kbuild-(directory)
00-INDEX - this file: info on the kernel build process kbuild.txt - developer information on kbuild kconfig.txt - usage help for make *config kconfig-language.txt - specification of Config Language, the language in Kconfig files makefiles.txt - developer information for linux kernel makefiles modules.txt - how to build modules and to install them
kbuild
Output files modules.order -------------------------------------------------- This file records the order in which modules appear in Makefiles. This is used by modprobe to deterministically resolve aliases that match multiple modules. modules.builtin -------------------------------------------------- This file lists all modules that are built into the kernel. This is used by modprobe to not fail when trying to load something builtin. Environment variables KCPPFLAGS -------------------------------------------------- Additional options to pass when preprocessing. The preprocessing options will be used in all cases where kbuild does preprocessing including building C files and assembler files. KAFLAGS -------------------------------------------------- Additional options to the assembler (for built-in and modules). AFLAGS_MODULE -------------------------------------------------- Additional module specific options to use for $(AS). AFLAGS_KERNEL -------------------------------------------------- Additional options for $(AS) when used for assembler code for code that is compiled as built-in. KCFLAGS -------------------------------------------------- Additional options to the C compiler (for built-in and modules). CFLAGS_KERNEL -------------------------------------------------- Additional options for $(CC) when used to compile code that is compiled as built-in. CFLAGS_MODULE -------------------------------------------------- Additional module specific options to use for $(CC). LDFLAGS_MODULE -------------------------------------------------- Additional options used for $(LD) when linking modules. KBUILD_VERBOSE -------------------------------------------------- Set the kbuild verbosity. Can be assigned same values as "V=...". See make help for the full list. Setting "V=..." takes precedence over KBUILD_VERBOSE. KBUILD_EXTMOD -------------------------------------------------- Set the directory to look for the kernel source when building external modules. The directory can be specified in several ways: 1) Use "M=..." on the command line 2) Environment variable KBUILD_EXTMOD 3) Environment variable SUBDIRS The possibilities are listed in the order they take precedence. Using "M=..." will always override the others. KBUILD_OUTPUT -------------------------------------------------- Specify the output directory when building the kernel. The output directory can also be specified using "O=...". Setting "O=..." takes precedence over KBUILD_OUTPUT. KBUILD_DEBARCH -------------------------------------------------- For the deb-pkg target, allows overriding the normal heuristics deployed by deb-pkg. Normally deb-pkg attempts to guess the right architecture based on the UTS_MACHINE variable, and on some architectures also the kernel config. The value of KBUILD_DEBARCH is assumed (not checked) to be a valid Debian architecture. ARCH -------------------------------------------------- Set ARCH to the architecture to be built. In most cases the name of the architecture is the same as the directory name found in the arch/ directory. But some architectures such as x86 and sparc have aliases. x86: i386 for 32 bit, x86_64 for 64 bit sparc: sparc for 32 bit, sparc64 for 64 bit CROSS_COMPILE -------------------------------------------------- Specify an optional fixed part of the binutils filename. CROSS_COMPILE can be a part of the filename or the full path. CROSS_COMPILE is also used for ccache in some setups. CF -------------------------------------------------- Additional options for sparse. CF is often used on the command-line like this: make CF=-Wbitwise C=2 INSTALL_PATH -------------------------------------------------- INSTALL_PATH specifies where to place the updated kernel and system map images. Default is /boot, but you can set it to other values. INSTALLKERNEL -------------------------------------------------- Install script called when using "make install". The default name is "installkernel". The script will be called with the following arguments: $1 - kernel version $2 - kernel image file $3 - kernel map file $4 - default install path (use root directory if blank) The implementation of "make install" is architecture specific and it may differ from the above. INSTALLKERNEL is provided to enable the possibility to specify a custom installer when cross compiling a kernel. MODLIB -------------------------------------------------- Specify where to install modules. The default value is: $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH)/lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE) The value can be overridden in which case the default value is ignored. INSTALL_MOD_PATH -------------------------------------------------- INSTALL_MOD_PATH specifies a prefix to MODLIB for module directory relocations required by build roots. This is not defined in the makefile but the argument can be passed to make if needed. INSTALL_MOD_STRIP -------------------------------------------------- INSTALL_MOD_STRIP, if defined, will cause modules to be stripped after they are installed. If INSTALL_MOD_STRIP is '1', then the default option --strip-debug will be used. Otherwise, INSTALL_MOD_STRIP value will be used as the options to the strip command. INSTALL_FW_PATH -------------------------------------------------- INSTALL_FW_PATH specifies where to install the firmware blobs. The default value is: $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH)/lib/firmware The value can be overridden in which case the default value is ignored. INSTALL_HDR_PATH -------------------------------------------------- INSTALL_HDR_PATH specifies where to install user space headers when executing "make headers_*". The default value is: $(objtree)/usr $(objtree) is the directory where output files are saved. The output directory is often set using "O=..." on the commandline. The value can be overridden in which case the default value is ignored. KBUILD_MODPOST_WARN -------------------------------------------------- KBUILD_MODPOST_WARN can be set to avoid errors in case of undefined symbols in the final module linking stage. It changes such errors into warnings. KBUILD_MODPOST_NOFINAL -------------------------------------------------- KBUILD_MODPOST_NOFINAL can be set to skip the final link of modules. This is solely useful to speed up test compiles. KBUILD_EXTRA_SYMBOLS -------------------------------------------------- For modules that use symbols from other modules. See more details in modules.txt. ALLSOURCE_ARCHS -------------------------------------------------- For tags/TAGS/cscope targets, you can specify more than one arch to be included in the databases, separated by blank space. E.g.: $ make ALLSOURCE_ARCHS="x86 mips arm" tags To get all available archs you can also specify all. E.g.: $ make ALLSOURCE_ARCHS=all tags KBUILD_ENABLE_EXTRA_GCC_CHECKS -------------------------------------------------- If enabled over the make command line with "W=1", it turns on additional gcc -W... options for more extensive build-time checking. KBUILD_BUILD_TIMESTAMP -------------------------------------------------- Setting this to a date string overrides the timestamp used in the UTS_VERSION definition (uname -v in the running kernel). The value has to be a string that can be passed to date -d. The default value is the output of the date command at one point during build. KBUILD_BUILD_USER, KBUILD_BUILD_HOST -------------------------------------------------- These two variables allow to override the user@host string displayed during boot and in /proc/version. The default value is the output of the commands whoami and host, respectively.
kconfig
This file contains some assistance for using "make *config". Use "make help" to list all of the possible configuration targets. The xconfig ('qconf') and menuconfig ('mconf') programs also have embedded help text. Be sure to check it for navigation, search, and other general help text. ====================================================================== General -------------------------------------------------- New kernel releases often introduce new config symbols. Often more important, new kernel releases may rename config symbols. When this happens, using a previously working .config file and running "make oldconfig" won't necessarily produce a working new kernel for you, so you may find that you need to see what NEW kernel symbols have been introduced. To see a list of new config symbols when using "make oldconfig", use cp user/some/old.config .config yes "" | make oldconfig >conf.new and the config program will list as (NEW) any new symbols that have unknown values. Of course, the .config file is also updated with new (default) values, so you can use: grep "(NEW)" conf.new to see the new config symbols or you can use diffconfig to see the differences between the previous and new .config files: scripts/diffconfig .config.old .config | less ______________________________________________________________________ Environment variables for '*config' KCONFIG_CONFIG -------------------------------------------------- This environment variable can be used to specify a default kernel config file name to override the default name of ".config". KCONFIG_OVERWRITECONFIG -------------------------------------------------- If you set KCONFIG_OVERWRITECONFIG in the environment, Kconfig will not break symlinks when .config is a symlink to somewhere else. ______________________________________________________________________ Environment variables for '{allyes/allmod/allno/rand}config' KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG -------------------------------------------------- (partially based on lkml email from/by Rob Landley, re: miniconfig) -------------------------------------------------- The allyesconfig/allmodconfig/allnoconfig/randconfig variants can also use the environment variable KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG as a flag or a filename that contains config symbols that the user requires to be set to a specific value. If KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG is used without a filename, "make *config" checks for a file named "all{yes/mod/no/def/random}.config" (corresponding to the *config command that was used) for symbol values that are to be forced. If this file is not found, it checks for a file named "all.config" to contain forced values. This enables you to create "miniature" config (miniconfig) or custom config files containing just the config symbols that you are interested in. Then the kernel config system generates the full .config file, including symbols of your miniconfig file. This 'KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG' file is a config file which contains (usually a subset of all) preset config symbols. These variable settings are still subject to normal dependency checks. Examples: KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG=custom-notebook.config make allnoconfig or KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG=mini.config make allnoconfig or make KCONFIG_ALLCONFIG=mini.config allnoconfig These examples will disable most options (allnoconfig) but enable or disable the options that are explicitly listed in the specified mini-config files. ______________________________________________________________________ Environment variables for 'silentoldconfig' KCONFIG_NOSILENTUPDATE -------------------------------------------------- If this variable has a non-blank value, it prevents silent kernel config updates (requires explicit updates). KCONFIG_AUTOCONFIG -------------------------------------------------- This environment variable can be set to specify the path & name of the "auto.conf" file. Its default value is "include/config/auto.conf". KCONFIG_TRISTATE -------------------------------------------------- This environment variable can be set to specify the path & name of the "tristate.conf" file. Its default value is "include/config/tristate.conf". KCONFIG_AUTOHEADER -------------------------------------------------- This environment variable can be set to specify the path & name of the "autoconf.h" (header) file. Its default value is "include/generated/autoconf.h". ====================================================================== menuconfig -------------------------------------------------- SEARCHING for CONFIG symbols Searching in menuconfig: The Search function searches for kernel configuration symbol names, so you have to know something close to what you are looking for. Example: /hotplug This lists all config symbols that contain "hotplug", e.g., HOTPLUG, HOTPLUG_CPU, MEMORY_HOTPLUG. For search help, enter / followed TAB-TAB-TAB (to highlight <Help>) and Enter. This will tell you that you can also use regular expressions (regexes) in the search string, so if you are not interested in MEMORY_HOTPLUG, you could try /^hotplug ______________________________________________________________________ User interface options for 'menuconfig' MENUCONFIG_COLOR -------------------------------------------------- It is possible to select different color themes using the variable MENUCONFIG_COLOR. To select a theme use: make MENUCONFIG_COLOR=<theme> menuconfig Available themes are: mono => selects colors suitable for monochrome displays blackbg => selects a color scheme with black background classic => theme with blue background. The classic look bluetitle => a LCD friendly version of classic. (default) MENUCONFIG_MODE -------------------------------------------------- This mode shows all sub-menus in one large tree. Example: make MENUCONFIG_MODE=single_menu menuconfig ====================================================================== xconfig -------------------------------------------------- Searching in xconfig: The Search function searches for kernel configuration symbol names, so you have to know something close to what you are looking for. Example: Ctrl-F hotplug or Menu: File, Search, hotplug lists all config symbol entries that contain "hotplug" in the symbol name. In this Search dialog, you may change the config setting for any of the entries that are not grayed out. You can also enter a different search string without having to return to the main menu. ====================================================================== gconfig -------------------------------------------------- Searching in gconfig: None (gconfig isn't maintained as well as xconfig or menuconfig); however, gconfig does have a few more viewing choices than xconfig does. ###
