Creating a Platform-Specific Project in LinuxLink Classic
Use the build wizard to create a complete Linux distribution for a specified target platform.
Starting the Wizard
- Log in to LinuxLink and select the Builder button.
- Select the project group in which you want to create the project, then choose
Add New Project from the right-hand side of the page.
- Select A Linux platform project that produces a complete Linux
distribution, then click Continue.
Specifying Project Information
On the first page of the wizard, you will be asked to specify some information about the project itself.
Name
In the Name field, provide a human-readable, descriptive name for the
project. This name will appear in the LinuxLink UI, so enter an easy-to-read
and understandable name.
SafeName
Enter a SafeName – a case-sensitive string that is used as a unique identifier
for the project. The first character must be a letter or number; the rest of
the name should be a letter, number, dash, dot, or underscore.
Repository
This is the URL of a WebDAV-enabled source code repository. When the wizard
is finished collecting information about the project, it will create a new directory
in this location, and then upload project build files to that directory.
Description
Here you can provide a more detailed human-readable description of the project.
Feel free to go enter whatever text you feel is an appropriate description of
your project.
Click on Next to specify the project's target architecture.
Specifying Target Architecture
This page allows you to enter information about how you want the project to be compiled.
Board Identifier
Enter a name for the board. Do not use dashes or spaces; you can only use alphanumeric
characters and underscores.
Architecture
Select your distribution’s architecture from the menu.
Toolchain
You can select one of two types of toolchains:
- GNU glibc-based toolchain – Select this option for a full-featured toolchain that is larger than a uClibc-based toolchain.
- uClibc-based toolchain – Select this option for a smaller toolchain that
is compatible with glibc.
Click on Next to specify the location of the kernel you want to use in the project.
Specifying the Project Kernel
This page allows you to select the location where the kernel files will be copied, and the version you want to base your distribution upon.
Kernel Version
Select the Linux kernel version you want to use. The example above shows a 2.6.19
kernel will be selected by default. If you want to use your own kernel, select Custom Linux
version .
Custom Linux version
If you select Custom Linux version, it will be numbered 2.6.99, and you will
have to manually copy the files to the repository.
Kernel Target
Select the type of image you want to build – bzimage, zimage, or uimage.
Click on Next to review the project’s build files.
Create Project Files
The wizard will generate four build files when creating your new project:
- build.ini
This is the primary file referenced by the build system. It identifies the source files used as part of the build and the location of the script that drives the build process. - mkdist.ini
Project-specific configuration settings that includes the target type, distribution names, release numbers, and the prebuilt toolchain URLs. - dist_data.py
Defines the components of the distribution, based on the type of distribution you selected (Basic, Busybox, and so forth). Edit this file to customize the packages included in the distribution, change dependencies, and exclude packages based on configuration, among other things. - disttags.py
Information used by the distribution installer.
Click on Add Project to create your new project. A page appears allowing you to start a build.
