poky/documentation/kernel-dev/kernel-dev-intro.xml
Scott Rifenbark cce4bf737e kernel-dev: Removed bare clone stuff for trad. kernel dev.
Bare clone setup is no longer recommended or necessary for
traditional kernel development.  All that is required is to
clone the kernel Git repo locally.

(From yocto-docs rev: cbe6d79da4fc2d5bba530b0fe6abead7783bdfbe)

Signed-off-by: Scott Rifenbark <srifenbark@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Richard Purdie <richard.purdie@linuxfoundation.org>
2017-09-02 00:52:49 +01:00

535 lines
27 KiB
XML

<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd"
[<!ENTITY % poky SYSTEM "../poky.ent"> %poky; ] >
<chapter id='kernel-dev-intro'>
<title>Introduction</title>
<section id='kernel-dev-overview'>
<title>Overview</title>
<para>
Regardless of how you intend to make use of the Yocto Project,
chances are you will work with the Linux kernel.
This manual describes how to set up your build host to support
kernel development, introduces the kernel development process,
provides background information on the Yocto Linux kernel
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#metadata'>Metadata</ulink>,
describes common tasks you can perform using the kernel tools,
and shows you how to use the kernel Metadata needed to work with
the kernel inside the Yocto Project.
</para>
<para>
Each Yocto Project release has a set of Yocto Linux kernel recipes,
whose Git repositories you can view in the Yocto
<ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;'>Source Repositories</ulink> under
the "Yocto Linux Kernel" heading.
New recipes for the release track the latest Linux kernel
upstream developments from
<ulink url='http://www.kernel.org'></ulink> and introduce
newly-supported platforms.
Previous recipes in the release are refreshed and supported for at
least one additional Yocto Project release.
As they align, these previous releases are updated to include the
latest from the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_HOME_URL;/organization/long-term-support-initiative-ltsi'>Long Term Support Initiative</ulink>
(LTSI) project.
Also included is a Yocto Linux kernel development recipe
(<filename>linux-yocto-dev.bb</filename>) should you want to work
with the very latest in upstream Yocto Linux kernel development and
kernel Metadata development.
<note>
For more on Yocto Linux kernels, see the
"<link linkend='kernel-big-picture'>Yocto Project Kernel Development and Maintenance</link>
section.
</note>
</para>
<para>
The Yocto Project also provides a powerful set of kernel
tools for managing Yocto Linux kernel sources and configuration data.
You can use these tools to make a single configuration change,
apply multiple patches, or work with your own kernel sources.
</para>
<para>
In particular, the kernel tools allow you to generate configuration
fragments that specify only what you must, and nothing more.
Configuration fragments only need to contain the highest level
visible <filename>CONFIG</filename> options as presented by the
Yocto Linux kernel <filename>menuconfig</filename> system.
Contrast this against a complete Yocto Linux kernel
<filename>.config</filename> file, which includes all the automatically
selected <filename>CONFIG</filename> options.
This efficiency reduces your maintenance effort and allows you
to further separate your configuration in ways that make sense for
your project.
A common split separates policy and hardware.
For example, all your kernels might support the
<filename>proc</filename> and <filename>sys</filename> filesystems,
but only specific boards require sound, USB, or specific drivers.
Specifying these configurations individually allows you to aggregate
them together as needed, but maintains them in only one place.
Similar logic applies to separating source changes.
</para>
<para>
If you do not maintain your own kernel sources and need to make
only minimal changes to the sources, the released recipes provide a
vetted base upon which to layer your changes.
Doing so allows you to benefit from the continual kernel
integration and testing performed during development of the
Yocto Project.
</para>
<para>
If, instead, you have a very specific Linux kernel source tree
and are unable to align with one of the official Yocto Linux kernel
recipes, an alternative exists by which you can use the Yocto
Project Linux kernel tools with your own kernel sources.
</para>
</section>
<section id='preparing-the-build-host-to-work-on-the-kernel'>
<title>Preparing the Build Host to Work on the Kernel</title>
<para>
Before you can do any kernel development, you need to be
sure your build host is set up to use the Yocto Project.
For information on how to get set up, see the
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#setting-up-the-development-host-to-use-the-yocto-project'>Setting Up to Use the Yocto Project</ulink>"
section in the Yocto Project Development Manual.
Part of preparing the system is creating a local Git
repository of the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#source-directory'>Source Directory</ulink>
(<filename>poky</filename>) on your system.
Follow the steps in the
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#cloning-the-poky-repository'>Cloning the <filename>poky</filename> Repository</ulink>"
section in the Yocto Project Development Manual to set up your
Source Directory.
<note>
Be sure you check out the appropriate development branch or
by tag to get the version of Yocto Project you want.