kconfig-language
Introduction ------------ The configuration database is a collection of configuration options organized in a tree structure: +- Code maturity level options | +- Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers +- General setup | +- Networking support | +- System V IPC | +- BSD Process Accounting | +- Sysctl support +- Loadable module support | +- Enable loadable module support | +- Set version information on all module symbols | +- Kernel module loader +- ... Every entry has its own dependencies. These dependencies are used to determine the visibility of an entry. Any child entry is only visible if its parent entry is also visible. Menu entries ------------ Most entries define a config option; all other entries help to organize them. A single configuration option is defined like this: config MODVERSIONS bool "Set version information on all module symbols" depends on MODULES help Usually, modules have to be recompiled whenever you switch to a new kernel. ... Every line starts with a key word and can be followed by multiple arguments. "config" starts a new config entry. The following lines define attributes for this config option. Attributes can be the type of the config option, input prompt, dependencies, help text and default values. A config option can be defined multiple times with the same name, but every definition can have only a single input prompt and the type must not conflict. Menu attributes --------------- A menu entry can have a number of attributes. Not all of them are applicable everywhere (see syntax). - type definition: "bool"/"tristate"/"string"/"hex"/"int" Every config option must have a type. There are only two basic types: tristate and string; the other types are based on these two. The type definition optionally accepts an input prompt, so these two examples are equivalent: bool "Networking support" and bool prompt "Networking support" - input prompt: "prompt" <prompt> ["if" <expr>] Every menu entry can have at most one prompt, which is used to display to the user. Optionally dependencies only for this prompt can be added with "if". - default value: "default" <expr> ["if" <expr>] A config option can have any number of default values. If multiple default values are visible, only the first defined one is active. Default values are not limited to the menu entry where they are defined. This means the default can be defined somewhere else or be overridden by an earlier definition. The default value is only assigned to the config symbol if no other value was set by the user (via the input prompt above). If an input prompt is visible the default value is presented to the user and can be overridden by him. Optionally, dependencies only for this default value can be added with "if". - type definition + default value: "def_bool"/"def_tristate" <expr> ["if" <expr>] This is a shorthand notation for a type definition plus a value. Optionally dependencies for this default value can be added with "if". - dependencies: "depends on" <expr> This defines a dependency for this menu entry. If multiple dependencies are defined, they are connected with '&&'. Dependencies are applied to all other options within this menu entry (which also accept an "if" expression), so these two examples are equivalent: bool "foo" if BAR default y if BAR and depends on BAR bool "foo" default y - reverse dependencies: "select" <symbol> ["if" <expr>] While normal dependencies reduce the upper limit of a symbol (see below), reverse dependencies can be used to force a lower limit of another symbol. The value of the current menu symbol is used as the minimal value <symbol> can be set to. If <symbol> is selected multiple times, the limit is set to the largest selection. Reverse dependencies can only be used with boolean or tristate symbols. Note: select should be used with care. select will force a symbol to a value without visiting the dependencies. By abusing select you are able to select a symbol FOO even if FOO depends on BAR that is not set. In general use select only for non-visible symbols (no prompts anywhere) and for symbols with no dependencies. That will limit the usefulness but on the other hand avoid the illegal configurations all over. - limiting menu display: "visible if" <expr> This attribute is only applicable to menu blocks, if the condition is false, the menu block is not displayed to the user (the symbols contained there can still be selected by other symbols, though). It is similar to a conditional "prompt" attribute for individual menu entries. Default value of "visible" is true. - numerical ranges: "range" <symbol> <symbol> ["if" <expr>] This allows to limit the range of possible input values for int and hex symbols. The user can only input a value which is larger than or equal to the first symbol and smaller than or equal to the second symbol. - help text: "help" or "---help---" This defines a help text. The end of the help text is determined by the indentation level, this means it ends at the first line which has a smaller indentation than the first line of the help text. "---help---" and "help" do not differ in behaviour, "---help---" is used to help visually separate configuration logic from help within the file as an aid to developers. - misc options: "option" <symbol>[=<value>] Various less common options can be defined via this option syntax, which can modify the behaviour of the menu entry and its config symbol. These options are currently possible: - "defconfig_list" This declares a list of default entries which can be used when looking for the default configuration (which is used when the main .config doesn't exists yet.) - "modules" This declares the symbol to be used as the MODULES symbol, which enables the third modular state for all config symbols. - "env"=<value> This imports the environment variable into Kconfig. It behaves like a default, except that the value comes from the environment, this also means that the behaviour when mixing it with normal defaults is undefined at this point. The symbol is currently not exported back to the build environment (if this is desired, it can be done via another symbol). Menu dependencies ----------------- Dependencies define the visibility of a menu entry and can also reduce the input range of tristate symbols. The tristate logic used in the expressions uses one more state than normal boolean logic to express the module state. Dependency expressions have the following syntax: <expr> ::= <symbol> (1) <symbol> '=' <symbol> (2) <symbol> '!=' <symbol> (3) '(' <expr> ')' (4) '!' <expr> (5) <expr> '&&' <expr> (6) <expr> '||' <expr> (7) Expressions are listed in decreasing order of precedence. (1) Convert the symbol into an expression. Boolean and tristate symbols are simply converted into the respective expression values. All other symbol types result in 'n'. (2) If the values of both symbols are equal, it returns 'y', otherwise 'n'. (3) If the values of both symbols are equal, it returns 'n', otherwise 'y'. (4) Returns the value of the expression. Used to override precedence. (5) Returns the result of (2-/expr/). (6) Returns the result of min(/expr/, /expr/). (7) Returns the result of max(/expr/, /expr/). An expression can have a value of 'n', 'm' or 'y' (or 0, 1, 2 respectively for calculations). A menu entry becomes visible when its expression evaluates to 'm' or 'y'. There are two types of symbols: constant and non-constant symbols. Non-constant symbols are the most common ones and are defined with the 'config' statement. Non-constant symbols consist entirely of alphanumeric characters or underscores. Constant symbols are only part of expressions. Constant symbols are always surrounded by single or double quotes. Within the quote, any other character is allowed and the quotes can be escaped using '\'. Menu structure -------------- The position of a menu entry in the tree is determined in two ways. First it can be specified explicitly: menu "Network device support" depends on NET config NETDEVICES ... endmenu All entries within the "menu" ... "endmenu" block become a submenu of "Network device support". All subentries inherit the dependencies from the menu entry, e.g. this means the dependency "NET" is added to the dependency list of the config option NETDEVICES. The other way to generate the menu structure is done by analyzing the dependencies. If a menu entry somehow depends on the previous entry, it can be made a submenu of it. First, the previous (parent) symbol must be part of the dependency list and then one of these two conditions must be true: - the child entry must become invisible, if the parent is set to 'n' - the child entry must only be visible, if the parent is visible config MODULES bool "Enable loadable module support" config MODVERSIONS bool "Set version information on all module symbols" depends on MODULES comment "module support disabled" depends on !MODULES MODVERSIONS directly depends on MODULES, this means it's only visible if MODULES is different from 'n'. The comment on the other hand is always visible when MODULES is visible (the (empty) dependency of MODULES is also part of the comment dependencies). Kconfig syntax -------------- The configuration file describes a series of menu entries, where every line starts with a keyword (except help texts). The following keywords end a menu entry: - config - menuconfig - choice/endchoice - comment - menu/endmenu - if/endif - source The first five also start the definition of a menu entry. config: "config" <symbol> <config options> This defines a config symbol <symbol> and accepts any of above attributes as options. menuconfig: "menuconfig" <symbol> <config options> This is similar to the simple config entry above, but it also gives a hint to front ends, that all suboptions should be displayed as a separate list of options. choices: "choice" [symbol] <choice options> <choice block> "endchoice" This defines a choice group and accepts any of the above attributes as options. A choice can only be of type bool or tristate, while a boolean choice only allows a single config entry to be selected, a tristate choice also allows any number of config entries to be set to 'm'. This can be used if multiple drivers for a single hardware exists and only a single driver can be compiled/loaded into the kernel, but all drivers can be compiled as modules. A choice accepts another option "optional", which allows to set the choice to 'n' and no entry needs to be selected. If no [symbol] is associated with a choice, then you can not have multiple definitions of that choice. If a [symbol] is associated to the choice, then you may define the same choice (ie. with the same entries) in another place. comment: "comment" <prompt> <comment options> This defines a comment which is displayed to the user during the configuration process and is also echoed to the output files. The only possible options are dependencies. menu: "menu" <prompt> <menu options> <menu block> "endmenu" This defines a menu block, see "Menu structure" above for more information. The only possible options are dependencies and "visible" attributes. if: "if" <expr> <if block> "endif" This defines an if block. The dependency expression <expr> is appended to all enclosed menu entries. source: "source" <prompt> This reads the specified configuration file. This file is always parsed. mainmenu: "mainmenu" <prompt> This sets the config program's title bar if the config program chooses to use it. It should be placed at the top of the configuration, before any other statement. Kconfig hints ------------- This is a collection of Kconfig tips, most of which aren't obvious at first glance and most of which have become idioms in several Kconfig files. Adding common features and make the usage configurable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It is a common idiom to implement a feature/functionality that are relevant for some architectures but not all. The recommended way to do so is to use a config variable named HAVE_* that is defined in a common Kconfig file and selected by the relevant architectures. An example is the generic IOMAP functionality. We would in lib/Kconfig see: # Generic IOMAP is used to ... config HAVE_GENERIC_IOMAP config GENERIC_IOMAP depends on HAVE_GENERIC_IOMAP && FOO And in lib/Makefile we would see: obj-$(CONFIG_GENERIC_IOMAP) += iomap.o For each architecture using the generic IOMAP functionality we would see: config X86 select ... select HAVE_GENERIC_IOMAP select ... Note: we use the existing config option and avoid creating a new config variable to select HAVE_GENERIC_IOMAP. Note: the use of the internal config variable HAVE_GENERIC_IOMAP, it is introduced to overcome the limitation of select which will force a config option to 'y' no matter the dependencies. The dependencies are moved to the symbol GENERIC_IOMAP and we avoid the situation where select forces a symbol equals to 'y'. Build as module only ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To restrict a component build to module-only, qualify its config symbol with "depends on m". E.g.: config FOO depends on BAR && m limits FOO to module (=m) or disabled (=n). Kconfig symbol existence ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following two methods produce the same kconfig symbol dependencies but differ greatly in kconfig symbol existence (production) in the generated config file. case 1: config FOO tristate "about foo" depends on BAR vs. case 2: if BAR config FOO tristate "about foo" endif In case 1, the symbol FOO will always exist in the config file (given no other dependencies). In case 2, the symbol FOO will only exist in the config file if BAR is enabled.
