3 This document describes the Linux kernel Makefiles.
10 --- 3.1 Goal definitions
11 --- 3.2 Built-in object goals - obj-y
12 --- 3.3 Loadable module goals - obj-m
13 --- 3.4 Objects which export symbols
14 --- 3.5 Library file goals - lib-y
15 --- 3.6 Descending down in directories
16 --- 3.7 Compilation flags
17 --- 3.8 Command line dependency
18 --- 3.9 Dependency tracking
19 --- 3.10 Special Rules
20 --- 3.11 $(CC) support functions
22 === 4 Host Program support
23 --- 4.1 Simple Host Program
24 --- 4.2 Composite Host Programs
25 --- 4.3 Defining shared libraries
26 --- 4.4 Using C++ for host programs
27 --- 4.5 Controlling compiler options for host programs
28 --- 4.6 When host programs are actually built
29 --- 4.7 Using hostprogs-$(CONFIG_FOO)
31 === 5 Kbuild clean infrastructure
33 === 6 Architecture Makefiles
34 --- 6.1 Set variables to tweak the build to the architecture
35 --- 6.2 Add prerequisites to archprepare:
36 --- 6.3 List directories to visit when descending
37 --- 6.4 Architecture-specific boot images
38 --- 6.5 Building non-kbuild targets
39 --- 6.6 Commands useful for building a boot image
40 --- 6.7 Custom kbuild commands
41 --- 6.8 Preprocessing linker scripts
43 === 7 Kbuild Variables
44 === 8 Makefile language
50 The Makefiles have five parts:
52 Makefile the top Makefile.
53 .config the kernel configuration file.
54 arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile the arch Makefile.
55 scripts/Makefile.* common rules etc. for all kbuild Makefiles.
56 kbuild Makefiles there are about 500 of these.
58 The top Makefile reads the .config file, which comes from the kernel
59 configuration process.
61 The top Makefile is responsible for building two major products: vmlinux
62 (the resident kernel image) and modules (any module files).
63 It builds these goals by recursively descending into the subdirectories of
64 the kernel source tree.
65 The list of subdirectories which are visited depends upon the kernel
66 configuration. The top Makefile textually includes an arch Makefile
67 with the name arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile. The arch Makefile supplies
68 architecture-specific information to the top Makefile.
70 Each subdirectory has a kbuild Makefile which carries out the commands
71 passed down from above. The kbuild Makefile uses information from the
72 .config file to construct various file lists used by kbuild to build
73 any built-in or modular targets.
75 scripts/Makefile.* contains all the definitions/rules etc. that
76 are used to build the kernel based on the kbuild makefiles.
81 People have four different relationships with the kernel Makefiles.
83 *Users* are people who build kernels. These people type commands such as
84 "make menuconfig" or "make". They usually do not read or edit
85 any kernel Makefiles (or any other source files).
87 *Normal developers* are people who work on features such as device
88 drivers, file systems, and network protocols. These people need to
89 maintain the kbuild Makefiles for the subsystem they are
90 working on. In order to do this effectively, they need some overall
91 knowledge about the kernel Makefiles, plus detailed knowledge about the
92 public interface for kbuild.
94 *Arch developers* are people who work on an entire architecture, such
95 as sparc or ia64. Arch developers need to know about the arch Makefile
96 as well as kbuild Makefiles.
98 *Kbuild developers* are people who work on the kernel build system itself.
99 These people need to know about all aspects of the kernel Makefiles.
101 This document is aimed towards normal developers and arch developers.
104 === 3 The kbuild files
106 Most Makefiles within the kernel are kbuild Makefiles that use the
107 kbuild infrastructure. This chapter introduces the syntax used in the
109 The preferred name for the kbuild files are 'Makefile' but 'Kbuild' can
110 be used and if both a 'Makefile' and a 'Kbuild' file exists, then the 'Kbuild'
113 Section 3.1 "Goal definitions" is a quick intro, further chapters provide
114 more details, with real examples.
116 --- 3.1 Goal definitions
118 Goal definitions are the main part (heart) of the kbuild Makefile.
119 These lines define the files to be built, any special compilation
120 options, and any subdirectories to be entered recursively.
122 The most simple kbuild makefile contains one line:
127 This tells kbuild that there is one object in that directory, named
128 foo.o. foo.o will be built from foo.c or foo.S.
130 If foo.o shall be built as a module, the variable obj-m is used.
131 Therefore the following pattern is often used:
134 obj-$(CONFIG_FOO) += foo.o
136 $(CONFIG_FOO) evaluates to either y (for built-in) or m (for module).
137 If CONFIG_FOO is neither y nor m, then the file will not be compiled
140 --- 3.2 Built-in object goals - obj-y
142 The kbuild Makefile specifies object files for vmlinux
143 in the $(obj-y) lists. These lists depend on the kernel
146 Kbuild compiles all the $(obj-y) files. It then calls
147 "$(LD) -r" to merge these files into one built-in.o file.
