[Buildroot] Documentation question

[Buildroot] Documentation question

[Grant Edwards]

I've been reading the "buildroot usage and documentation"
document over the past couple days, and in order to not be a
complete leech, I'm fixing various minor problems (typos,
spelling, punctuation, usage, grammar, etc.) and will submmit a
patch when I've finished.

However, I've run across one paragraph where I think the actual
content could use a tweak, and I thought I should ask about it
before making a change.  In the section "Using Buildroot"
there's a paragraph that describes what the top-level "make"
does:

   $ make

     This command will download, configure and compile all the
     selected tools, and finally generate a toolchain, a root
     filesystem image and a kernel image (or only one of these
     elements, depending on the configuration). 

Doesn't the toolchain have to be generated _before_ the
selected tools are configured and compiled?

IOW, "generate a toolchain" seems to me to be in the wrong
place in the sequence.  Right?

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! I just forgot my whole
                                  at               philosophy of life!!!
                               visi.com            

[Buildroot] Documentation question

[Grant Edwards]

On 2009-12-09, Grant Edwards <grant.b.edwards@gmail.com> wrote:

> I've been reading the "buildroot usage and documentation"
> document over the past couple days, and in order to not be a
> complete leech, I'm fixing various minor problems (typos,
> spelling, punctuation, usage, grammar, etc.) and will submmit a
> patch when I've finished.
>
> However, I've run across one paragraph where I think the actual
> content could use a tweak, and I thought I should ask about it
> before making a change.

Another question on content -- the doc says

  Buildroot optionally honors some environment variables that
  are passed to make:
  
    HOSTCXX, the host C++ compiler to use
    HOSTCC, the host C compiler to use
    UCLIBC_CONFIG_FILE [...]

From what I've been able to figure out, honoring those is not
an option.  Aren't they're always honored?  If honoring those
is optional, how/where is that option configured?

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow! An Italian is COMBING
                                  at               his hair in suburban DES
                               visi.com            MOINES!

[Buildroot] Documentation question

[Michael S. Zick]

On Wed December 9 2009, Grant Edwards wrote:
> I've been reading the "buildroot usage and documentation"
> document over the past couple days, and in order to not be a
> complete leech, I'm fixing various minor problems (typos,
> spelling, punctuation, usage, grammar, etc.) and will submmit a
> patch when I've finished.
> 
> However, I've run across one paragraph where I think the actual
> content could use a tweak, and I thought I should ask about it
> before making a change.  In the section "Using Buildroot"
> there's a paragraph that describes what the top-level "make"
> does:
> 
>    $ make
> 
>      This command will download, configure and compile all the
>      selected tools, and finally generate a toolchain, a root
>      filesystem image and a kernel image (or only one of these
>      elements, depending on the configuration). 
> 
> Doesn't the toolchain have to be generated _before_ the
> selected tools are configured and compiled?
> 

Just needs some clarification.

"Generate toolchain" in the sentence seems to mean a native
toolchain (which Buildroot can do - similar to any other package).

What you are referring too seems to be an cross-compile toolchain.
Which does not seem to be mentioned (or maybe the native toolchain isn't mentioned).

*) Downloads (either as required, or pre-downloads all (make source))
*) Configures cross-compile toolchain
*) Builds cross-compile toolchain
*) Builds selected packages (optional)
*) Builds a native toolchain (optional, like any other "package")
*) Builds a kernel image (optional)
*) Creates a root filesystem in selectable forms (filesystem, archive, ...)

Or something close to that - notice two (2) "toolchains"

Mike
> IOW, "generate a toolchain" seems to me to be in the wrong
> place in the sequence.  Right?
> 

[Buildroot] Documentation question

[Grant Edwards]

On 2009-12-09, Michael S. Zick <minimod@morethan.org> wrote:
> On Wed December 9 2009, Grant Edwards wrote:

>> I've been reading the "buildroot usage and documentation"
>> document over the past couple days, and in order to not be a
>> complete leech, I'm fixing various minor problems (typos,
>> spelling, punctuation, usage, grammar, etc.) and will submmit
>> a patch when I've finished.
>> 
>> However, I've run across one paragraph where I think the
>> actual content could use a tweak, and I thought I should ask
>> about it before making a change.  In the section "Using
>> Buildroot" there's a paragraph that describes what the
>> top-level "make" does:
>> 
>>    $ make
>> 
>>      This command will download, configure and compile all the
>>      selected tools, and finally generate a toolchain, a root
>>      filesystem image and a kernel image (or only one of these
>>      elements, depending on the configuration). 
>> 
>> Doesn't the toolchain have to be generated _before_ the
>> selected tools are configured and compiled?
>
> Just needs some clarification.
>
> "Generate toolchain" in the sentence seems to mean a native
> toolchain

Ah, it hadn't occurred to me that what was meant was the native
toolchain.