makefiles
Linux Kernel Makefiles This document describes the Linux kernel Makefiles. === Table of Contents === 1 Overview === 2 Who does what === 3 The kbuild files --- 3.1 Goal definitions --- 3.2 Built-in object goals - obj-y --- 3.3 Loadable module goals - obj-m --- 3.4 Objects which export symbols --- 3.5 Library file goals - lib-y --- 3.6 Descending down in directories --- 3.7 Compilation flags --- 3.8 Command line dependency --- 3.9 Dependency tracking --- 3.10 Special Rules --- 3.11 $(CC) support functions --- 3.12 $(LD) support functions === 4 Host Program support --- 4.1 Simple Host Program --- 4.2 Composite Host Programs --- 4.3 Defining shared libraries --- 4.4 Using C++ for host programs --- 4.5 Controlling compiler options for host programs --- 4.6 When host programs are actually built --- 4.7 Using hostprogs-$(CONFIG_FOO) === 5 Kbuild clean infrastructure === 6 Architecture Makefiles --- 6.1 Set variables to tweak the build to the architecture --- 6.2 Add prerequisites to archheaders: --- 6.3 Add prerequisites to archprepare: --- 6.4 List directories to visit when descending --- 6.5 Architecture-specific boot images --- 6.6 Building non-kbuild targets --- 6.7 Commands useful for building a boot image --- 6.8 Custom kbuild commands --- 6.9 Preprocessing linker scripts --- 6.10 Generic header files === 7 Kbuild syntax for exported headers --- 7.1 header-y --- 7.2 objhdr-y --- 7.3 destination-y --- 7.4 generic-y === 8 Kbuild Variables === 9 Makefile language === 10 Credits === 11 TODO === 1 Overview The Makefiles have five parts: Makefile the top Makefile. .config the kernel configuration file. arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile the arch Makefile. scripts/Makefile.* common rules etc. for all kbuild Makefiles. kbuild Makefiles there are about 500 of these. The top Makefile reads the .config file, which comes from the kernel configuration process. The top Makefile is responsible for building two major products: vmlinux (the resident kernel image) and modules (any module files). It builds these goals by recursively descending into the subdirectories of the kernel source tree. The list of subdirectories which are visited depends upon the kernel configuration. The top Makefile textually includes an arch Makefile with the name arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile. The arch Makefile supplies architecture-specific information to the top Makefile. Each subdirectory has a kbuild Makefile which carries out the commands passed down from above. The kbuild Makefile uses information from the .config file to construct various file lists used by kbuild to build any built-in or modular targets. scripts/Makefile.* contains all the definitions/rules etc. that are used to build the kernel based on the kbuild makefiles. === 2 Who does what People have four different relationships with the kernel Makefiles. *Users* are people who build kernels. These people type commands such as "make menuconfig" or "make". They usually do not read or edit any kernel Makefiles (or any other source files). *Normal developers* are people who work on features such as device drivers, file systems, and network protocols. These people need to maintain the kbuild Makefiles for the subsystem they are working on. In order to do this effectively, they need some overall knowledge about the kernel Makefiles, plus detailed knowledge about the public interface for kbuild. *Arch developers* are people who work on an entire architecture, such as sparc or ia64. Arch developers need to know about the arch Makefile as well as kbuild Makefiles. *Kbuild developers* are people who work on the kernel build system itself. These people need to know about all aspects of the kernel Makefiles. This document is aimed towards normal developers and arch developers. === 3 The kbuild files Most Makefiles within the kernel are kbuild Makefiles that use the kbuild infrastructure. This chapter introduces the syntax used in the kbuild makefiles. The preferred name for the kbuild files are 'Makefile' but 'Kbuild' can be used and if both a 'Makefile' and a 'Kbuild' file exists, then the 'Kbuild' file will be used. Section 3.1 "Goal definitions" is a quick intro, further chapters provide more details, with real examples. --- 3.1 Goal definitions Goal definitions are the main part (heart) of the kbuild Makefile. These lines define the files to be built, any special compilation options, and any subdirectories to be entered recursively. The most simple kbuild makefile contains one line: Example: obj-y += foo.o This tells kbuild that there is one object in that directory, named foo.o. foo.o will be built from foo.c or foo.S. If foo.o shall be built as a module, the variable obj-m is used. Therefore the following pattern is often used: Example: obj-$(CONFIG_FOO) += foo.o $(CONFIG_FOO) evaluates to either y (for built-in) or m (for module). If CONFIG_FOO is neither y nor m, then the file will not be compiled nor linked. --- 3.2 Built-in object goals - obj-y The kbuild Makefile specifies object files for vmlinux in the $(obj-y) lists. These lists depend on the kernel configuration. Kbuild compiles all the $(obj-y) files. It then calls "$(LD) -r" to merge these files into one built-in.o file. built-in.o is later linked into vmlinux by the parent Makefile. The order of files in $(obj-y) is significant. Duplicates in the lists are allowed: the first instance will be linked into built-in.o and succeeding instances will be ignored. Link order is significant, because certain functions (module_init() / __initcall) will be called during boot in the order they appear. So keep in mind that changing the link order may e.g. change the order in which your SCSI controllers are detected, and thus your disks are renumbered. Example: #drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile # Makefile for the kernel ISDN subsystem and device drivers. # Each configuration option enables a list of files. obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_I4L) += isdn.o obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) += isdn_bsdcomp.o --- 3.3 Loadable module goals - obj-m $(obj-m) specify object files which are built as loadable kernel modules. A module may be built from one source file or several source files. In the case of one source file, the kbuild makefile simply adds the file to $(obj-m). Example: #drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) += isdn_bsdcomp.o Note: In this example $(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) evaluates to 'm' If a kernel module is built from several source files, you specify that you want to build a module in the same way as above; however, kbuild needs to know which object files you want to build your module from, so you have to tell it by setting a $(<module_name>-y) variable. Example: #drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_I4L) += isdn.o isdn-y := isdn_net_lib.o isdn_v110.o isdn_common.o In this example, the module name will be isdn.o. Kbuild will compile the objects listed in $(isdn-y) and then run "$(LD) -r" on the list of these files to generate isdn.o. Due to kbuild recognizing $(<module_name>-y) for composite objects, you can use the value of a CONFIG_ symbol to optionally include an object file as part of a composite object. Example: #fs/ext2/Makefile obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS) += ext2.o ext2-y := balloc.o dir.o file.o ialloc.o inode.o ioctl.o \ namei.o super.o symlink.o ext2-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS_XATTR) += xattr.o xattr_user.o \ xattr_trusted.o In this example, xattr.o, xattr_user.o and xattr_trusted.o are only part of the composite object ext2.o if $(CONFIG_EXT2_FS_XATTR) evaluates to 'y'. Note: Of course, when you are building objects into the kernel, the syntax above will also work. So, if you have CONFIG_EXT2_FS=y, kbuild will build an ext2.o file for you out of the individual parts and then link this into built-in.o, as you would expect. --- 3.4 Objects which export symbols No special notation is required in the makefiles for modules exporting symbols. --- 3.5 Library file goals - lib-y Objects listed with obj-* are used for modules, or combined in a built-in.o for that specific directory. There is also the possibility to list objects that will be included in a library, lib.a. All objects listed with lib-y are combined in a single library for that directory. Objects that are listed in obj-y and additionally listed in lib-y will not be included in the library, since they will be accessible anyway. For consistency, objects listed in lib-m will be included in lib.a. Note that the same kbuild makefile may list files to be built-in and to be part of a library. Therefore the same directory may contain both a built-in.o and a lib.a file. Example: #arch/x86/lib/Makefile lib-y := delay.o This will create a library lib.a based on delay.o. For kbuild to actually recognize that there is a lib.a being built, the directory shall be listed in libs-y. See also "6.4 List directories to visit when descending". Use of lib-y is normally restricted to lib/ and arch/*/lib. --- 3.6 Descending down in directories A Makefile is only responsible for building objects in its own directory. Files in subdirectories should be taken care of by Makefiles in these subdirs. The build system will automatically invoke make recursively in subdirectories, provided you let it know of them. To do so, obj-y and obj-m are used. ext2 lives in a separate directory, and the Makefile present in fs/ tells kbuild to descend down using the following assignment. Example: #fs/Makefile obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS) += ext2/ If CONFIG_EXT2_FS is set to either 'y' (built-in) or 'm' (modular) the corresponding obj- variable will be set, and kbuild will descend down in the ext2 directory. Kbuild only uses this information to decide that it needs to visit the directory, it is the Makefile in the subdirectory that specifies what is modules and what is built-in. It is good practice to use a CONFIG_ variable when assigning directory names. This allows kbuild to totally skip the directory if the corresponding CONFIG_ option is neither 'y' nor 'm'. --- 3.7 Compilation flags ccflags-y, asflags-y and ldflags-y These three flags apply only to the kbuild makefile in which they are assigned. They are used for all the normal cc, as and ld invocations happening during a recursive build. Note: Flags with the same behaviour were previously named: EXTRA_CFLAGS, EXTRA_AFLAGS and EXTRA_LDFLAGS. They are still supported but their usage is deprecated. ccflags-y specifies options for compiling with $(CC). Example: # drivers/acpi/Makefile