[Buildroot] Converting packages to autotools leading to more in target filesystem

[William Wagner <will_wagner@carallon.com>]

On 19/05/2010 21:35, Lionel Landwerlin wrote:
> Le mercredi 19 mai 2010 ? 14:55 +0100, Will Wagner a ?crit :
>    
>> I have been updating a project to use the latest buildroot from git and
>> I have noticed a change in the size of the target filesystem.
>>
>> This is caused by the conversion of certain packages to use the
>> autotools infrastructure. The two packages in the tree I have noticed it
>> for are libsysfs and libraw1394. These are both libraries and previously
>> the install step for the target just copied the libraries into
>> $(TARGET_DIR)/usr/lib.
>>
>> With the conversion to autotools instead the target install step is
>> calling install-strip on the Makefile in the package source. This
>> correctly installs the library but it also copies a number of test
>> applications that come bundled with the library. For my project where
>> filesystem size is constrained this can cause problems. If a system was
>> not constrained for filesystem size I can see that the test applications
>> could be useful to allow someone to test the library was working correctly.
>>
>> I was easily able to remove the unwanted applications by adding a
>> INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS override for the package as below:
>>
>> --- a/package/libraw1394/libraw1394.mk
>> +++ b/package/libraw1394/libraw1394.mk
>> @@ -8,4 +8,8 @@ LIBRAW1394_SOURCE:=libraw1394-$(LIBRAW1394_VERSION).tar.gz
>>    LIBRAW1394_SITE:=http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/libs/ieee1394/
>>    LIBRAW1394_INSTALL_STAGING=YES
>>
>> +define LIBRAW1394_INSTALL_TARGET_CMDS
>> +       $(MAKE) DESTDIR=$(TARGET_DIR)  install-strip -C
>> $(BUILD_DIR)/libraw1394-$(LIBRAW1394_VERSION)/src
>> +endef
>> +
>>    $(eval $(call AUTOTARGETS,package,libraw1394))
>>
>> This works fine but forces all users to have a cut down install. Is this
>> a problem people think is worth solving? If so I will look at changing
>> it so that the autotools infrastructure can choose (depending on a
>> global config option) to either install the entire package or you can
>> specify make targets that only install some of the package.
>>
>> Will
>>
>>      
> Hello Will,
>
> We already changed that from install-strip to install because some
> package (namely directfb, but this might also be the case for any
> package that installs plugins) does not install its plugins with make
> install-strip...
>    

Looking in package/Makefile.autotools.in here 
http://git.buildroot.net/buildroot/tree/package/Makefile.autotools.in, 
on line 70 it appears to me to say we call install-strip unless 
BR2_ENABLE_DEBUG is set when we call install instead

> So I don't whether we can fix this problem otherwise than the
> "per-package" way (just like you did)...
> At some point (probably if someone works on the package generation), I
> guest we will have to do like OpenEmbedded, and describe for each
> package which files are to be installed (having the advantage to
> generate at the same time developement packages, documentation packages
> as well as standard binary packages).
>    

The generic change to autotools would just add a 
$$(PKG)_INSTALL_TARGET_TARGET (or a less confusing name if I could think 
of one) option which by default would be empty and so you would get 
current behaviour. Then specific packages could override the setting.

If no one is very interested I will leave it that I modify packages.

Will

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will Wagner                                     will_wagner at carallon.com
Development Manager                      Office Tel: +44 (0)20 7371 2032
Carallon Ltd, Studio G20, Shepherds Building, Rockley Rd, London W14 0DA
------------------------------------------------------------------------