Binutils and the Linux kernel source finder

Binutils and the Linux kernel source finder

[Dr. David Alan Gilbert]

Hi,
  I am the author of the 'Linux kernel source finder' web page that
lists for each architecture the place to get appropriate Linux kernel
patches - see:
  http://www.treblig.org/Linux_kernel_source_finder.html

  I wish to extend this to include pointers to the best/latest/most
appropriate binutils for each architecture.  I've put links in for x86,
Alpha and MIPS to H.J.Lu's ftp site, since he tests for those 3
platforms prior to release.

  I'd appreciate recommendations and comments from those using binutils
on Linux for other platforms, with links to ftp, cvs or web pages
describing the solutions for those architectures.

Thanks,

Dave

 ---------------- Have a happy GNU millennium! ----------------------   
/ Dr. David Alan Gilbert    | Running GNU/Linux on Alpha,68K| Happy  \ 
\ gro.gilbert @ treblig.org | MIPS,x86,ARM, SPARC and HP-PA | In Hex /
 \ _________________________|_____ http://www.treblig.org   |_______/

Re: Binutils and the Linux kernel source finder

[Erik Andersen]

On Sat Jan 05, 2002 at 06:02:37PM +0000, Dr. David Alan Gilbert wrote:
> Hi,
>   I am the author of the 'Linux kernel source finder' web page that
> lists for each architecture the place to get appropriate Linux kernel
> patches - see:
>   http://www.treblig.org/Linux_kernel_source_finder.html
> 
>   I wish to extend this to include pointers to the best/latest/most
> appropriate binutils for each architecture.  I've put links in for x86,
> Alpha and MIPS to H.J.Lu's ftp site, since he tests for those 3
> platforms prior to release.
> 
>   I'd appreciate recommendations and comments from those using binutils
> on Linux for other platforms, with links to ftp, cvs or web pages
> describing the solutions for those architectures.

Note that uClinux (not ucLinux as on your page) does not natively
run the ELF binary file format, but uses what is called the
"Flat" binary format.  It is structurally much simpler (and
therefore smaller) then ELF, but more importantly, this format
helps us avoid needing to always use PIC and/or do tons of
relocations.

We use an ELF toolchain to create binaries, except the toolchain
is modified such that ld is actually a script which first runs
the real 'ld' to produce an ELF file and then also runs
'elf2flt' to create the flat executable.  

The uClinux toolchains for ARM and m68k (which are the two most
commonly used architectures) are available from 
    http://www.uclinux.org/pub/uClinux/m68k-elf-tools/

Links to toolchains for other arches and _lots_ of help
information can be found at 
    http://home.at/uclinux/

 -Erik

--
Erik B. Andersen             http://codepoet-consulting.com/
--This message was written using 73% post-consumer electrons--

Re: Binutils and the Linux kernel source finder

[Dr. David Alan Gilbert]

* Erik Andersen (andersen@codepoet.org) wrote:

> Note that uClinux (not ucLinux as on your page) does not natively

Oops - fixed that.

> run the ELF binary file format, but uses what is called the
> "Flat" binary format.  It is structurally much simpler (and
> therefore smaller) then ELF, but more importantly, this format
> helps us avoid needing to always use PIC and/or do tons of
> relocations.

OK.

> The uClinux toolchains for ARM and m68k (which are the two most
> commonly used architectures) are available from 
>     http://www.uclinux.org/pub/uClinux/m68k-elf-tools/

OK, I've added that - it could be said that a page entitled
'm68k-elf-tools' is perhaps not the obvious place to find stuff for m68k
and ARM that specifically produces something other than ELF :-)

> 
> Links to toolchains for other arches and _lots_ of help
> information can be found at 
>     http://home.at/uclinux/

Also added - but it breaks Javascript on Mozilla for me, and the menu
doesn't appear at all in Konqueror for me. It also doesn't have a
non-Javascript version - making it useless in simpler browsers.
It does however have a very nice penguin.

Dave

 ---------------- Have a happy GNU millennium! ----------------------   
/ Dr. David Alan Gilbert    | Running GNU/Linux on Alpha,68K| Happy  \ 
\ gro.gilbert @ treblig.org | MIPS,x86,ARM, SPARC and HP-PA | In Hex /
 \ _________________________|_____ http://www.treblig.org   |_______/

Re: Binutils and the Linux kernel source finder

[William Lee Irwin III]

On Sat, Jan 05, 2002 at 06:02:37PM +0000, Dr. David Alan Gilbert wrote:
>   I wish to extend this to include pointers to the best/latest/most
> appropriate binutils for each architecture.  I've put links in for x86,
> Alpha and MIPS to H.J.Lu's ftp site, since he tests for those 3
> platforms prior to release.
> 
>   I'd appreciate recommendations and comments from those using binutils
> on Linux for other platforms, with links to ftp, cvs or web pages
> describing the solutions for those architectures.

Hello, good to hear from you again!

Do you already have a dedicated page up, or are you just going to keep
things there? This sounds like a very useful bit of information to get,
especially given my direct experience with the (lack of) documentation
of this issue, and perhaps worthy of its own microproject...

IIRC on linux-m68k or somewhere someone told me it was binutils-2.9.1
and gcc-2.95.3 for m68k (which I'm sure you've already heard, just
trying to air it out here).

I myself am especially interested in seeing the results of this as I,
too, have a variety of architectures in the house.


Thanks,
Bill

Re: Binutils and the Linux kernel source finder

[Dr. David Alan Gilbert]

* William Lee Irwin III (wli@holomorphy.com) wrote:

> Hello, good to hear from you again!
> 
> Do you already have a dedicated page up, or are you just going to keep
> things there? This sounds like a very useful bit of information to get,
> especially given my direct experience with the (lack of) documentation
> of this issue, and perhaps worthy of its own microproject...

I'm going to keep it on the same page as the kernel source pointers -
have it all in one place.

> IIRC on linux-m68k or somewhere someone told me it was binutils-2.9.1
> and gcc-2.95.3 for m68k (which I'm sure you've already heard, just
> trying to air it out here).

Yeh, I'm using 2.11.92.0.10 binutils and 2.95.4 20011223 (Debian
prerelease) for gcc my self.

> I myself am especially interested in seeing the results of this as I,
> too, have a variety of architectures in the house.

Yes, it can be a bit of a battle at times!

Dave
 ---------------- Have a happy GNU millennium! ----------------------   
/ Dr. David Alan Gilbert    | Running GNU/Linux on Alpha,68K| Happy  \ 
\ gro.gilbert @ treblig.org | MIPS,x86,ARM, SPARC and HP-PA | In Hex /
 \ _________________________|_____ http://www.treblig.org   |_______/