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@@ -1,20 +1,20 @@
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One of the biggest challenges to getting started with embedded devices is that you
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just can't install a copy of Linux and expect to be able to compile a firmware.
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-Even if you did remember to install a compiler and every development tool offered,
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+Even if you did remember to install a compiler and every development tool offered,
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you still wouldn't have the basic set of tools needed to produce a firmware image.
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The embedded device represents an entirely new hardware platform, which is
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-incompatible with the hardware on your development machine, so in a process called
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+incompatible with the hardware on your development machine, so in a process called
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cross compiling you need to produce a new compiler capable of generating code for
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-your embedded platform, and then use it to compile a basic Linux distribution to
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+your embedded platform, and then use it to compile a basic Linux distribution to
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run on your device.
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-The process of creating a cross compiler can be tricky, it's not something that's
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-regularly attempted and so the there's a certain amount of mystery and black magic
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+The process of creating a cross compiler can be tricky, it's not something that's
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+regularly attempted and so the there's a certain amount of mystery and black magic
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associated with it. In many cases when you're dealing with embedded devices you'll
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-be provided with a binary copy of a compiler and basic libraries rather than
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-instructions for creating your own -- it's a time saving step but at the same time
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-often means you'll be using a rather dated set. Likewise, it's also common to be
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-provided with a patched copy of the Linux kernel from the board or chip vendor,
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+be provided with a binary copy of a compiler and basic libraries rather than
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+instructions for creating your own -- it's a time saving step but at the same time
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+often means you'll be using a rather dated set. Likewise, it's also common to be
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+provided with a patched copy of the Linux kernel from the board or chip vendor,
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but this is also dated and it can be difficult to spot exactly what has been
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changed to make the kernel run on the embedded platform.
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@@ -22,17 +22,17 @@ changed to make the kernel run on the embedded platform.
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OpenWrt takes a different approach to building a firmware, downloading, patching
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and compiling everything from scratch, including the cross compiler. Or to put it
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-in simpler terms, OpenWrt doesn't contain any executables or even sources, it's an
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-automated system for downloading the sources, patching them to work with the given
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+in simpler terms, OpenWrt doesn't contain any executables or even sources, it's an
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+automated system for downloading the sources, patching them to work with the given
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platform and compiling them correctly for the platform. What this means is that
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just by changing the template, you can change any step in the process.
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-As an example, if a new kernel is released, a simple change to one of the Makefiles
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+As an example, if a new kernel is released, a simple change to one of the Makefiles
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will download the latest kernel, patch it to run on the embedded platform and produce
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-a new firmware image -- there's no work to be done trying to track down an unmodified
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-copy of the existing kernel to see what changes had been made, the patches are
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-already provided and the process ends up almost completely transparent. This doesn't
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+a new firmware image -- there's no work to be done trying to track down an unmodified
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+copy of the existing kernel to see what changes had been made, the patches are
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+already provided and the process ends up almost completely transparent. This doesn't
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just apply to the kernel, but to anything included with OpenWrt -- It's this one
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simple understated concept which is what allows OpenWrt to stay on the bleeding edge
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with the latest compilers, latest kernels and latest applications.
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@@ -58,14 +58,14 @@ which can be used to monitor svn commits and browse the sources.
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There are four key directories in the base:
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\begin{itemize}
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- \item tools
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- \item toolchain
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- \item package
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- \item target
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+ \item tools
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+ \item toolchain
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+ \item package
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+ \item target
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\end{itemize}
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\texttt{tools} and \texttt{toolchain} refer to common tools which will be
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-used to build the firmware image and the compiler and c library.
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+used to build the firmware image and the compiler and c library.
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The result of this is three new directories, \texttt{tool\_build}, which is a temporary
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directory for building the target independent tools, \texttt{toolchain\_build\_\textit{<arch>}}
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which is used for building the toolchain for a specific architecture, and
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@@ -73,13 +73,13 @@ which is used for building the toolchain for a specific architecture, and
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You won't need to do anything with the toolchain directory unless you intend to
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add a new version of one of the components above.
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-\texttt{package} is for exactly that -- packages. In an OpenWrt firmware, almost everything
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+\texttt{package} is for exactly that -- packages. In an OpenWrt firmware, almost everything
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is an \texttt{.ipk}, a software package which can be added to the firmware to provide new
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features or removed to save space.
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\texttt{target} refers to the embedded platform, this contains items which are specific to
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-a specific embedded platform. Of particular interest here is the "\texttt{target/linux}"
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-directory which is broken down by platform and contains the kernel config and patches
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+a specific embedded platform. Of particular interest here is the "\texttt{target/linux}"
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+directory which is broken down by platform and contains the kernel config and patches
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to the kernel for a particular platform. There's also the "\texttt{target/image}" directory
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which describes how to package a firmware for a specific platform.
