Port-sparc archive

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index][Old Index]

Re: Cross compiling a program



AGC <agcarver+netbsd%acarver.net@localhost> writes:

> Is there a helpful document somewhere that describes the process of
> cross compiling a program for use under NetBSD/sparc?

I'm not sure.

> I want to compile newer versions of gpsd but the project maintainers
> have switched away from configure scripts to python and SCons, neither
> of which will compile and install for NetBSD/sparc.  I do have,
> however, several Debian/x86 systems that have working versions of both
> of those programs.  I want to be able to compile gpsd on one of those
> Debian systems but generate a NetBSD/sparc binary.

You only need scons on the build system.

I am surprised that python will not build on NetBSD/sparc.  I am pretty
sure I had a test environment for gpsd (pre-scons, post-python) on an
IPX running NetBSD 4.0_STABLE.

> Most of the documentation discusses cross compiling NetBSD itself
> (which I may do later if I can't figure out how to upgrade NetBSD in
> place, but that's a totally different effort that I'm having trouble
> following).

For upgrading, see pkgsrc/sysutils/etcmanage and read very carefully
BUILD-NetBSD and INSTALL-NetBSD.  That encapsulates how I deal with
upgrading.  Note also that boot blocks have compatibility issues, so
that if you update a sparc in place from 1.6 to 6.0 then I think boot
blocks that are 2.0 or newer don't boot 4.0 kernels, but I am fuzzy on
the details.  I think each single-version jump is ok in that the
up-to-date X boot blocks can boot X+1.

> I don't see anything about individual programs that are
> downloaded from source.

To cross-compile from source, do

  full build.sh of NetBSD/sparc, matching version what you are going to
  run.  (I use BUILD-NetBSD, but it just picks defaults that I like,
  mostly.)

  use the cross-compiler toolchain from above, either writing wrapper
  scripts or using the right PATH, or autoconf support.  Note that you
  almost certainly want to use --sysroot to point to the DESTDIR so you
  get the right include files.  You may need to make a directory
  containing cpp, cc, and so on that basically does
    cc --sysroot=/your/destdir $*
  and use that directory as your compiler path.

  [those two steps are not all that hard]

  Make the program you want to build cross-build safe.  Things with gnu
  autoconf are generally pretty close, SCons not so much.
  Cross-building is one of the things gpsd decided not to care about
  when they moved to scons.   I think that was a bad technical decision;
  everyone rants about how autoconf is complicated, but almost always I
  see people propose replacing it with setups that lack out-of-srcdir
  builds, cross builds, support for making  a distfile and running a
  non-srcdir build and make check, etc.

I have never tried to cross-compile python; I am not particularly
optimistic.

Attachment: pgpwJTebdbyoX.pgp
Description: PGP signature



Home | Main Index | Thread Index | Old Index