See the
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#checking-out-by-branch-in-poky'>Checking Out by Branch in Poky</ulink>"
and
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#checkout-out-by-tag-in-poky'>Checking Out by Tag in Poky</ulink>"
sections in the Yocto Project Development Manual for more
information.
</note>
</para>
<para>
Kernel development is best accomplished using
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_SDK_URL;#using-devtool-in-your-sdk-workflow'><filename>devtool</filename></ulink>
and not through traditional kernel workflow methods.
The remainder of this section provides information for both scenarios.
</para>
<section id='getting-ready-to-develop-using-devtool'>
<title>Getting Ready to Develop using <filename>devtool</filename></title>
<para>
Follow these steps to prepare to update the kernel image using
<filename>devtool</filename>.
Completing this procedure leaves you with a clean kernel image
and ready to make modifications as described in the
"<link linkend='using-devtool-to-patch-the-kernel'>Using <filename>devtool</filename> to Patch the Kernel</link>"
section:
<orderedlist>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Initialize the BitBake Environment:</emphasis>
Before building an extensible SDK, you need to
initialize the BitBake build environment by sourcing a
build environment script
(i.e. <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#structure-core-script'><filename>oe-init-build-env</filename></ulink>
or
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#structure-memres-core-script'><filename>oe-init-build-env-memres</filename></ulink>):
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ cd ~/poky
$ source oe-init-build-env
</literallayout>
<note>
The previous commands assume the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#source-repositories'>Source Repositories</ulink>
(i.e. <filename>poky</filename>) have been cloned
using Git and the local repository is named
"poky".
</note>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Prepare Your <filename>local.conf</filename> File:</emphasis>
By default, the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-MACHINE'><filename>MACHINE</filename></ulink>
variable is set to "qemux86", which is fine if you are
building for the QEMU emulator in 32-bit mode.
However, if you are not, you need to set the
<filename>MACHINE</filename> variable appropriately in
your <filename>conf/local.conf</filename> file found in the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#build-directory'>Build Directory</ulink>
(i.e. <filename>~/poky/build</filename> in this example).
</para>
<para>Also, since you are preparing to work on the kernel
image, you need to set the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-MACHINE_ESSENTIAL_EXTRA_RRECOMMENDS'><filename>MACHINE_ESSENTIAL_EXTRA_RRECOMMENDS</filename></ulink>
variable to include kernel modules.</para>
<para>This example uses the default "qemux86" for the
<filename>MACHINE</filename> variable but needs to
add the "kernel-modules":
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
MACHINE_ESSENTIAL_EXTRA_RRECOMMENDS += "kernel-modules"
</literallayout>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Create a Layer for Patches:</emphasis>
You need to create a layer to hold patches created
for the kernel image.
You can use the <filename>yocto-layer</filename> command
as follows:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ cd ~/poky
$ yocto-layer create my-kernel -o ../meta-my-kernel
Please enter the layer priority you'd like to use for the layer: [default: 6]
Would you like to have an example recipe created? (y/n) [default: n]
Would you like to have an example bbappend file created? (y/n) [default: n]
New layer created in ../meta-my-kernel.
Don't forget to add it to your BBLAYERS (for details see ../meta-my-kernel/README).
</literallayout>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Inform the BitBake Build Environment About Your Layer:</emphasis>
As directed when you created your layer, you need to add
the layer to the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-BBLAYERS'><filename>BBLAYERS</filename></ulink>
variable in the <filename>bblayers.conf</filename> file
as follows:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ cd ~/poky/build
$ bitbake-layers add-layer ../../meta-my-kernel
</literallayout>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Build the Extensible SDK:</emphasis>
Use BitBake to build the extensible SDK specifically for
the Minnowboard:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ cd ~/poky/build
$ bitbake core-image-minimal -c populate_sdk_ext
</literallayout>
Once the build finishes, you can find the SDK installer
file (i.e. <filename>*.sh</filename> file) in the
following directory:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
~/poky/build/tmp/deploy/sdk
</literallayout>
For this example, the installer file is named
<filename>poky-glibc-x86_64-core-image-minimal-i586-toolchain-ext-&DISTRO;.sh</filename>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Install the Extensible SDK:</emphasis>
Use the following command to install the SDK.
For this example, install the SDK in the default
<filename>~/poky_sdk</filename> directory:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ cd ~/poky/build/tmp/deploy/sdk
$ ./poky-glibc-x86_64-core-image-minimal-i586-toolchain-ext-&DISTRO;.sh
Poky (Yocto Project Reference Distro) Extensible SDK installer version &DISTRO;
============================================================================
Enter target directory for SDK (default: ~/poky_sdk):
You are about to install the SDK to "/home/scottrif/poky_sdk". Proceed[Y/n]? Y
Extracting SDK......................................done
Setting it up...
Extracting buildtools...
Preparing build system...