ccflags-y := -Os ccflags-$(CONFIG_ACPI_DEBUG) += -DACPI_DEBUG_OUTPUT This variable is necessary because the top Makefile owns the variable $(KBUILD_CFLAGS) and uses it for compilation flags for the entire tree. asflags-y specifies options for assembling with $(AS). Example: #arch/sparc/kernel/Makefile asflags-y := -ansi ldflags-y specifies options for linking with $(LD). Example: #arch/cris/boot/compressed/Makefile ldflags-y += -T $(srctree)/$(src)/decompress_$(arch-y).lds subdir-ccflags-y, subdir-asflags-y The two flags listed above are similar to ccflags-y and asflags-y. The difference is that the subdir- variants have effect for the kbuild file where they are present and all subdirectories. Options specified using subdir-* are added to the commandline before the options specified using the non-subdir variants. Example: subdir-ccflags-y := -Werror CFLAGS_$@, AFLAGS_$@ CFLAGS_$@ and AFLAGS_$@ only apply to commands in current kbuild makefile. $(CFLAGS_$@) specifies per-file options for $(CC). The $@ part has a literal value which specifies the file that it is for. Example: # drivers/scsi/Makefile CFLAGS_aha152x.o = -DAHA152X_STAT -DAUTOCONF CFLAGS_gdth.o = # -DDEBUG_GDTH=2 -D__SERIAL__ -D__COM2__ \ -DGDTH_STATISTICS These two lines specify compilation flags for aha152x.o and gdth.o. $(AFLAGS_$@) is a similar feature for source files in assembly languages. Example: # arch/arm/kernel/Makefile AFLAGS_head.o := -DTEXT_OFFSET=$(TEXT_OFFSET) AFLAGS_crunch-bits.o := -Wa,-mcpu=ep9312 AFLAGS_iwmmxt.o := -Wa,-mcpu=iwmmxt --- 3.9 Dependency tracking Kbuild tracks dependencies on the following: 1) All prerequisite files (both *.c and *.h) 2) CONFIG_ options used in all prerequisite files 3) Command-line used to compile target Thus, if you change an option to $(CC) all affected files will be re-compiled. --- 3.10 Special Rules Special rules are used when the kbuild infrastructure does not provide the required support. A typical example is header files generated during the build process. Another example are the architecture-specific Makefiles which need special rules to prepare boot images etc. Special rules are written as normal Make rules. Kbuild is not executing in the directory where the Makefile is located, so all special rules shall provide a relative path to prerequisite files and target files. Two variables are used when defining special rules: $(src) $(src) is a relative path which points to the directory where the Makefile is located. Always use $(src) when referring to files located in the src tree. $(obj) $(obj) is a relative path which points to the directory where the target is saved. Always use $(obj) when referring to generated files. Example: #drivers/scsi/Makefile $(obj)/53c8xx_d.h: $(src)/53c7,8xx.scr $(src)/script_asm.pl $(CPP) -DCHIP=810 - < $< | ... $(src)/script_asm.pl This is a special rule, following the normal syntax required by make. The target file depends on two prerequisite files. References to the target file are prefixed with $(obj), references to prerequisites are referenced with $(src) (because they are not generated files). $(kecho) echoing information to user in a rule is often a good practice but when execution "make -s" one does not expect to see any output except for warnings/errors. To support this kbuild define $(kecho) which will echo out the text following $(kecho) to stdout except if "make -s" is used. Example: #arch/blackfin/boot/Makefile $(obj)/vmImage: $(obj)/vmlinux.gz $(call if_changed,uimage) @$(kecho) 'Kernel: $@ is ready' --- 3.11 $(CC) support functions The kernel may be built with several different versions of $(CC), each supporting a unique set of features and options. kbuild provide basic support to check for valid options for $(CC). $(CC) is usually the gcc compiler, but other alternatives are available. as-option as-option is used to check if $(CC) -- when used to compile assembler (*.S) files -- supports the given option. An optional second option may be specified if the first option is not supported. Example: #arch/sh/Makefile cflags-y += $(call as-option,-Wa$(comma)-isa=$(isa-y),) In the above example, cflags-y will be assigned the option -Wa$(comma)-isa=$(isa-y) if it is supported by $(CC). The second argument is optional, and if supplied will be used if first argument is not supported. cc-ldoption cc-ldoption is used to check if $(CC) when used to link object files supports the given option. An optional second option may be specified if first option are not supported. Example: #arch/x86/kernel/Makefile vsyscall-flags += $(call cc-ldoption, -Wl$(comma)--hash-style=sysv) In the above example, vsyscall-flags will be assigned the option -Wl$(comma)--hash-style=sysv if it is supported by $(CC). The second argument is optional, and if supplied will be used if first argument is not supported. as-instr as-instr checks if the assembler reports a specific instruction and then outputs either option1 or option2 C escapes are supported in the test instruction Note: as-instr-option uses KBUILD_AFLAGS for $(AS) options cc-option cc-option is used to check if $(CC) supports a given option, and not supported to use an optional second option. Example: #arch/x86/Makefile cflags-y += $(call cc-option,-march=pentium-mmx,-march=i586) In the above example, cflags-y will be assigned the option -march=pentium-mmx if supported by $(CC), otherwise -march=i586. The second argument to cc-option is optional, and if omitted, cflags-y will be assigned no value if first option is not supported. Note: cc-option uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options cc-option-yn cc-option-yn is used to check if gcc supports a given option and return 'y' if supported, otherwise 'n'. Example: #arch/ppc/Makefile biarch := $(call cc-option-yn, -m32) aflags-$(biarch) += -a32 cflags-$(biarch) += -m32 In the above example, $(biarch) is set to y if $(CC) supports the -m32 option. When $(biarch) equals 'y', the expanded variables $(aflags-y) and $(cflags-y) will be assigned the values -a32 and -m32, respectively. Note: cc-option-yn uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options cc-option-align gcc versions >= 3.0 changed the type of options used to specify alignment of functions, loops etc. $(cc-option-align), when used as prefix to the align options, will select the right prefix: gcc < 3.00 cc-option-align = -malign gcc >= 3.00 cc-option-align = -falign Example: KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(cc-option-align)-functions=4 In the above example, the option -falign-functions=4 is used for gcc >= 3.00. For gcc < 3.00, -malign-functions=4 is used. Note: cc-option-align uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options cc-disable-warning cc-disable-warning checks if gcc supports a given warning and returns the commandline switch to disable it. This special function is needed, because gcc 4.4 and later accept any unknown -Wno-* option and only warn about it if there is another warning in the source file. Example: KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-disable-warning, unused-but-set-variable) In the above example, -Wno-unused-but-set-variable will be added to KBUILD_CFLAGS only if gcc really accepts it. cc-version cc-version returns a numerical version of the $(CC) compiler version. The format is <major><minor> where both are two digits. So for example gcc 3.41 would return 0341. cc-version is useful when a specific $(CC) version is faulty in one area, for example -mregparm=3 was broken in some gcc versions even though the option was accepted by gcc. Example: #arch/x86/Makefile cflags-y += $(shell \ if [ $(call cc-version) -ge 0300 ] ; then \ echo "-mregparm=3"; fi ;) In the above example, -mregparm=3 is only used for gcc version greater than or equal to gcc 3.0. cc-ifversion cc-ifversion tests the version of $(CC) and equals last argument if version expression is true. Example: #fs/reiserfs/Makefile ccflags-y := $(call cc-ifversion, -lt, 0402, -O1) In this example, ccflags-y will be assigned the value -O1 if the $(CC) version is less than 4.2. cc-ifversion takes all the shell operators: -eq, -ne, -lt, -le, -gt, and -ge The third parameter may be a text as in this example, but it may also be an expanded variable or a macro. cc-fullversion cc-fullversion is useful when the exact version of gcc is needed. One typical use-case is when a specific GCC version is broken. cc-fullversion points out a more specific version than cc-version does. Example: #arch/powerpc/Makefile $(Q)if test "$(call cc-fullversion)" = "040200" ; then \ echo -n '*** GCC-4.2.0 cannot compile the 64-bit powerpc ' ; \ false ; \ fi In this example for a specific GCC version the build will error out explaining to the user why it stops. cc-cross-prefix cc-cross-prefix is used to check if there exists a $(CC) in path with one of the listed prefixes. The first prefix where there exist a prefix$(CC) in the PATH is returned - and if no prefix$(CC) is found then nothing is returned. Additional prefixes are separated by a single space in the call of cc-cross-prefix. This functionality is useful for architecture Makefiles that try to set CROSS_COMPILE to well-known values but may have several values to select between. It is recommended only to try to set CROSS_COMPILE if it is a cross build (host arch is different from target arch). And if CROSS_COMPILE is already set then leave it with the old value. Example: #arch/m68k/Makefile ifneq ($(SUBARCH),$(ARCH)) ifeq ($(CROSS_COMPILE),) CROSS_COMPILE := $(call cc-cross-prefix, m68k-linux-gnu-) endif endif --- 3.12 $(LD) support functions ld-option ld-option is used to check if $(LD) supports the supplied option. ld-option takes two options as arguments. The second argument is an optional option that can be used if the first option is not supported by $(LD). Example: #Makefile LDFLAGS_vmlinux += $(call really-ld-option, -X) === 4 Host Program support Kbuild supports building executables on the host for use during the compilation stage. Two steps are required in order to use a host executable. The first step is to tell kbuild that a host program exists. This is done utilising the variable hostprogs-y. The second step is to add an explicit dependency to the executable. This can be done in two ways. Either add the dependency in a rule, or utilise the variable $(always). Both possibilities are described in the following. --- 4.1 Simple Host Program In some cases there is a need to compile and run a program on the computer where the build is running. The following line tells kbuild that the program bin2hex shall be built on the build host. Example: hostprogs-y := bin2hex Kbuild assumes in the above example that bin2hex is made from