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| <appendix id='kernel-dev-maint-appx'> |
| <title>Kernel Maintenance</title> |
| |
| <section id='tree-construction'> |
| <title>Tree Construction</title> |
| |
| <para> |
| This section describes construction of the Yocto Project kernel |
| source repositories as accomplished by the Yocto Project team to |
| create Yocto Linux kernel repositories. |
| These kernel repositories are found under the heading "Yocto Linux |
| Kernel" at |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;'>&YOCTO_GIT_URL;</ulink> |
| and are shipped as part of a Yocto Project release. |
| The team creates these repositories by compiling and executing the |
| set of feature descriptions for every BSP and feature in the |
| product. |
| Those feature descriptions list all necessary patches, |
| configurations, branches, tags, and feature divisions found in a |
| Yocto Linux kernel. |
| Thus, the Yocto Project Linux kernel repository (or tree) and |
| accompanying Metadata in the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> are built. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| The existence of these repositories allow you to access and clone a |
| particular Yocto Project Linux kernel repository and use it to |
| build images based on their configurations and features. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| You can find the files used to describe all the valid features and |
| BSPs in the Yocto Project Linux kernel in any clone of the Yocto |
| Project Linux kernel source repository and |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> Git trees. |
| For example, the following commands clone the Yocto Project |
| baseline Linux kernel that branches off |
| <filename>linux.org</filename> version 4.12 and the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename>, which contains stores of |
| kernel Metadata: |
| <literallayout class='monospaced'> |
| $ git clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/linux-yocto-4.12 |
| $ git clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/linux-kernel-cache |
| </literallayout> |
| For more information on how to set up a local Git repository of |
| the Yocto Project Linux kernel files, see the |
| "<link linkend='preparing-the-build-host-to-work-on-the-kernel'>Preparing the Build Host to Work on the Kernel</link>" |
| section. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| Once you have cloned the kernel Git repository and the |
| cache of Metadata on your local machine, you can discover the |
| branches that are available in the repository using the following |
| Git command: |
| <literallayout class='monospaced'> |
| $ git branch -a |
| </literallayout> |
| Checking out a branch allows you to work with a particular |
| Yocto Linux kernel. |
| For example, the following commands check out the |
| "standard/beagleboard" branch of the Yocto Linux kernel repository |
| and the "yocto-4.12" branch of the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> repository: |
| <literallayout class='monospaced'> |
| $ cd ~/linux-yocto-4.12 |
| $ git checkout -b my-kernel-4.12 remotes/origin/standard/beagleboard |
| $ cd ~/linux-kernel-cache |
| $ git checkout -b my-4.12-metadata remotes/origin/yocto-4.12 |
| </literallayout> |
| <note> |
| Branches in the <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> |
| repository correspond to Yocto Linux kernel versions |
| (e.g. "yocto-4.12", "yocto-4.10", "yocto-4.9", and so forth). |
| </note> |
| Once you have checked out and switched to appropriate branches, |
| you can see a snapshot of all the kernel source files used to |
| used to build that particular Yocto Linux kernel for a |
| particular board. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| To see the features and configurations for a particular Yocto |
| Linux kernel, you need to examine the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> Git repository. |
| As mentioned, branches in the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> repository correspond to |
| Yocto Linux kernel versions (e.g. <filename>yocto-4.12</filename>). |
| Branches contain descriptions in the form of |
| <filename>.scc</filename> and <filename>.cfg</filename> files. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| You should realize, however, that browsing your local |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> repository for feature |
| descriptions and patches is not an effective way to determine what |
| is in a particular kernel branch. |
| Instead, you should use Git directly to discover the changes in |
| a branch. |
| Using Git is an efficient and flexible way to inspect changes to |
| the kernel. |
| <note> |
| Ground up reconstruction of the complete kernel tree is an |
| action only taken by the Yocto Project team during an active |
| development cycle. |
| When you create a clone of the kernel Git repository, you are |
| simply making it efficiently available for building and |
| development. |
