source: BOOK/introduction/common/how.xml@ 87ac89d

clfs-3.0.0-systemd clfs-3.0.0-sysvinit systemd sysvinit
Last change on this file since 87ac89d was 0aee8d3, checked in by Jonathan Norman <jonathan@…>, 13 years ago

Added Jon to the book. updated the livecd advice. Fixed libc dection on 64bit hosts and justified the main text

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1<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
2<!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
3 "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
4 <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../../general.ent">
5 %general-entities;
6]>
7
8<sect1 id="ch-intro-how">
9 <?dbhtml filename="how.html"?>
10
11 <title>How to Build a CLFS System</title>
12
13 <para>The CLFS system will be built by using a previously installed
14 Unix system or Linux distribution (such as Debian, Fedora, Mandriva, SUSE,
15 or Ubuntu). This existing system (the host) will be used as a starting
16 point to provide necessary programs, including a compiler, linker, and shell,
17 to build the new system. Select the <quote>development</quote> option
18 during the distribution installation to be able to access these
19 tools.</para>
20
21 <para>As an alternative to installing an entire separate distribution onto
22 your machine, you may wish to use a livecd. Most distributions provide
23 a livecd, which provides an environment to which you can add the required
24 tools onto, allowing you to
25 successfully follow the instructions in this book. Remember that if you
26 reboot the livecd you will need to reconfigure the host environment before
27 continuing with your build.</para>
28
29 <para><xref linkend="chapter-partitioning"/> of this book describes how
30 to create a new Linux native partition and file system, the place
31 where the new CLFS system will be compiled and installed. <xref
32 linkend="chapter-getting-materials"/> explains which packages and
33 patches need to be downloaded to build a CLFS system and how to store
34 them on the new file system. <xref linkend="chapter-final-preps"/>
35 discusses the setup for an appropriate working environment. Please read
36 <xref linkend="chapter-final-preps"/> carefully as it explains several
37 important issues the developer should be aware of before beginning to
38 work through <xref linkend="chapter-cross-tools"/> and
39 beyond.</para>
40
41 <para><xref linkend="chapter-cross-tools"/> explains the installation of
42 cross-compile tools which will be built on the host but be able to compile
43 programs that run on the target machine. These cross-compile tools will
44 be used to create a temporary, minimal system that will be the basis for
45 building the final CLFS system. Some of these packages are needed to resolve
46 circular dependencies&mdash;for example, to compile a compiler, you need a
47 compiler.</para>
48
49 <para>The process of building cross-compile tools first involves building and
50 installing all the necessary tools to create a build system for the target
51 machine. With these cross-compiled tools, we eliminate any
52 dependencies on the toolchain from our host distro.</para>
53
54 <para>After we build our <quote>Cross-Tools</quote>, we start building
55 a very minimal working system in /tools. This minimal system will be built
56 using the cross-toolchain in /cross-tools.</para>
57
58 <para>In <xref linkend="chapter-building-system"/>, the full CLFS system is
59 built. Depending on the system you are cross-compiling for, you will either
60 boot the minimal temp-system on the target machine, or chroot into it.</para>
61
62 <para>The <command>chroot</command> (change root) program is used to enter
63 a virtual environment and start a new shell whose root directory will be set
64 to the CLFS partition. This is very similar to rebooting and instructing the
65 kernel to mount the CLFS partition as the root partition.
66 The major advantage is that <quote>chrooting</quote> allows the builder to
67 continue using the host while CLFS is being built. While waiting for package
68 compilation to complete, a user can switch to a different virtual console
69 (VC) or X desktop and continue using the computer as normal.</para>
70
71 <para>Some systems cannot be built by chrooting so they must be
72 booted instead. Generally, if you building for a different arch than
73 the host system, you must reboot because the kernel will likely not
74 support the target machine. Booting involves installing a few
75 additional packages that are needed for bootup, installing
76 bootscripts, and building a miminal kernel. We also describe some
77 alternative booting methods in <xref linkend="ch-boot-whatnext"/></para>
78
79 <para>To finish the installation, the CLFS-Bootscripts are set up in <xref
80 linkend="chapter-bootscripts"/>, and the kernel and boot loader are set
81 up in <xref linkend="chapter-bootable"/>. <xref linkend="chapter-finalizing"/>
82 contains information on furthering the CLFS experience beyond this book.
83 After the steps in this book have been implemented, the computer will be
84 ready to reboot into the new CLFS system.</para>
85
86 <para>This is the process in a nutshell. Detailed information on each
87 step is discussed in the following chapters and package descriptions.
88 Items that may seem complicated will be clarified, and everything will
89 fall into place as the reader embarks on the CLFS adventure.</para>
90
91</sect1>
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