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@@ -95,20 +95,20 @@ simple enough that an inexperienced end user can easily build his or her own cus
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Running the command "\texttt{make menuconfig}" will bring up OpenWrt's configuration menu
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screen, through this menu you can select which platform you're targeting, which versions of
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-the toolchain you want to use to build and what packages you want to install into the
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-firmware image. Similar to the linux kernel config, almost every option has three choices,
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+the toolchain you want to use to build and what packages you want to install into the
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+firmware image. Similar to the linux kernel config, almost every option has three choices,
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\texttt{y/m/n} which are represented as follows:
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\begin{itemize}
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- \item{\texttt{<*>} (pressing y)} \\
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- This will be included in the firmware image
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- \item{\texttt{<M>} (pressing m)} \\
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- This will be compiled but not included (for later install)
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- \item{\texttt{< >} (pressing n)} \\
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- This will not be compiled
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+ \item{\texttt{<*>} (pressing y)} \\
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+ This will be included in the firmware image
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+ \item{\texttt{<M>} (pressing m)} \\
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+ This will be compiled but not included (for later install)
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+ \item{\texttt{< >} (pressing n)} \\
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+ This will not be compiled
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\end{itemize}
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-After you've finished with the menu configuration, exit and when prompted, save your
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+After you've finished with the menu configuration, exit and when prompted, save your
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configuration changes. To begin compiling the firmware, type "\texttt{make}". By default
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OpenWrt will only display a high level overview of the compile process and not each individual
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command.
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@@ -126,10 +126,10 @@ make[4] -C target/utils prepare
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\end{Verbatim}
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This makes it easier to monitor which step it's actually compiling and reduces the amount
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-of noise caused by the compile output. To see the full output, run the command
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+of noise caused by the compile output. To see the full output, run the command
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"\texttt{make V=99}".
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-During the build process, buildroot will download all sources to the "\texttt{dl}"
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+During the build process, buildroot will download all sources to the "\texttt{dl}"
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directory and will start patching and compiling them in the "\texttt{build\_\textit{<arch>}}"
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directory. When finished, the resulting firmware will be in the "\texttt{bin}" directory
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and packages will be in the "\texttt{bin/packages}" directory.
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@@ -143,8 +143,8 @@ incredibly easy to port software to OpenWrt. If you look at a typical package di
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in OpenWrt you'll find two things:
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\begin{itemize}
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- \item \texttt{package/\textit{<name>}/Makefile}
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- \item \texttt{package/\textit{<name>}/patches}
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+ \item \texttt{package/\textit{<name>}/Makefile}
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+ \item \texttt{package/\textit{<name>}/patches}
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\end{itemize}
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The patches directory is optional and typically contains bug fixes or optimizations to
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@@ -193,9 +193,9 @@ define Build/Configure
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endef
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define Package/bridge/install
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- install -m0755 -d $(1)/usr/sbin
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- install -m0755 $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/brctl/brctl \
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- $(1)/usr/sbin/
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+ install -m0755 -d $(1)/usr/sbin
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+ install -m0755 $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/brctl/brctl \
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+ $(1)/usr/sbin/
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endef
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$(eval $(call BuildPackage,bridge))
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@@ -206,32 +206,32 @@ As you can see, there's not much work to be done; everything is hidden in other
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and abstracted to the point where you only need to specify a few variables.
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\begin{itemize}
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_NAME} \\
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- The name of the package, as seen via menuconfig and ipkg
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_VERSION} \\
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- The upstream version number that we're downloading
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_RELEASE} \\
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- The version of this package Makefile
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_BUILD\_DIR} \\
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- Where to compile the package
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_SOURCE} \\
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- The filename of the original sources
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_SOURCE\_URL} \\
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- Where to download the sources from
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_MD5SUM} \\
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- A checksum to validate the download
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- \item \texttt{PKG\_CAT} \\
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- How to decompress the sources (zcat, bzcat, unzip)
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_NAME} \\
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+ The name of the package, as seen via menuconfig and ipkg
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_VERSION} \\
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+ The upstream version number that we're downloading
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_RELEASE} \\
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+ The version of this package Makefile
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_BUILD\_DIR} \\
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+ Where to compile the package
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_SOURCE} \\
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+ The filename of the original sources
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_SOURCE\_URL} \\
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+ Where to download the sources from
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_MD5SUM} \\
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+ A checksum to validate the download
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+ \item \texttt{PKG\_CAT} \\
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+ How to decompress the sources (zcat, bzcat, unzip)
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\end{itemize}
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The \texttt{PKG\_*} variables define where to download the package from;
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-\texttt{@SF} is a special keyword for downloading packages from sourceforge.
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+\texttt{@SF} is a special keyword for downloading packages from sourceforge.
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The md5sum is used to verify the package was downloaded correctly and
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\texttt{PKG\_BUILD\_DIR} defines where to find the package after the sources are
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uncompressed into \texttt{\$(BUILD\_DIR)}.