148 built-in.o is later linked into vmlinux by the parent Makefile.
150 The order of files in $(obj-y) is significant. Duplicates in
151 the lists are allowed: the first instance will be linked into
152 built-in.o and succeeding instances will be ignored.
154 Link order is significant, because certain functions
155 (module_init() / __initcall) will be called during boot in the
156 order they appear. So keep in mind that changing the link
157 order may e.g. change the order in which your SCSI
158 controllers are detected, and thus your disks are renumbered.
161 #drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile
162 # Makefile for the kernel ISDN subsystem and device drivers.
163 # Each configuration option enables a list of files.
164 obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN) += isdn.o
165 obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) += isdn_bsdcomp.o
167 --- 3.3 Loadable module goals - obj-m
169 $(obj-m) specify object files which are built as loadable
172 A module may be built from one source file or several source
173 files. In the case of one source file, the kbuild makefile
174 simply adds the file to $(obj-m).
177 #drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile
178 obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) += isdn_bsdcomp.o
180 Note: In this example $(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) evaluates to 'm'
182 If a kernel module is built from several source files, you specify
183 that you want to build a module in the same way as above.
185 Kbuild needs to know which the parts that you want to build your
186 module from, so you have to tell it by setting an
187 $(<module_name>-objs) variable.
190 #drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile
191 obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN) += isdn.o
192 isdn-objs := isdn_net_lib.o isdn_v110.o isdn_common.o
194 In this example, the module name will be isdn.o. Kbuild will
195 compile the objects listed in $(isdn-objs) and then run
196 "$(LD) -r" on the list of these files to generate isdn.o.
198 Kbuild recognises objects used for composite objects by the suffix
199 -objs, and the suffix -y. This allows the Makefiles to use
200 the value of a CONFIG_ symbol to determine if an object is part
201 of a composite object.
205 obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS) += ext2.o
206 ext2-y := balloc.o bitmap.o
207 ext2-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS_XATTR) += xattr.o
209 In this example, xattr.o is only part of the composite object
210 ext2.o if $(CONFIG_EXT2_FS_XATTR) evaluates to 'y'.
212 Note: Of course, when you are building objects into the kernel,
213 the syntax above will also work. So, if you have CONFIG_EXT2_FS=y,
214 kbuild will build an ext2.o file for you out of the individual
215 parts and then link this into built-in.o, as you would expect.
217 --- 3.4 Objects which export symbols
219 No special notation is required in the makefiles for
220 modules exporting symbols.
222 --- 3.5 Library file goals - lib-y
224 Objects listed with obj-* are used for modules, or
225 combined in a built-in.o for that specific directory.
226 There is also the possibility to list objects that will
227 be included in a library, lib.a.
228 All objects listed with lib-y are combined in a single
229 library for that directory.
230 Objects that are listed in obj-y and additionally listed in
231 lib-y will not be included in the library, since they will
232 be accessible anyway.
233 For consistency, objects listed in lib-m will be included in lib.a.
235 Note that the same kbuild makefile may list files to be built-in
236 and to be part of a library. Therefore the same directory
237 may contain both a built-in.o and a lib.a file.
240 #arch/i386/lib/Makefile
241 lib-y := checksum.o delay.o
243 This will create a library lib.a based on checksum.o and delay.o.
244 For kbuild to actually recognize that there is a lib.a being built,
245 the directory shall be listed in libs-y.
246 See also "6.3 List directories to visit when descending".
248 Use of lib-y is normally restricted to lib/ and arch/*/lib.
250 --- 3.6 Descending down in directories
252 A Makefile is only responsible for building objects in its own
253 directory. Files in subdirectories should be taken care of by
254 Makefiles in these subdirs. The build system will automatically
255 invoke make recursively in subdirectories, provided you let it know of
258 To do so, obj-y and obj-m are used.
259 ext2 lives in a separate directory, and the Makefile present in fs/
260 tells kbuild to descend down using the following assignment.
264 obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS) += ext2/
266 If CONFIG_EXT2_FS is set to either 'y' (built-in) or 'm' (modular)
267 the corresponding obj- variable will be set, and kbuild will descend
268 down in the ext2 directory.
269 Kbuild only uses this information to decide that it needs to visit
270 the directory, it is the Makefile in the subdirectory that
271 specifies what is modules and what is built-in.
273 It is good practice to use a CONFIG_ variable when assigning directory
274 names. This allows kbuild to totally skip the directory if the
275 corresponding CONFIG_ option is neither 'y' nor 'm'.
277 --- 3.7 Compilation flags
279 ccflags-y, asflags-y and ldflags-y
280 The three flags listed above applies only to the kbuild makefile
281 where they are assigned. They are used for all the normal
282 cc, as and ld invocation happenign during a recursive build.
283 Note: Flags with the same behaviour were previously named:
284 EXTRA_CFLAGS, EXTRA_AFLAGS and EXTRA_LDFLAGS.
285 They are yet supported but their use are deprecated.
287 ccflags-y specifies options for compiling C files with $(CC).