a single c-source file named bin2hex.c located in the same directory as the Makefile. --- 4.2 Composite Host Programs Host programs can be made up based on composite objects. The syntax used to define composite objects for host programs is similar to the syntax used for kernel objects. $(<executable>-objs) lists all objects used to link the final executable. Example: #scripts/lxdialog/Makefile hostprogs-y := lxdialog lxdialog-objs := checklist.o lxdialog.o Objects with extension .o are compiled from the corresponding .c files. In the above example, checklist.c is compiled to checklist.o and lxdialog.c is compiled to lxdialog.o. Finally, the two .o files are linked to the executable, lxdialog. Note: The syntax <executable>-y is not permitted for host-programs. --- 4.3 Defining shared libraries Objects with extension .so are considered shared libraries, and will be compiled as position independent objects. Kbuild provides support for shared libraries, but the usage shall be restricted. In the following example the libkconfig.so shared library is used to link the executable conf. Example: #scripts/kconfig/Makefile hostprogs-y := conf conf-objs := conf.o libkconfig.so libkconfig-objs := expr.o type.o Shared libraries always require a corresponding -objs line, and in the example above the shared library libkconfig is composed by the two objects expr.o and type.o. expr.o and type.o will be built as position independent code and linked as a shared library libkconfig.so. C++ is not supported for shared libraries. --- 4.4 Using C++ for host programs kbuild offers support for host programs written in C++. This was introduced solely to support kconfig, and is not recommended for general use. Example: #scripts/kconfig/Makefile hostprogs-y := qconf qconf-cxxobjs := qconf.o In the example above the executable is composed of the C++ file qconf.cc - identified by $(qconf-cxxobjs). If qconf is composed by a mixture of .c and .cc files, then an additional line can be used to identify this. Example: #scripts/kconfig/Makefile hostprogs-y := qconf qconf-cxxobjs := qconf.o qconf-objs := check.o --- 4.5 Controlling compiler options for host programs When compiling host programs, it is possible to set specific flags. The programs will always be compiled utilising $(HOSTCC) passed the options specified in $(HOSTCFLAGS). To set flags that will take effect for all host programs created in that Makefile, use the variable HOST_EXTRACFLAGS. Example: #scripts/lxdialog/Makefile HOST_EXTRACFLAGS += -I/usr/include/ncurses To set specific flags for a single file the following construction is used: Example: #arch/ppc64/boot/Makefile HOSTCFLAGS_piggyback.o := -DKERNELBASE=$(KERNELBASE) It is also possible to specify additional options to the linker. Example: #scripts/kconfig/Makefile HOSTLOADLIBES_qconf := -L$(QTDIR)/lib When linking qconf, it will be passed the extra option "-L$(QTDIR)/lib". --- 4.6 When host programs are actually built Kbuild will only build host-programs when they are referenced as a prerequisite. This is possible in two ways: (1) List the prerequisite explicitly in a special rule. Example: #drivers/pci/Makefile hostprogs-y := gen-devlist $(obj)/devlist.h: $(src)/pci.ids $(obj)/gen-devlist ( cd $(obj); ./gen-devlist ) < $< The target $(obj)/devlist.h will not be built before $(obj)/gen-devlist is updated. Note that references to the host programs in special rules must be prefixed with $(obj). (2) Use $(always) When there is no suitable special rule, and the host program shall be built when a makefile is entered, the $(always) variable shall be used. Example: #scripts/lxdialog/Makefile hostprogs-y := lxdialog always := $(hostprogs-y) This will tell kbuild to build lxdialog even if not referenced in any rule. --- 4.7 Using hostprogs-$(CONFIG_FOO) A typical pattern in a Kbuild file looks like this: Example: #scripts/Makefile hostprogs-$(CONFIG_KALLSYMS) += kallsyms Kbuild knows about both 'y' for built-in and 'm' for module. So if a config symbol evaluate to 'm', kbuild will still build the binary. In other words, Kbuild handles hostprogs-m exactly like hostprogs-y. But only hostprogs-y is recommended to be used when no CONFIG symbols are involved. === 5 Kbuild clean infrastructure "make clean" deletes most generated files in the obj tree where the kernel is compiled. This includes generated files such as host programs. Kbuild knows targets listed in $(hostprogs-y), $(hostprogs-m), $(always), $(extra-y) and $(targets). They are all deleted during "make clean". Files matching the patterns "*.[oas]", "*.ko", plus some additional files generated by kbuild are deleted all over the kernel src tree when "make clean" is executed. Additional files can be specified in kbuild makefiles by use of $(clean-files). Example: #drivers/pci/Makefile clean-files := devlist.h classlist.h When executing "make clean", the two files "devlist.h classlist.h" will be deleted. Kbuild will assume files to be in same relative directory as the Makefile except if an absolute path is specified (path starting with '/'). To delete a directory hierarchy use: Example: #scripts/package/Makefile clean-dirs := $(objtree)/debian/ This will delete the directory debian, including all subdirectories. Kbuild will assume the directories to be in the same relative path as the Makefile if no absolute path is specified (path does not start with '/'). To exclude certain files from make clean, use the $(no-clean-files) variable. This is only a special case used in the top level Kbuild file: Example: #Kbuild no-clean-files := $(bounds-file) $(offsets-file) Usually kbuild descends down in subdirectories due to "obj-* := dir/", but in the architecture makefiles where the kbuild infrastructure is not sufficient this sometimes needs to be explicit. Example: #arch/x86/boot/Makefile subdir- := compressed/ The above assignment instructs kbuild to descend down in the directory compressed/ when "make clean" is executed. To support the clean infrastructure in the Makefiles that builds the final bootimage there is an optional target named archclean: Example: #arch/x86/Makefile archclean: $(Q)$(MAKE) $(clean)=arch/x86/boot When "make clean" is executed, make will descend down in arch/x86/boot, and clean as usual. The Makefile located in arch/x86/boot/ may use the subdir- trick to descend further down. Note 1: arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile cannot use "subdir-", because that file is included in the top level makefile, and the kbuild infrastructure is not operational at that point. Note 2: All directories listed in core-y, libs-y, drivers-y and net-y will be visited during "make clean". === 6 Architecture Makefiles The top level Makefile sets up the environment and does the preparation, before starting to descend down in the individual directories. The top level makefile contains the generic part, whereas arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile contains what is required to set up kbuild for said architecture. To do so, arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile sets up a number of variables and defines a few targets. When kbuild executes, the following steps are followed (roughly): 1) Configuration of the kernel => produce .config 2) Store kernel version in include/linux/version.h 3) Symlink include/asm to include/asm-$(ARCH) 4) Updating all other prerequisites to the target prepare: - Additional prerequisites are specified in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile 5) Recursively descend down in all directories listed in init-* core* drivers-* net-* libs-* and build all targets. - The values of the above variables are expanded in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile. 6) All object files are then linked and the resulting file vmlinux is located at the root of the obj tree. The very first objects linked are listed in head-y, assigned by arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile. 7) Finally, the architecture-specific part does any required post processing and builds the final bootimage. - This includes building boot records - Preparing initrd images and the like --- 6.1 Set variables to tweak the build to the architecture LDFLAGS Generic $(LD) options Flags used for all invocations of the linker. Often specifying the emulation is sufficient. Example: #arch/s390/Makefile LDFLAGS := -m elf_s390 Note: ldflags-y can be used to further customise the flags used. See chapter 3.7. LDFLAGS_MODULE Options for $(LD) when linking modules LDFLAGS_MODULE is used to set specific flags for $(LD) when linking the .ko files used for modules. Default is "-r", for relocatable output. LDFLAGS_vmlinux Options for $(LD) when linking vmlinux LDFLAGS_vmlinux is used to specify additional flags to pass to the linker when linking the final vmlinux image. LDFLAGS_vmlinux uses the LDFLAGS_$@ support. Example: #arch/x86/Makefile LDFLAGS_vmlinux := -e stext OBJCOPYFLAGS objcopy flags When $(call if_changed,objcopy) is used to translate a .o file, the flags specified in OBJCOPYFLAGS will be used. $(call if_changed,objcopy) is often used to generate raw binaries on vmlinux. Example: #arch/s390/Makefile OBJCOPYFLAGS := -O binary #arch/s390/boot/Makefile $(obj)/image: vmlinux FORCE $(call if_changed,objcopy) In this example, the binary $(obj)/image is a binary version of vmlinux. The usage of $(call if_changed,xxx) will be described later. KBUILD_AFLAGS $(AS) assembler flags Default value - see top level Makefile Append or modify as required per architecture. Example: #arch/sparc64/Makefile KBUILD_AFLAGS += -m64 -mcpu=ultrasparc KBUILD_CFLAGS $(CC) compiler flags Default value - see top level Makefile Append or modify as required per architecture. Often, the KBUILD_CFLAGS variable depends on the configuration. Example: #arch/x86/Makefile cflags-$(CONFIG_M386) += -march=i386 KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(cflags-y) Many arch Makefiles dynamically run the target C compiler to probe supported options: #arch/x86/Makefile ... cflags-$(CONFIG_MPENTIUMII) += $(call cc-option,\ -march=pentium2,-march=i686) ... # Disable unit-at-a-time mode ... KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-fno-unit-at-a-time) ... The first example utilises the trick that a config option expands to 'y' when selected. KBUILD_AFLAGS_KERNEL $(AS) options specific for built-in $(KBUILD_AFLAGS_KERNEL) contains extra C compiler flags used to compile resident kernel code. KBUILD_AFLAGS_MODULE Options for $(AS) when building modules $(KBUILD_AFLAGS_MODULE) is used to add arch specific options that are used for $(AS). From commandline AFLAGS_MODULE shall be used (see kbuild.txt). KBUILD_CFLAGS_KERNEL $(CC) options