| </note> |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| The following steps describe what happens when the Yocto Project |
| Team constructs the Yocto Project kernel source Git repository |
| (or tree) found at |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;'></ulink> given the |
| introduction of a new top-level kernel feature or BSP. |
| The following actions effectively provide the Metadata |
| and create the tree that includes the new feature, patch, or BSP: |
| <orderedlist> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Pass Feature to the OpenEmbedded Build System:</emphasis> |
| A top-level kernel feature is passed to the kernel build |
| subsystem. |
| Normally, this feature is a BSP for a particular kernel |
| type. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Locate Feature:</emphasis> |
| The file that describes the top-level feature is located |
| by searching these system directories: |
| <itemizedlist> |
| <listitem><para> |
| The in-tree kernel-cache directories, which are |
| located in the |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit/cgit.cgi/yocto-kernel-cache/tree/bsp'><filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename></ulink> |
| repository organized under the "Yocto Linux Kernel" |
| heading in the |
| <ulink url='http://git.yoctoproject.org/cgit/cgit.cgi'>Yocto Project Source Repositories</ulink>. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| Areas pointed to by <filename>SRC_URI</filename> |
| statements found in kernel recipes |
| </para></listitem> |
| </itemizedlist> |
| For a typical build, the target of the search is a |
| feature description in an <filename>.scc</filename> file |
| whose name follows this format (e.g. |
| <filename>beaglebone-standard.scc</filename> and |
| <filename>beaglebone-preempt-rt.scc</filename>): |
| <literallayout class='monospaced'> |
| <replaceable>bsp_root_name</replaceable>-<replaceable>kernel_type</replaceable>.scc |
| </literallayout> |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Expand Feature:</emphasis> |
| Once located, the feature description is either expanded |
| into a simple script of actions, or into an existing |
| equivalent script that is already part of the shipped |
| kernel. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Append Extra Features:</emphasis> |
| Extra features are appended to the top-level feature |
| description. |
| These features can come from the |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-KERNEL_FEATURES'><filename>KERNEL_FEATURES</filename></ulink> |
| variable in recipes. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Locate, Expand, and Append Each Feature:</emphasis> |
| Each extra feature is located, expanded and appended to |
| the script as described in step three. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Execute the Script:</emphasis> |
| The script is executed to produce files |
| <filename>.scc</filename> and <filename>.cfg</filename> |
| files in appropriate directories of the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> repository. |
| These files are descriptions of all the branches, tags, |
| patches and configurations that need to be applied to the |
| base Git repository to completely create the |
| source (build) branch for the new BSP or feature. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Clone Base Repository:</emphasis> |
| The base repository is cloned, and the actions |
| listed in the <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> |
| directories are applied to the tree. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| <emphasis>Perform Cleanup:</emphasis> |
| The Git repositories are left with the desired branches |
| checked out and any required branching, patching and |
| tagging has been performed. |
| </para></listitem> |
| </orderedlist> |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| The kernel tree and cache are ready for developer consumption to |
| be locally cloned, configured, and built into a Yocto Project |
| kernel specific to some target hardware. |
| <note><title>Notes</title> |
| <itemizedlist> |
| <listitem><para> |
| The generated <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> |
| repository adds to the kernel as shipped with the Yocto |
| Project release. |
| Any add-ons and configuration data are applied to the |
| end of an existing branch. |
| The full repository generation that is found in the |
| official Yocto Project kernel repositories at |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;'>http://git.yoctoproject.org</ulink> |
| is the combination of all supported boards and |
| configurations. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| The technique the Yocto Project team uses is flexible |
| and allows for seamless blending of an immutable |
| history with additional patches specific to a |
| deployment. |
| Any additions to the kernel become an integrated part |