Parsing recipes: 100% |#################################################################| Time: 0:00:52
Initializing tasks: 100% |############## ###############################################| Time: 0:00:04
Checking sstate mirror object availability: 100% |######################################| Time: 0:00:00
Parsing recipes: 100% |#################################################################| Time: 0:00:33
Initializing tasks: 100% |##############################################################| Time: 0:00:00
done
SDK has been successfully set up and is ready to be used.
Each time you wish to use the SDK in a new shell session, you need to source the environment setup script e.g.
$ . /home/scottrif/poky_sdk/environment-setup-i586-poky-linux
</literallayout>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para id='setting-up-the-esdk-terminal'>
<emphasis>Set Up a New Terminal to Work With the Extensible SDK:</emphasis>
You must set up a new terminal to work with the SDK.
You cannot use the same BitBake shell used to build the
installer.</para>
<para>After opening a new shell, run the SDK environment
setup script as directed by the output from installing
the SDK:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ source ~/poky_sdk/environment-setup-i586-poky-linux
"SDK environment now set up; additionally you may now run devtool to perform development tasks.
Run devtool --help for further details.
</literallayout>
<note>
If you get a warning about attempting to use the
extensible SDK in an environment set up to run
BitBake, you did not use a new shell.
</note>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Build the Clean Image:</emphasis>
The final step in preparing to work on the kernel is to
build an initial image using <filename>devtool</filename>
in the new terminal you just set up and initialized for
SDK work:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ devtool build-image
Parsing recipes: 100% |##########################################| Time: 0:00:05
Parsing of 830 .bb files complete (0 cached, 830 parsed). 1299 targets, 47 skipped, 0 masked, 0 errors.
WARNING: No packages to add, building image core-image-minimal unmodified
Loading cache: 100% |############################################| Time: 0:00:00
Loaded 1299 entries from dependency cache.
NOTE: Resolving any missing task queue dependencies
Initializing tasks: 100% |#######################################| Time: 0:00:07
Checking sstate mirror object availability: 100% |###############| Time: 0:00:00
NOTE: Executing SetScene Tasks
NOTE: Executing RunQueue Tasks
NOTE: Tasks Summary: Attempted 2866 tasks of which 2604 didn't need to be rerun and all succeeded.
NOTE: Successfully built core-image-minimal. You can find output files in /home/scottrif/poky_sdk/tmp/deploy/images/qemux86
</literallayout>
If you were building for actual hardware and not for
emulation, you could flash the image to a USB stick
on <filename>/dev/sdd</filename> and boot your device.
For an example that uses a Minnowboard, see the
<ulink url='https://wiki.yoctoproject.org/wiki/TipsAndTricks/KernelDevelopmentWithEsdk'>TipsAndTricks/KernelDevelopmentWithEsdk</ulink>
Wiki page.
</para></listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
<para>
At this point you have set up to start making modifications to the
kernel by using the extensible SDK.
For a continued example, see the
"<link linkend='using-devtool-to-patch-the-kernel'>Using <filename>devtool</filename> to Patch the Kernel</link>"
section.
</para>
</section>
<section id='getting-ready-for-traditional-kernel-development'>
<title>Getting Ready for Traditional Kernel Development</title>
<para>
For traditional kernel development using the Yocto
Project, you need to establish a local copy of the
kernel source.
You can find Git repositories of supported Yocto Project
kernels organized under "Yocto Linux Kernel" in the Yocto
Project Source Repositories at
<ulink url='&YOCTO_GIT_URL;/cgit.cgi'></ulink>.
</para>
<para>
For simplicity, it is recommended that you create your copy
of the kernel Git repository outside of the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;source-directory'>Source Directory</ulink>,
which is usually named <filename>poky</filename>.
</para>
<para>
The following command shows how to create a local copy of the
<filename>linux-yocto-4.4</filename> kernel:
<literallayout class='monospaced'>
$ git clone git://git.yoctoproject.org/linux-yocto-4.4 linux-yocto-4.4.git
</literallayout>
</para>
</section>
</section>
<section id='kernel-modification-workflow'>
<title>Kernel Modification Workflow</title>
<para>
Kernel modification involves changing the Yocto Project kernel,
which could involve changing configuration options as well as adding
new kernel recipes.
Configuration changes can be added in the form of configuration
fragments, while recipe modification comes through the kernel's
<filename>recipes-kernel</filename> area in a kernel layer you create.
</para>
<para>
This section presents a high-level overview of the Yocto Project
kernel modification workflow.
You can find additional information here:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
The
"<link linkend='using-devtool-to-patch-the-kernel'>Using <filename>devtool</filename> to Patch the Kernel</link>"
section.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
The
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#configuring-the-kernel'>Configuring the Kernel</ulink>"
section in the Yocto Project Development Manual.
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
This illustration and the following list summarizes the kernel
modification general workflow.