specific for built-in $(KBUILD_CFLAGS_KERNEL) contains extra C compiler flags used to compile resident kernel code. KBUILD_CFLAGS_MODULE Options for $(CC) when building modules $(KBUILD_CFLAGS_MODULE) is used to add arch specific options that are used for $(CC). From commandline CFLAGS_MODULE shall be used (see kbuild.txt). KBUILD_LDFLAGS_MODULE Options for $(LD) when linking modules $(KBUILD_LDFLAGS_MODULE) is used to add arch specific options used when linking modules. This is often a linker script. From commandline LDFLAGS_MODULE shall be used (see kbuild.txt). KBUILD_ARFLAGS Options for $(AR) when creating archives $(KBUILD_ARFLAGS) set by the top level Makefile to "D" (deterministic mode) if this option is supported by $(AR). --- 6.2 Add prerequisites to archheaders: The archheaders: rule is used to generate header files that may be installed into user space by "make header_install" or "make headers_install_all". In order to support "make headers_install_all", this target has to be able to run on an unconfigured tree, or a tree configured for another architecture. It is run before "make archprepare" when run on the architecture itself. --- 6.3 Add prerequisites to archprepare: The archprepare: rule is used to list prerequisites that need to be built before starting to descend down in the subdirectories. This is usually used for header files containing assembler constants. Example: #arch/arm/Makefile archprepare: maketools In this example, the file target maketools will be processed before descending down in the subdirectories. See also chapter XXX-TODO that describe how kbuild supports generating offset header files. --- 6.4 List directories to visit when descending An arch Makefile cooperates with the top Makefile to define variables which specify how to build the vmlinux file. Note that there is no corresponding arch-specific section for modules; the module-building machinery is all architecture-independent. head-y, init-y, core-y, libs-y, drivers-y, net-y $(head-y) lists objects to be linked first in vmlinux. $(libs-y) lists directories where a lib.a archive can be located. The rest list directories where a built-in.o object file can be located. $(init-y) objects will be located after $(head-y). Then the rest follows in this order: $(core-y), $(libs-y), $(drivers-y) and $(net-y). The top level Makefile defines values for all generic directories, and arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile only adds architecture-specific directories. Example: #arch/sparc64/Makefile core-y += arch/sparc64/kernel/ libs-y += arch/sparc64/prom/ arch/sparc64/lib/ drivers-$(CONFIG_OPROFILE) += arch/sparc64/oprofile/ --- 6.5 Architecture-specific boot images An arch Makefile specifies goals that take the vmlinux file, compress it, wrap it in bootstrapping code, and copy the resulting files somewhere. This includes various kinds of installation commands. The actual goals are not standardized across architectures. It is common to locate any additional processing in a boot/ directory below arch/$(ARCH)/. Kbuild does not provide any smart way to support building a target specified in boot/. Therefore arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile shall call make manually to build a target in boot/. The recommended approach is to include shortcuts in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile, and use the full path when calling down into the arch/$(ARCH)/boot/Makefile. Example: #arch/x86/Makefile boot := arch/x86/boot bzImage: vmlinux $(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=$(boot) $(boot)/$@ "$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=<dir>" is the recommended way to invoke make in a subdirectory. There are no rules for naming architecture-specific targets, but executing "make help" will list all relevant targets. To support this, $(archhelp) must be defined. Example: #arch/x86/Makefile define archhelp echo '* bzImage - Image (arch/$(ARCH)/boot/bzImage)' endif When make is executed without arguments, the first goal encountered will be built. In the top level Makefile the first goal present is all:. An architecture shall always, per default, build a bootable image. In "make help", the default goal is highlighted with a '*'. Add a new prerequisite to all: to select a default goal different from vmlinux. Example: #arch/x86/Makefile all: bzImage When "make" is executed without arguments, bzImage will be built. --- 6.6 Building non-kbuild targets extra-y extra-y specify additional targets created in the current directory, in addition to any targets specified by obj-*. Listing all targets in extra-y is required for two purposes: 1) Enable kbuild to check changes in command lines - When $(call if_changed,xxx) is used 2) kbuild knows what files to delete during "make clean" Example: #arch/x86/kernel/Makefile extra-y := head.o init_task.o In this example, extra-y is used to list object files that shall be built, but shall not be linked as part of built-in.o. --- 6.7 Commands useful for building a boot image Kbuild provides a few macros that are useful when building a boot image. if_changed if_changed is the infrastructure used for the following commands. Usage: target: source(s) FORCE $(call if_changed,ld/objcopy/gzip) When the rule is evaluated, it is checked to see if any files need an update, or the command line has changed since the last invocation. The latter will force a rebuild if any options to the executable have changed. Any target that utilises if_changed must be listed in $(targets), otherwise the command line check will fail, and the target will always be built. Assignments to $(targets) are without $(obj)/ prefix. if_changed may be used in conjunction with custom commands as defined in 6.8 "Custom kbuild commands". Note: It is a typical mistake to forget the FORCE prerequisite. Another common pitfall is that whitespace is sometimes significant; for instance, the below will fail (note the extra space after the comma): target: source(s) FORCE #WRONG!# $(call if_changed, ld/objcopy/gzip) ld Link target. Often, LDFLAGS_$@ is used to set specific options to ld. objcopy Copy binary. Uses OBJCOPYFLAGS usually specified in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile. OBJCOPYFLAGS_$@ may be used to set additional options. gzip Compress target. Use maximum compression to compress target. Example: #arch/x86/boot/Makefile LDFLAGS_bootsect := -Ttext 0x0 -s --oformat binary LDFLAGS_setup := -Ttext 0x0 -s --oformat binary -e begtext targets += setup setup.o bootsect bootsect.o $(obj)/setup $(obj)/bootsect: %: %.o FORCE $(call if_changed,ld) In this example, there are two possible targets, requiring different options to the linker. The linker options are specified using the LDFLAGS_$@ syntax - one for each potential target. $(targets) are assigned all potential targets, by which kbuild knows the targets and will: 1) check for commandline changes 2) delete target during make clean The ": %: %.o" part of the prerequisite is a shorthand that free us from listing the setup.o and bootsect.o files. Note: It is a common mistake to forget the "target :=" assignment, resulting in the target file being recompiled for no obvious reason. dtc Create flattend device tree blob object suitable for linking into vmlinux. Device tree blobs linked into vmlinux are placed in an init section in the image. Platform code *must* copy the blob to non-init memory prior to calling unflatten_device_tree(). Example: #arch/x86/platform/ce4100/Makefile clean-files := *dtb.S DTC_FLAGS := -p 1024 obj-y += foo.dtb.o $(obj)/%.dtb: $(src)/%.dts $(call cmd,dtc) --- 6.8 Custom kbuild commands When kbuild is executing with KBUILD_VERBOSE=0, then only a shorthand of a command is normally displayed. To enable this behaviour for custom commands kbuild requires two variables to be set: quiet_cmd_<command> - what shall be echoed cmd_<command> - the command to execute Example: # quiet_cmd_image = BUILD $@ cmd_image = $(obj)/tools/build $(BUILDFLAGS) \ $(obj)/vmlinux.bin > $@ targets += bzImage $(obj)/bzImage: $(obj)/vmlinux.bin $(obj)/tools/build FORCE $(call if_changed,image) @echo 'Kernel: $@ is ready' When updating the $(obj)/bzImage target, the line BUILD arch/x86/boot/bzImage will be displayed with "make KBUILD_VERBOSE=0". --- 6.9 Preprocessing linker scripts When the vmlinux image is built, the linker script arch/$(ARCH)/kernel/vmlinux.lds is used. The script is a preprocessed variant of the file vmlinux.lds.S located in the same directory. kbuild knows .lds files and includes a rule *lds.S -> *lds. Example: #arch/x86/kernel/Makefile always := vmlinux.lds #Makefile export CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds += -P -C -U$(ARCH) The assignment to $(always) is used to tell kbuild to build the target vmlinux.lds. The assignment to $(CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds) tells kbuild to use the specified options when building the target vmlinux.lds. When building the *.lds target, kbuild uses the variables: KBUILD_CPPFLAGS : Set in top-level Makefile cppflags-y : May be set in the kbuild makefile CPPFLAGS_$(@F) : Target specific flags. Note that the full filename is used in this assignment. The kbuild infrastructure for *lds file are used in several architecture-specific files. --- 6.10 Generic header files The directory include/asm-generic contains the header files that may be shared between individual architectures. The recommended approach how to use a generic header file is to list the file in the Kbuild file. See "7.4 generic-y" for further info on syntax etc. === 7 Kbuild syntax for exported headers The kernel include a set of headers that is exported to userspace. Many headers can be exported as-is but other headers require a minimal pre-processing before they are ready for user-space. The pre-processing does: - drop kernel specific annotations - drop include of compiler.h - drop all sections that are kernel internal (guarded by ifdef __KERNEL__) Each relevant directory contains a file name "Kbuild" which specifies the headers to be exported. See subsequent chapter for the syntax of the Kbuild file. --- 7.1 header-y header-y specify header files to be exported. Example: #include/linux/Kbuild header-y += usb/ header-y += aio_abi.h The convention is to list one file per line and preferably in alphabetic order. header-y also specify which subdirectories to visit. A subdirectory is identified by a trailing '/' which can be seen in the example above for the usb subdirectory. Subdirectories are visited before their parent directories. --- 7.2 objhdr-y objhdr-y specifies generated files to be exported. Generated files are special as they need to be looked up in