Fcc: +outbox
Subject: Re: how to install -current? 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 21 Jan 2003 18:04:01 EST."
             <20030121230401.85C0C7B4D@berkshire.research.att.com> 
--------
"Steven M. Bellovin" <smb@research.att.com> writes:
> In message <20030121224225.GA3257@mewburn.net>, Luke Mewburn writes:
> >On Tue, Jan 21, 2003 at 04:49:35PM -0500, Steve Bellovin wrote:
> >  | Given the problems sometimes reported in building -current, I prefer to 
> >  | do my compilation while still running the old system, so that I can do 
> >  | other things.
> >  | 
> >  | 	./build.sh -D /usr/netbsd
> >  | 
> >  | (Stand back, wait a while.)
> >
> >This is sensible!  This is, IMNSHO, the ONLY way to update. 
> >You've hit the minor hitch with the scheme ...
> >
> >
> >  | Great; it built.  I reboot to single-user with the new kernel, and try 
> >  | to install:
> >  | 
> >  | 	./build.sh -D /usr/netbsd -i /
> >  | 
> >  | It's recompiling the world...
> >
> >Yes; '-i ...' is performed after all the other operations.
> >The default operation is "make build", and unless you have UPDATE
> >set (or use build.sh -u), one of the the first things "make build"
> >does is "make clean".  Which removes all your hard work from the first
> >pass :-(
> >
> >There's a couple of solutions:
> >	./build.sh -D /usr/netbsd -b -i /
> >
> >    (`-b' only builds the "make" wrapper scripts, and doesn't do the
> >    "make build" step.  the documentation of this should be improved)
> >
> >	./build.sh -D /usr/netbsd -u -b -i /
> >
> >    (still does the "make build", but with "UPDATE" set, so the
> >    "make clean" doesn't run)
> >
> >
> >BTW: Where are you looking for your instructions on building? 
> >I would like to ensure that the various instructions on how to
> >build in the source and on www.netbsd.org provide useful and
> >consistent information, and it seems that we're probably
> >deficient in that at this time.
> >
> /usr/src/BUILDING, though I can't check my -current copy right now 
> because that machine is still rebuilding the world while in single-user 
> mode....
> 
> What's missing from that document is examples; there's too much 
> knowledge assumed of the oral tradition.  (And that says nothing of 
> downright ambiguities.  For example (and again, this is 1.6 I'm 
> referring to), '-u' is described as "sets the UPDATE variable".  The 
> description of UPDATE is less than clear.  Under "full builds", it says 
> that it skips the "make cleandir", which is good.  But the other 
> description of UPDATE says that it compares file timestamps before 
> installing to DESTDIR.  Well, maybe that's good, but I suspect that the 
> copies to DESTDIR are the least of the expense; it's all the 
> compilations.  And "make" is very good at comparing timestamps, if 
> given half a chance.  In other words, UPDATE isn't described very 
> well...  
> 
> The documentation on building the toolchain is similarly obscure.  If I 
> think the tools haven't changed -- the usual case, if I haven't gone 
> very long since the last time I build the world -- I *think* I need -T, 
> but -t and -b seem to be in that space, too, though I *thinkI* I never 
> want them...

This also might be worth mentioning:

If you _don't_ set TOOLDIR (with '-T' for instance) and you boot
a new kernel before installing or perhaps even before building
userland, then build.sh will ignore the old tools directory it
created.  That one would have a name something like 
"tools.NetBSD-1.6K-i386" but running the new kernel it's looking for 
"tools.NetBSD-1.6L-i386".  See what I mean?  So it'll start
right off building tools all over again.

Whether that suggests setting TOOLDIR is a good idea or not,
I can't say.

Pat