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At the bottom of the file is where the real magic happens, "BuildPackage" is a macro
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-setup by the earlier include statements. BuildPackage only takes one argument directly --
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+setup by the earlier include statements. BuildPackage only takes one argument directly --
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the name of the package to be built, in this case "\texttt{bridge}". All other information
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is taken from the define blocks. This is a way of providing a level of verbosity, it's
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inherently clear what the contents of the \texttt{description} template in
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@@ -241,28 +241,28 @@ directly as the Nth argument to \texttt{BuildPackage}.
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\texttt{BuildPackage} uses the following defines:
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\textbf{\texttt{Package/\textit{<name>}}:} \\
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- \texttt{\textit{<name>}} matches the argument passed to buildroot, this describes
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- the package the menuconfig and ipkg entries. Within \texttt{Package/\textit{<name>}}
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- you can define the following variables:
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-
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- \begin{itemize}
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- \item \texttt{SECTION} \\
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- The type of package (currently unused)
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- \item \texttt{CATEGORY} \\
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- Which menu it appears in menuconfig
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- \item \texttt{TITLE} \\
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- A short description of the package
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- \item \texttt{URL} \\
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- Where to find the original software
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- \item \texttt{MAINTAINER} (optional) \\
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- Who to contact concerning the package
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- \item \texttt{DEPENDS} (optional) \\
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- Which packages must be built/installed before this package
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- \end{itemize}
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+ \texttt{\textit{<name>}} matches the argument passed to buildroot, this describes
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+ the package the menuconfig and ipkg entries. Within \texttt{Package/\textit{<name>}}
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+ you can define the following variables:
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+
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+ \begin{itemize}
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+ \item \texttt{SECTION} \\
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+ The type of package (currently unused)
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+ \item \texttt{CATEGORY} \\
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+ Which menu it appears in menuconfig
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+ \item \texttt{TITLE} \\
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+ A short description of the package
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+ \item \texttt{URL} \\
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+ Where to find the original software
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+ \item \texttt{MAINTAINER} (optional) \\
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+ Who to contact concerning the package
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+ \item \texttt{DEPENDS} (optional) \\
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+ Which packages must be built/installed before this package
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+ \end{itemize}
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\textbf{\texttt{Package/\textit{<name>}/conffiles} (optional):} \\
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A list of config files installed by this package, one file per line.
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-
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+
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\textbf{\texttt{Build/Prepare} (optional):} \\
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A set of commands to unpack and patch the sources. You may safely leave this
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undefined.
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@@ -279,22 +279,22 @@ directly as the Nth argument to \texttt{BuildPackage}.
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\textbf{\texttt{Package/\textit{<name>}/install}:} \\
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A set of commands to copy files out of the compiled source and into the ipkg
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which is represented by the \texttt{\$(1)} directory.
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-
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+
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The reason that some of the defines are prefixed by "\texttt{Package/\textit{<name>}}"
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and others are simply "\texttt{Build}" is because of the possibility of generating
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-multiple packages from a single source. OpenWrt works under the assumption of one
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+multiple packages from a single source. OpenWrt works under the assumption of one
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source per package makefile, but you can split that source into as many packages as
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-desired. Since you only need to compile the sources once, there's one global set of
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+desired. Since you only need to compile the sources once, there's one global set of
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"\texttt{Build}" defines, but you can add as many "Package/<name>" defines as you want
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by adding extra calls to \texttt{BuildPackage} -- see the dropbear package for an example.
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-After you've created your \texttt{package/\textit{<name>}/Makefile}, the new package
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+After you've created your \texttt{package/\textit{<name>}/Makefile}, the new package
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will automatically show in the menu the next time you run "make menuconfig" and if selected
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will be built automatically the next time "\texttt{make}" is run.
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\subsubsection{Troubleshooting}
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-If you find your package doesn't show up in menuconfig, try the following command to
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+If you find your package doesn't show up in menuconfig, try the following command to
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see if you get the correct description:
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\begin{Verbatim}
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@@ -306,15 +306,15 @@ shortcuts you can take. Instead of waiting for make to get to your package, you
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run one of the following:
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\begin{itemize}
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- \item \texttt{make package/\textit{<name>}-clean V=99}
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- \item \texttt{make package/\textit{<name>}-install V=99}
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+ \item \texttt{make package/\textit{<name>}-clean V=99}
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+ \item \texttt{make package/\textit{<name>}-install V=99}
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\end{itemize}
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Another nice trick is that if the source directory under \texttt{build\_\textit{<arch>}}
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is newer than the package directory, it won't clobber it by unpacking the sources again.
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If you were working on a patch you could simply edit the sources under the
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\texttt{build\_\textit{<arch>}/\textit{<source>}} directory and run the install command above,
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-when satisfied, copy the patched sources elsewhere and diff them with the unpatched
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+when satisfied, copy the patched sources elsewhere and diff them with the unpatched
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sources. A warning though - if you go modify anything under \texttt{package/\textit{<name>}}
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it will remove the old sources and unpack a fresh copy.
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