another directory when doing 'make O=...' builds. Example: #include/linux/Kbuild objhdr-y += version.h --- 7.3 destination-y When an architecture have a set of exported headers that needs to be exported to a different directory destination-y is used. destination-y specify the destination directory for all exported headers in the file where it is present. Example: #arch/xtensa/platforms/s6105/include/platform/Kbuild destination-y := include/linux In the example above all exported headers in the Kbuild file will be located in the directory "include/linux" when exported. --- 7.4 generic-y If an architecture uses a verbatim copy of a header from include/asm-generic then this is listed in the file arch/$(ARCH)/include/asm/Kbuild like this: Example: #arch/x86/include/asm/Kbuild generic-y += termios.h generic-y += rtc.h During the prepare phase of the build a wrapper include file is generated in the directory: arch/$(ARCH)/include/generated/asm When a header is exported where the architecture uses the generic header a similar wrapper is generated as part of the set of exported headers in the directory: usr/include/asm The generated wrapper will in both cases look like the following: Example: termios.h #include <asm-generic/termios.h> === 8 Kbuild Variables The top Makefile exports the following variables: VERSION, PATCHLEVEL, SUBLEVEL, EXTRAVERSION These variables define the current kernel version. A few arch Makefiles actually use these values directly; they should use $(KERNELRELEASE) instead. $(VERSION), $(PATCHLEVEL), and $(SUBLEVEL) define the basic three-part version number, such as "2", "4", and "0". These three values are always numeric. $(EXTRAVERSION) defines an even tinier sublevel for pre-patches or additional patches. It is usually some non-numeric string such as "-pre4", and is often blank. KERNELRELEASE $(KERNELRELEASE) is a single string such as "2.4.0-pre4", suitable for constructing installation directory names or showing in version strings. Some arch Makefiles use it for this purpose. ARCH This variable defines the target architecture, such as "i386", "arm", or "sparc". Some kbuild Makefiles test $(ARCH) to determine which files to compile. By default, the top Makefile sets $(ARCH) to be the same as the host system architecture. For a cross build, a user may override the value of $(ARCH) on the command line: make ARCH=m68k ... INSTALL_PATH This variable defines a place for the arch Makefiles to install the resident kernel image and System.map file. Use this for architecture-specific install targets. INSTALL_MOD_PATH, MODLIB $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH) specifies a prefix to $(MODLIB) for module installation. This variable is not defined in the Makefile but may be passed in by the user if desired. $(MODLIB) specifies the directory for module installation. The top Makefile defines $(MODLIB) to $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH)/lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE). The user may override this value on the command line if desired. INSTALL_MOD_STRIP If this variable is specified, will cause modules to be stripped after they are installed. If INSTALL_MOD_STRIP is '1', then the default option --strip-debug will be used. Otherwise, INSTALL_MOD_STRIP value will be used as the option(s) to the strip command. === 9 Makefile language The kernel Makefiles are designed to be run with GNU Make. The Makefiles use only the documented features of GNU Make, but they do use many GNU extensions. GNU Make supports elementary list-processing functions. The kernel Makefiles use a novel style of list building and manipulation with few "if" statements. GNU Make has two assignment operators, ":=" and "=". ":=" performs immediate evaluation of the right-hand side and stores an actual string into the left-hand side. "=" is like a formula definition; it stores the right-hand side in an unevaluated form and then evaluates this form each time the left-hand side is used. There are some cases where "=" is appropriate. Usually, though, ":=" is the right choice. === 10 Credits Original version made by Michael Elizabeth Chastain, <mailto:mec@shout.net> Updates by Kai Germaschewski <kai@tp1.ruhr-uni-bochum.de> Updates by Sam Ravnborg <sam@ravnborg.org> Language QA by Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@gmx.de> === 11 TODO - Describe how kbuild supports shipped files with _shipped. - Generating offset header files. - Add more variables to section 7?
modules
Building External Modules This document describes how to build an out-of-tree kernel module. === Table of Contents === 1 Introduction === 2 How to Build External Modules --- 2.1 Command Syntax --- 2.2 Options --- 2.3 Targets --- 2.4 Building Separate Files === 3. Creating a Kbuild File for an External Module --- 3.1 Shared Makefile --- 3.2 Separate Kbuild file and Makefile --- 3.3 Binary Blobs --- 3.4 Building Multiple Modules === 4. Include Files --- 4.1 Kernel Includes --- 4.2 Single Subdirectory --- 4.3 Several Subdirectories === 5. Module Installation --- 5.1 INSTALL_MOD_PATH --- 5.2 INSTALL_MOD_DIR === 6. Module Versioning --- 6.1 Symbols From the Kernel (vmlinux + modules) --- 6.2 Symbols and External Modules --- 6.3 Symbols From Another External Module === 7. Tips & Tricks --- 7.1 Testing for CONFIG_FOO_BAR === 1. Introduction "kbuild" is the build system used by the Linux kernel. Modules must use kbuild to stay compatible with changes in the build infrastructure and to pick up the right flags to "gcc." Functionality for building modules both in-tree and out-of-tree is provided. The method for building either is similar, and all modules are initially developed and built out-of-tree. Covered in this document is information aimed at developers interested in building out-of-tree (or "external") modules. The author of an external module should supply a makefile that hides most of the complexity, so one only has to type "make" to build the module. This is easily accomplished, and a complete example will be presented in section 3. === 2. How to Build External Modules To build external modules, you must have a prebuilt kernel available that contains the configuration and header files used in the build. Also, the kernel must have been built with modules enabled. If you are using a distribution kernel, there will be a package for the kernel you are running provided by your distribution. An alternative is to use the "make" target "modules_prepare." This will make sure the kernel contains the information required. The target exists solely as a simple way to prepare a kernel source tree for building external modules. NOTE: "modules_prepare" will not build Module.symvers even if CONFIG_MODVERSIONS is set; therefore, a full kernel build needs to be executed to make module versioning work. --- 2.1 Command Syntax The command to build an external module is: $ make -C <path_to_kernel_src> M=$PWD The kbuild system knows that an external module is being built due to the "M=<dir>" option given in the command. To build against the running kernel use: $ make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build M=$PWD Then to install the module(s) just built, add the target "modules_install" to the command: $ make -C /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build M=$PWD modules_install --- 2.2 Options ($KDIR refers to the path of the kernel source directory.) make -C $KDIR M=$PWD -C $KDIR The directory where the kernel source is located. "make" will actually change to the specified directory when executing and will change back when finished. M=$PWD Informs kbuild that an external module is being built. The value given to "M" is the absolute path of the directory where the external module (kbuild file) is located. --- 2.3 Targets When building an external module, only a subset of the "make" targets are available. make -C $KDIR M=$PWD [target] The default will build the module(s) located in the current directory, so a target does not need to be specified. All output files will also be generated in this directory. No attempts are made to update the kernel source, and it is a precondition that a successful "make" has been executed for the kernel. modules The default target for external modules. It has the same functionality as if no target was specified. See description above. modules_install Install the external module(s). The default location is /lib/modules/<kernel_release>/extra/, but a prefix may be added with INSTALL_MOD_PATH (discussed in section 5). clean Remove all generated files in the module directory only. help List the available targets for external modules. --- 2.4 Building Separate Files It is possible to build single files that are part of a module. This works equally well for the kernel, a module, and even for external modules. Example (The module foo.ko, consist of bar.o and baz.o): make -C $KDIR M=$PWD bar.lst make -C $KDIR M=$PWD baz.o make -C $KDIR M=$PWD foo.ko make -C $KDIR M=$PWD / === 3. Creating a Kbuild File for an External Module In the last section we saw the command to build a module for the running kernel. The module is not actually built, however, because a build file is required. Contained in this file will be the name of the module(s) being built, along with the list of requisite source files. The file may be as simple as a single line: obj-m := <module_name>.o The kbuild system will build <module_name>.o from <module_name>.c, and, after linking, will result in the kernel module <module_name>.ko. The above line can be put in either a "Kbuild" file or a "Makefile." When the module is built from multiple sources, an additional line is needed listing the files: <module_name>-y := <src1>.o <src2>.o ... NOTE: Further documentation describing the syntax used by kbuild is located in Documentation/kbuild/makefiles.txt. The examples below demonstrate how to create a build file for the module 8123.ko, which is built from the following files: 8123_if.c 8123_if.h 8123_pci.c 8123_bin.o_shipped <= Binary blob --- 3.1 Shared Makefile An external module always includes a wrapper makefile that supports building the module using "make" with no arguments. This target is not used by kbuild; it is only for convenience. Additional functionality, such as test targets, can be included but should be filtered out from kbuild due to possible name clashes. Example 1: --> filename: Makefile ifneq ($(KERNELRELEASE),) # kbuild part of makefile obj-m := 8123.o 8123-y := 8123_if.o 8123_pci.o 8123_bin.o else # normal makefile KDIR ?