| of the branches. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| The full kernel tree that you see on |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;'></ulink> is |
| generated through repeating the above steps for all |
| valid BSPs. |
| The end result is a branched, clean history tree that |
| makes up the kernel for a given release. |
| You can see the script (<filename>kgit-scc</filename>) |
| responsible for this in the |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi/yocto-kernel-tools/tree/tools'><filename>yocto-kernel-tools</filename></ulink> |
| repository. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| The steps used to construct the full kernel tree are |
| the same steps that BitBake uses when it builds a |
| kernel image. |
| </para></listitem> |
| </itemizedlist> |
| </note> |
| </para> |
| </section> |
| |
| <section id='build-strategy'> |
| <title>Build Strategy</title> |
| |
| <para> |
| Once you have cloned a Yocto Linux kernel repository and the |
| cache repository (<filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename>) onto |
| your development system, you can consider the compilation phase |
| of kernel development, which is building a kernel image. |
| Some prerequisites exist that are validated by the build process |
| before compilation starts: |
| </para> |
| |
| <itemizedlist> |
| <listitem><para> |
| The |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-SRC_URI'><filename>SRC_URI</filename></ulink> |
| points to the kernel Git repository. |
| </para></listitem> |
| <listitem><para> |
| A BSP build branch with Metadata exists in the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> repository. |
| The branch is based on the Yocto Linux kernel version and |
| has configurations and features grouped under the |
| <filename>yocto-kernel-cache/bsp</filename> directory. |
| For example, features and configurations for the |
| BeagleBone Board assuming a |
| <filename>linux-yocto_4.12</filename> kernel reside in the |
| following area of the <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> |
| repository: |
| <literallayout class='monospaced'> |
| yocto-kernel-cache/bsp/beaglebone |
| </literallayout> |
| <note> |
| In the previous example, the "yocto-4.12" branch is |
| checked out in the <filename>yocto-kernel-cache</filename> |
| repository. |
| </note> |
| </para></listitem> |
| </itemizedlist> |
| |
| <para> |
| The OpenEmbedded build system makes sure these conditions exist |
| before attempting compilation. |
| Other means, however, do exist, such as as bootstrapping a BSP. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| Before building a kernel, the build process verifies the tree |
| and configures the kernel by processing all of the |
| configuration "fragments" specified by feature descriptions |
| in the <filename>.scc</filename> files. |
| As the features are compiled, associated kernel configuration |
| fragments are noted and recorded in the series of directories |
| in their compilation order. |
| The fragments are migrated, pre-processed and passed to the |
| Linux Kernel Configuration subsystem (<filename>lkc</filename>) as |
| raw input in the form of a <filename>.config</filename> file. |
| The <filename>lkc</filename> uses its own internal dependency |
| constraints to do the final processing of that information and |
| generates the final <filename>.config</filename> file that is used |
| during compilation. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| Using the board's architecture and other relevant values from |
| the board's template, kernel compilation is started and a kernel |
| image is produced. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| The other thing that you notice once you configure a kernel is that |
| the build process generates a build tree that is separate from |
| your kernel's local Git source repository tree. |
| This build tree has a name that uses the following form, where |
| <filename>${MACHINE}</filename> is the metadata name of the |
| machine (BSP) and "kernel_type" is one of the Yocto Project |
| supported kernel types (e.g. "standard"): |
| <literallayout class='monospaced'> |
| linux-${MACHINE}-<replaceable>kernel_type</replaceable>-build |
| </literallayout> |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| The existing support in the <filename>kernel.org</filename> tree |
| achieves this default functionality. |
| </para> |
| |
| <para> |
| This behavior means that all the generated files for a particular |
| machine or BSP are now in the build tree directory. |
| The files include the final <filename>.config</filename> file, |
| all the <filename>.o</filename> files, the <filename>.a</filename> |
| files, and so forth. |
| Since each machine or BSP has its own separate |
| <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#build-directory'>Build Directory</ulink> |
| in its own separate branch of the Git repository, you can easily |
| switch between different builds. |
| </para> |
| </section> |
| </appendix> |
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