whether the toolchain uses the
- Buildroot internal toolchain backend or not
-* +ctng-menuconfig+ depends on whether the toolchain uses the
- crosstool-NG backend or not
-* +barebox-menuconfig+ and +barebox-savedefconfig+ depend on whether
- +barebox+ bootloader is enabled or not
+Explicit cleaning is required when any of the architecture or toolchain
+configuration options are changed.
-Delete all build products (including build directories, host, staging
+To delete all build products (including build directories, host, staging
and target trees, the images and the toolchain):
--------------------
$ make clean
--------------------
-Delete all build products as well as the configuration:
+To delete all build products as well as the configuration:
--------------------
$ make distclean
--------------------
-Note that if +ccache+ is enabled, running +make clean|distclean+ does
+Note that if +ccache+ is enabled, running +make clean+ or +distclean+ does
not empty the compiler cache used by Buildroot. To delete it, refer
to xref:ccache[].
There are a few non-trivial blocks here:
- +name+ is the path to the file you want to create/modify
-- +type+ is the type of the file, being one of :
+- +type+ is the type of the file, being one of:
* f: a regular file
* d: a directory
* c: a character device file
------------
While integrating a new package or updating an existing one, it may be
-necessary to patch the source of the software to get it built within
+necessary to patch the source of the software to get it cross-built within
Buildroot.
Buildroot offers an infrastructure to automatically handle this during
-the builds. It supports several ways of applying patch sets:
+the builds. It supports two ways of applying patch sets: downloaded patches
+and patches supplied within buildroot.
Providing patches
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Most patches are provided within Buildroot, in the package
-directory; these typically aim to fix cross-compilation, +libc+ support,
+directory; these typically aim to fix cross-compilation, libc support,
or other such issues.
-These patch files should have the extension +*.patch+.
+These patch files should be named +<packagename>-*.patch+.
A +series+ file, as used by +quilt+, may also be added in the
package directory. In that case, the +series+ file defines the patch
** +which+
** +sed+
-** +make+ (version 3.82 or any later)
+** +make+ (version 3.81 or any later)
** +binutils+
** +build-essential+ (only for Debian based systems)
** +gcc+ (version 2.95 or any later)
* each time the toolchain properties are changed, this includes:
-** after changing some toolchain option under the _Toolchain_ menu (if
+** after changing any toolchain option under the _Toolchain_ menu (if
the internal Buildroot backend is used);
** after running +make ctng-menuconfig+ (if the crosstool-NG backend
is used);
In some cases, a full rebuild is recommended:
* after adding some libraries to the package selection (otherwise,
- some packages that can be optionally linked against those libraries
+ packages that can be optionally linked against those libraries
won't be rebuilt, so they won't support those new available
features).
All of these "make" commands will need to build a configuration
utility (including the interface), so you may need to install
"development" packages for relevant libraries used by the
-configuration utilities. Check the xref:requirement[] to know what
-Buildroot needs, and specifically the xref:requirement-optional[system requirements]
-to get the dependencies of favorite interface.
+configuration utilities. Check xref:requirement[] to know what
+Buildroot needs, and specifically the xref:requirement-optional[optional requirements]
+to get the dependencies of your favorite interface.
For each menu entry in the configuration tool, you can find associated
help that describes the purpose of the entry.
'top-level parallel make'. Instead, use the +BR2_JLEVEL+ option to
tell Buildroot to run each package compilation with +make -jN+.
-This command will generally perform the following steps:
+The `make` command will generally perform the following steps:
-* Download source files (as required)
-* Configure, build and install the cross-compiling toolchain using the
- appropriate toolchain backend, or simply import an external toolchain
-* Build/install selected target packages
-* Build a kernel image, if selected
-* Build a bootloader image, if selected
-* Create a root filesystem in selected formats
+* download source files (as required);
+* configure, build and install the cross-compiling toolchain using the
+ appropriate toolchain backend, or simply import an external toolchain;
+* build/install selected target packages;
+* build a kernel image, if selected;
+* build a bootloader image, if selected;
+* create a root filesystem in selected formats.
Buildroot output is stored in a single directory, +output/+.
This directory contains several subdirectories:
The documentation uses the
http://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc/[asciidoc] format.
-Further details about the http://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc/[asciidoc]
-syntax: refer to http://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc/userguide.html[].
+For further details about the http://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc/[asciidoc]
+syntax, refer to http://www.methods.co.nz/asciidoc/userguide.html[].
projects / buildroot.git / commitdiff