= /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build default: $(MAKE) -C $(KDIR) M=$$PWD # Module specific targets genbin: echo "X" > 8123_bin.o_shipped endif The check for KERNELRELEASE is used to separate the two parts of the makefile. In the example, kbuild will only see the two assignments, whereas "make" will see everything except these two assignments. This is due to two passes made on the file: the first pass is by the "make" instance run on the command line; the second pass is by the kbuild system, which is initiated by the parameterized "make" in the default target. --- 3.2 Separate Kbuild File and Makefile In newer versions of the kernel, kbuild will first look for a file named "Kbuild," and only if that is not found, will it then look for a makefile. Utilizing a "Kbuild" file allows us to split up the makefile from example 1 into two files: Example 2: --> filename: Kbuild obj-m := 8123.o 8123-y := 8123_if.o 8123_pci.o 8123_bin.o --> filename: Makefile KDIR ?= /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build default: $(MAKE) -C $(KDIR) M=$$PWD # Module specific targets genbin: echo "X" > 8123_bin.o_shipped The split in example 2 is questionable due to the simplicity of each file; however, some external modules use makefiles consisting of several hundred lines, and here it really pays off to separate the kbuild part from the rest. The next example shows a backward compatible version. Example 3: --> filename: Kbuild obj-m := 8123.o 8123-y := 8123_if.o 8123_pci.o 8123_bin.o --> filename: Makefile ifneq ($(KERNELRELEASE),) # kbuild part of makefile include Kbuild else # normal makefile KDIR ?= /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build default: $(MAKE) -C $(KDIR) M=$$PWD # Module specific targets genbin: echo "X" > 8123_bin.o_shipped endif Here the "Kbuild" file is included from the makefile. This allows an older version of kbuild, which only knows of makefiles, to be used when the "make" and kbuild parts are split into separate files. --- 3.3 Binary Blobs Some external modules need to include an object file as a blob. kbuild has support for this, but requires the blob file to be named <filename>_shipped. When the kbuild rules kick in, a copy of <filename>_shipped is created with _shipped stripped off, giving us <filename>. This shortened filename can be used in the assignment to the module. Throughout this section, 8123_bin.o_shipped has been used to build the kernel module 8123.ko; it has been included as 8123_bin.o. 8123-y := 8123_if.o 8123_pci.o 8123_bin.o Although there is no distinction between the ordinary source files and the binary file, kbuild will pick up different rules when creating the object file for the module. --- 3.4 Building Multiple Modules kbuild supports building multiple modules with a single build file. For example, if you wanted to build two modules, foo.ko and bar.ko, the kbuild lines would be: obj-m := foo.o bar.o foo-y := <foo_srcs> bar-y := <bar_srcs> It is that simple! === 4. Include Files Within the kernel, header files are kept in standard locations according to the following rule: * If the header file only describes the internal interface of a module, then the file is placed in the same directory as the source files. * If the header file describes an interface used by other parts of the kernel that are located in different directories, then the file is placed in include/linux/. NOTE: There are two notable exceptions to this rule: larger subsystems have their own directory under include/, such as include/scsi; and architecture specific headers are located under arch/$(ARCH)/include/. --- 4.1 Kernel Includes To include a header file located under include/linux/, simply use: #include <linux/module.h> kbuild will add options to "gcc" so the relevant directories are searched. --- 4.2 Single Subdirectory External modules tend to place header files in a separate include/ directory where their source is located, although this is not the usual kernel style. To inform kbuild of the directory, use either ccflags-y or CFLAGS_<filename>.o. Using the example from section 3, if we moved 8123_if.h to a subdirectory named include, the resulting kbuild file would look like: --> filename: Kbuild obj-m := 8123.o ccflags-y := -Iinclude 8123-y := 8123_if.o 8123_pci.o 8123_bin.o Note that in the assignment there is no space between -I and the path. This is a limitation of kbuild: there must be no space present. --- 4.3 Several Subdirectories kbuild can handle files that are spread over several directories. Consider the following example: . |__ src | |__ complex_main.c | |__ hal | |__ hardwareif.c | |__ include | |__ hardwareif.h |__ include |__ complex.h To build the module complex.ko, we then need the following kbuild file: --> filename: Kbuild obj-m := complex.o complex-y := src/complex_main.o complex-y += src/hal/hardwareif.o ccflags-y := -I$(src)/include ccflags-y += -I$(src)/src/hal/include As you can see, kbuild knows how to handle object files located in other directories. The trick is to specify the directory relative to the kbuild file's location. That being said, this is NOT recommended practice. For the header files, kbuild must be explicitly told where to look. When kbuild executes, the current directory is always the root of the kernel tree (the argument to "-C") and therefore an absolute path is needed. $(src) provides the absolute path by pointing to the directory where the currently executing kbuild file is located. === 5. Module Installation Modules which are included in the kernel are installed in the directory: /lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE)/kernel/ And external modules are installed in: /lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE)/extra/ --- 5.1 INSTALL_MOD_PATH Above are the default directories but as always some level of customization is possible. A prefix can be added to the installation path using the variable INSTALL_MOD_PATH: $ make INSTALL_MOD_PATH=/frodo modules_install => Install dir: /frodo/lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE)/kernel/ INSTALL_MOD_PATH may be set as an ordinary shell variable or, as shown above, can be specified on the command line when calling "make." This has effect when installing both in-tree and out-of-tree modules. --- 5.2 INSTALL_MOD_DIR External modules are by default installed to a directory under /lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE)/extra/, but you may wish to locate modules for a specific functionality in a separate directory. For this purpose, use INSTALL_MOD_DIR to specify an alternative name to "extra." $ make INSTALL_MOD_DIR=gandalf -C $KDIR \ M=$PWD modules_install => Install dir: /lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE)/gandalf/ === 6. Module Versioning Module versioning is enabled by the CONFIG_MODVERSIONS tag, and is used as a simple ABI consistency check. A CRC value of the full prototype for an exported symbol is created. When a module is loaded/used, the CRC values contained in the kernel are compared with similar values in the module; if they are not equal, the kernel refuses to load the module. Module.symvers contains a list of all exported symbols from a kernel build. --- 6.1 Symbols From the Kernel (vmlinux + modules) During a kernel build, a file named Module.symvers will be generated. Module.symvers contains all exported symbols from the kernel and compiled modules. For each symbol, the corresponding CRC value is also stored. The syntax of the Module.symvers file is: <CRC> <Symbol> <module> 0x2d036834 scsi_remove_host drivers/scsi/scsi_mod For a kernel build without CONFIG_MODVERSIONS enabled, the CRC would read 0x00000000. Module.symvers serves two purposes: 1) It lists all exported symbols from vmlinux and all modules. 2) It lists the CRC if CONFIG_MODVERSIONS is enabled. --- 6.2 Symbols and External Modules When building an external module, the build system needs access to the symbols from the kernel to check if all external symbols are defined. This is done in the MODPOST step. modpost obtains the symbols by reading Module.symvers from the kernel source tree. If a Module.symvers file is present in the directory where the external module is being built, this file will be read too. During the MODPOST step, a new Module.symvers file will be written containing all exported symbols that were not defined in the kernel. --- 6.3 Symbols From Another External Module Sometimes, an external module uses exported symbols from another external module. kbuild needs to have full knowledge of all symbols to avoid spitting out warnings about undefined symbols. Three solutions exist for this situation. NOTE: The method with a top-level kbuild file is recommended but may be impractical in certain situations. Use a top-level kbuild file If you have two modules, foo.ko and bar.ko, where foo.ko needs symbols from bar.ko, you can use a common top-level kbuild file so both modules are compiled in the same build. Consider the following directory layout: ./foo/ <= contains foo.ko ./bar/ <= contains bar.ko The top-level kbuild file would then look like: #./Kbuild (or ./Makefile): obj-y := foo/ bar/ And executing $ make -C $KDIR M=$PWD will then do the expected and compile both modules with full knowledge of symbols from either module. Use an extra Module.symvers file When an external module is built, a Module.symvers file is generated containing all exported symbols which are not defined in the kernel. To get access to symbols from bar.ko, copy the Module.symvers file from the compilation of bar.ko to the directory where foo.ko is built. During the module build, kbuild will read the Module.symvers file in the directory of the external module, and when the build is finished, a new Module.symvers file is created containing the sum of all symbols defined and not part of the kernel. Use "make" variable KBUILD_EXTRA_SYMBOLS If it is impractical to copy Module.symvers from another module, you can assign a space separated list of files to KBUILD_EXTRA_SYMBOLS in your build file. These files will be loaded by modpost during the initialization of its symbol tables. === 7. Tips & Tricks --- 7.1 Testing for CONFIG_FOO_BAR Modules often need to check for certain CONFIG_ options to decide if a specific feature is included in the module. In kbuild this is done by referencing the CONFIG_ variable directly. #fs/ext2/Makefile obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS) += ext2.o ext2-y := balloc.o bitmap.o dir.o ext2-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS_XATTR) += xattr.o External modules have traditionally used "grep" to check for specific CONFIG_ settings directly in .config. This usage is broken. As introduced before, external modules should use kbuild for building and can therefore use the same methods as in-tree modules when testing for CONFIG_ definitions.