<imagedata fileref="figures/kernel-dev-flow.png"
width="9in" depth="5in" align="center" scalefit="1" />
</para>
<para>
<orderedlist>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Set up Your Host Development System to Support
Development Using the Yocto Project</emphasis>:
See the
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_QS_URL;#yp-resources'>Setting Up to Use the Yocto Project</ulink>"
section in the Yocto Project Quick Start for options on how
to get a build host ready to use the Yocto Project.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Establish the Temporary Kernel Source Files</emphasis>:
Temporary kernel source files are kept in the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#build-directory'>Build Directory</ulink>
created by the OpenEmbedded build system when you run BitBake.
If you have never built the kernel in which you are
interested, you need to run an initial build to
establish local kernel source files.</para>
<para>If you are building an image for the first time, you
need to get the build environment ready by sourcing an
environment setup script
(i.e. <filename>oe-init-build-env</filename> or
<filename>oe-init-build-env-memres</filename>).
You also need to be sure two key configuration files
(<filename>local.conf</filename> and
<filename>bblayers.conf</filename>) are configured
appropriately.</para>
<para>The entire process for building an image is overviewed
in the
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_QS_URL;#qs-building-images'>Building Images</ulink>"
section of the Yocto Project Quick Start.
You might want to reference this information.
You can find more information on BitBake in the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_BB_URL;'>BitBake User Manual</ulink>.
</para>
<para>The build process supports several types of images to
satisfy different needs.
See the "<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#ref-images'>Images</ulink>"
chapter in the Yocto Project Reference Manual for information
on supported images.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Make Changes to the Kernel Source Code if
applicable</emphasis>:
Modifying the kernel does not always mean directly
changing source files.
However, if you have to do this, you make the changes to the
files in the Build Directory.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Make Kernel Configuration Changes if
Applicable</emphasis>:
If your situation calls for changing the kernel's
configuration, you can use
<link linkend='generating-configuration-files'><filename>menuconfig</filename></link>,
which allows you to interactively develop and test the
configuration changes you are making to the kernel.
Saving changes you make with <filename>menuconfig</filename>
updates the kernel's <filename>.config</filename> file.
<note><title>Warning</title>
Try to resist the temptation to directly edit an
existing <filename>.config</filename> file, which is
found in the Build Directory among the source code
used for the build (e.g. see the workflow illustration
in the
"<link linkend='kernel-modification-workflow'>Kernel Modification Workflow</link>"
section).
Doing so, can produce unexpected results when the
OpenEmbedded build system regenerates the configuration
file.
</note>
Once you are satisfied with the configuration
changes made using <filename>menuconfig</filename>
and you have saved them, you can directly compare the
resulting <filename>.config</filename> file against an
existing original and gather those changes into a
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#creating-config-fragments'>configuration fragment file</ulink>
to be referenced from within the kernel's
<filename>.bbappend</filename> file.</para>
<para>Additionally, if you are working in a BSP layer
and need to modify the BSP's kernel's configuration,
you can use the
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_BSP_URL;#managing-kernel-patches-and-config-items-with-yocto-kernel'><filename>yocto-kernel</filename></ulink>
script as well as <filename>menuconfig</filename>.
The <filename>yocto-kernel</filename> script lets
you interactively set up kernel configurations.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<emphasis>Rebuild the Kernel Image With Your Changes</emphasis>:
Rebuilding the kernel image applies your changes.
</para></listitem>
</orderedlist>
</para>
</section>
<section id='kernel-dev-other-resources'>
<title>Other Resources</title>
<para>
The remainder of this manual provides instructions for completing
specific Linux kernel development tasks.
These instructions assume you are comfortable working with
<ulink url='http://openembedded.org/wiki/Bitbake'>BitBake</ulink>
recipes and basic open-source development tools.
Understanding these concepts will facilitate the process of working
with the kernel recipes.
If you find you need some additional background, please be sure to
review and understand the following documentation:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_QS_URL;'>Yocto Project Quick Start</ulink>
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_SDK_URL;#using-devtool-in-your-sdk-workflow'><filename>devtool</filename> workflow</ulink>
as described in the Yocto Project Software Development Kit
(SDK) Developer's Guide.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
The
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_DEV_URL;#understanding-and-creating-layers'>Understanding and Creating Layers</ulink>" section
in the Yocto Project Development Manual
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
The
"<link linkend='kernel-modification-workflow'>Kernel Modification Workflow</link>"
section.
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
Finally, while this document focuses on the manual creation of
recipes, patches, and configuration files, the Yocto Project
Board Support Package (BSP) tools are available to automate
this process with existing content and work well to create the
initial framework and boilerplate code.
For details on these tools, see the
"<ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_BSP_URL;#using-the-yocto-projects-bsp-tools'>Using the Yocto Project's BSP Tools</ulink>"
section in the Yocto Project Board Support Package (BSP) Developer's
Guide.
</para>
</section>
</chapter>
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