Openembedded

Here's where I'll be documenting my efforts to get bitbake working for my new distro "Gummy". "Gummy" is meant to be able to compile a glibc version of the system, and allow some or all of GPE to be compiled into installable ipkg files.

Since the gumstix has only 16M of flash, the built root filesystem is designed to be very small, unlike PDAs like the iPaq, which sport 32M of flash for the rootfs. I am anticipating having to boot and then pivot-root to the CF card where the real rootfs resides.

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Step 0)

Make a working environment. First, I used the handhelds.org tree and set it up to bitbake "gpe-image". I tested that by loading my rootfs into an h3900, and installing and testing some packages from my local archive. Everything seems to work...

Then I set up a separate tree for OE, and refreshed my .dev tree from the repository. Ready for Step 1!

Step 1)

Starting in a known way: I used MACHINE "gumstix" and DISTRO "generic-uclibc" in my local.conf file - no changes at all.

Step 2)

> bitbake task-bootstrap

[...lots of output...]

At this point, I run into errors I cannot solve due to my crude understanding of the operation of the bitbake command.

I install the latest gumstix buildroot, and take a few days to make it work correctly. Armed with an understanding of how the tools and the apps are compiled, I return to bitbake problem and create a new machine config and a new distro config for my gumstix project: gumstix-tb (for task-base), and gumstix.dist (for distro). The "gummy" name goes by the wayside for now.

Now I

> bitbake task-base

[...lots of output...]

My first error: uclibc can't get the version of the kernel headers. Or maybe...it can't get it's includes at all? Surfing, I come up with the following:

uclibc kernel headers

uclibc kernel headers

and this important safety tip: Rebuild Your uClibc!

I'm hot on the trail!