> (which Buildroot can do - similar to any other package).

Of course.

> What you are referring too seems to be an cross-compile
> toolchain.

Indeed. I was assuming that the toolchain mentioned was the
cross toolchain since the target-native toolchain is treated
like any other target package.

> Which does not seem to be mentioned (or maybe the native
> toolchain isn't mentioned).
>
> *) Downloads (either as required, or pre-downloads all (make source))
> *) Configures cross-compile toolchain
> *) Builds cross-compile toolchain
> *) Builds selected packages (optional)
> *) Builds a native toolchain (optional, like any other "package")
> *) Builds a kernel image (optional)
> *) Creates a root filesystem in selectable forms (filesystem, archive, ...)
>
> Or something close to that - notice two (2) "toolchains"

Right.  I'll re-write that paragraph to use that list of steps.

Just for the sake of curiosity, how often do people generate a
target-native toolchain with buildroot?  [I don't think any of
the platforms I work with would have the resources available to
use one.]

-- 
Grant

[Buildroot] Documentation question

[Michael S. Zick]

On Wed December 9 2009, Grant Edwards wrote:
> On 2009-12-09, Michael S. Zick <minimod@morethan.org> wrote:
> > On Wed December 9 2009, Grant Edwards wrote:
> 
> >> I've been reading the "buildroot usage and documentation"
> >> document over the past couple days, and in order to not be a
> >> complete leech, I'm fixing various minor problems (typos,
> >> spelling, punctuation, usage, grammar, etc.) and will submmit
> >> a patch when I've finished.
> >> 
> >> However, I've run across one paragraph where I think the
> >> actual content could use a tweak, and I thought I should ask
> >> about it before making a change.  In the section "Using
> >> Buildroot" there's a paragraph that describes what the
> >> top-level "make" does:
> >> 
> >>    $ make
> >> 
> >>      This command will download, configure and compile all the
> >>      selected tools, and finally generate a toolchain, a root
> >>      filesystem image and a kernel image (or only one of these
> >>      elements, depending on the configuration). 
> >> 
> >> Doesn't the toolchain have to be generated _before_ the
> >> selected tools are configured and compiled?
> >
> > Just needs some clarification.
> >
> > "Generate toolchain" in the sentence seems to mean a native
> > toolchain
> 
> Ah, it hadn't occurred to me that what was meant was the native
> toolchain.
> 
> > (which Buildroot can do - similar to any other package).
> 
> Of course.
> 
> > What you are referring too seems to be an cross-compile
> > toolchain.
> 
> Indeed. I was assuming that the toolchain mentioned was the
> cross toolchain since the target-native toolchain is treated
> like any other target package.
> 
> > Which does not seem to be mentioned (or maybe the native
> > toolchain isn't mentioned).
> >
> > *) Downloads (either as required, or pre-downloads all (make source))
> > *) Configures cross-compile toolchain
> > *) Builds cross-compile toolchain
> > *) Builds selected packages (optional)
> > *) Builds a native toolchain (optional, like any other "package")
> > *) Builds a kernel image (optional)
> > *) Creates a root filesystem in selectable forms (filesystem, archive, ...)
> >
> > Or something close to that - notice two (2) "toolchains"
> 
> Right.  I'll re-write that paragraph to use that list of steps.
> 
> Just for the sake of curiosity, how often do people generate a
> target-native toolchain with buildroot?  [I don't think any of
> the platforms I work with would have the resources available to
> use one.]
> 

I tried just prior to 2009.11 - it seemed broke then for MIPS but
that was very early in my using Buildroot.

The system(s) I am building are after-market systems for Media
Players . . .

Which often have Tetrabytes of user-attached storage.
The processors are usually 400-650Mhz MIPS cores with at least
128Mbyte of ram, turn on swap...
Yeah, they can "self host".
Over here: http://MiniModding.com

Mike