Bug 189090 – cross-development guide ambiguities

• Product: Documentation
• Status: RESOLVED FIXED

[Description nm (RETIRED) 2007-08-16 11:38:34 UTC]

While following this guide (http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/base/embedded/cross-development.xml), I came across several things that need either more explanation in the guide or just need plain ol' fixing.

As always, since I'm GDP and LOVE guidexml, I'm willing to help update the guide...it'd be a shame to see this bug rot when the doc just needs a bit o' TLC. Nice doc, by the way.

Anyway, outlined below are suggested points to clarify/fix:

1) The guide needs to be linked from somewhere on the embedded index.xml, perhaps in an additional resources section. right now there are no links to any embedded docs on the index page, so finding them is all but impossible.

2) Chapter 1 to Chapter 2, Code Listing 2.1: it's unclear whether all those variables (especially CBUILD, CTARGET, ROOT, PORTAGE_CONFIGROOT) are actually supposed to be set in the host's /etc/make.conf before building the desired toolchain (in CL 2.1)

3) Chapter 3, Code Listing 3.3: Should ARCH be canonical, as it is earlier and later? i.e. i686 not x86. Moreover, it does seem unusual that ARCH is set at all, given that the target system's make.conf doesn't use the ARCH variable in its own merges afaik.

4) Chapter 3, around Code Listing 3.3: There's a vague hint, but is the user supposed to go ahead and create the make.conf the target system will actually be using (e.g. for its own merges). With all the normal make.conf vars, etc.

5) Chapter 4, the warning after Code Listing 4.2: It needs to more precisely state what it means by "cross merge any toolchain components to be *hosted* on the target system." This is ambiguous -- does it mean that you can't use xmerge if you want to build a *crossdev* toolchain, or does it mean that for any normal toolchain components (i.e. i686 on i686), you can't use xmerge? This would mean that xmerge system won't work, given that toolchain components are in the system set.

6) Chapter 4, Code Listing 4.3: qpkg has been deprecated for years; use quickpkg instead.

7) Please clarify whether or not quickpkging all xmerged packages is the only way to get them prepared for installation on the target system. Actually, this may be beyond the scope of the guide; if so, never mind. I'm thinking in particular of folks who want to use these cross-merged packages in a BINHOST for the target system. If that doesn't need to be covered in the guide, then never mind.

8) Please clarify whether or not all normal commands fed to "make" will work on xkmake. For example, modules_install and install -- do they work just like their normal counterparts, but install to e.g. ${SYSROOT}/boot.

* * *

That's a long list of things to review, and I'm certainly willing to help update the guide. Thanks!

[Comment 1 SpanKY 2007-08-16 19:37:46 UTC]

i thought i told you the guide is dead ... i'm already in the process of punting it in favor of the new Embedded Handbook

i'll make sure i dont duplicate any of the problems you cite though