290 # drivers/sound/emu10k1/Makefile
291 ccflags-y += -I$(obj)
292 ccflags-$(DEBUG) += -DEMU10K1_DEBUG
295 This variable is necessary because the top Makefile owns the
296 variable $(KBUILD_CFLAGS) and uses it for compilation flags for the
299 asflags-y is a similar string for per-directory options
300 when compiling assembly language source.
303 #arch/x86_64/kernel/Makefile
304 asflags-y := -traditional
307 ldflags-y is a string for per-directory options to $(LD).
310 #arch/m68k/fpsp040/Makefile
315 CFLAGS_$@ and AFLAGS_$@ only apply to commands in current
318 $(CFLAGS_$@) specifies per-file options for $(CC). The $@
319 part has a literal value which specifies the file that it is for.
322 # drivers/scsi/Makefile
323 CFLAGS_aha152x.o = -DAHA152X_STAT -DAUTOCONF
324 CFLAGS_gdth.o = # -DDEBUG_GDTH=2 -D__SERIAL__ -D__COM2__ \
326 CFLAGS_seagate.o = -DARBITRATE -DPARITY -DSEAGATE_USE_ASM
328 These three lines specify compilation flags for aha152x.o,
329 gdth.o, and seagate.o
331 $(AFLAGS_$@) is a similar feature for source files in assembly
335 # arch/arm/kernel/Makefile
336 AFLAGS_head-armv.o := -DTEXTADDR=$(TEXTADDR) -traditional
337 AFLAGS_head-armo.o := -DTEXTADDR=$(TEXTADDR) -traditional
339 --- 3.9 Dependency tracking
341 Kbuild tracks dependencies on the following:
342 1) All prerequisite files (both *.c and *.h)
343 2) CONFIG_ options used in all prerequisite files
344 3) Command-line used to compile target
346 Thus, if you change an option to $(CC) all affected files will
349 --- 3.10 Special Rules
351 Special rules are used when the kbuild infrastructure does
352 not provide the required support. A typical example is
353 header files generated during the build process.
354 Another example are the architecture-specific Makefiles which
355 need special rules to prepare boot images etc.
357 Special rules are written as normal Make rules.
358 Kbuild is not executing in the directory where the Makefile is
359 located, so all special rules shall provide a relative
360 path to prerequisite files and target files.
362 Two variables are used when defining special rules:
365 $(src) is a relative path which points to the directory
366 where the Makefile is located. Always use $(src) when
367 referring to files located in the src tree.
370 $(obj) is a relative path which points to the directory
371 where the target is saved. Always use $(obj) when
372 referring to generated files.
375 #drivers/scsi/Makefile
376 $(obj)/53c8xx_d.h: $(src)/53c7,8xx.scr $(src)/script_asm.pl
377 $(CPP) -DCHIP=810 - < $< | ... $(src)/script_asm.pl
379 This is a special rule, following the normal syntax
381 The target file depends on two prerequisite files. References
382 to the target file are prefixed with $(obj), references
383 to prerequisites are referenced with $(src) (because they are not
387 echoing information to user in a rule is often a good practice
388 but when execution "make -s" one does not expect to see any output
389 except for warnings/errors.
390 To support this kbuild define $(kecho) which will echo out the
391 text following $(kecho) to stdout except if "make -s" is used.
394 #arch/blackfin/boot/Makefile
395 $(obj)/vmImage: $(obj)/vmlinux.gz
396 $(call if_changed,uimage)
397 @$(kecho) 'Kernel: $@ is ready'
400 --- 3.11 $(CC) support functions
402 The kernel may be built with several different versions of
403 $(CC), each supporting a unique set of features and options.
404 kbuild provide basic support to check for valid options for $(CC).
405 $(CC) is usually the gcc compiler, but other alternatives are
409 as-option is used to check if $(CC) -- when used to compile
410 assembler (*.S) files -- supports the given option. An optional
411 second option may be specified if the first option is not supported.
415 cflags-y += $(call as-option,-Wa$(comma)-isa=$(isa-y),)
417 In the above example, cflags-y will be assigned the option
418 -Wa$(comma)-isa=$(isa-y) if it is supported by $(CC).
419 The second argument is optional, and if supplied will be used
420 if first argument is not supported.
423 ld-option is used to check if $(CC) when used to link object files
424 supports the given option. An optional second option may be
425 specified if first option are not supported.
428 #arch/i386/kernel/Makefile
429 vsyscall-flags += $(call ld-option, -Wl$(comma)--hash-style=sysv)
431 In the above example, vsyscall-flags will be assigned the option
432 -Wl$(comma)--hash-style=sysv if it is supported by $(CC).
433 The second argument is optional, and if supplied will be used
434 if first argument is not supported.
437 as-instr checks if the assembler reports a specific instruction
438 and then outputs either option1 or option2
439 C escapes are supported in the test instruction
440 Note: as-instr-option uses KBUILD_AFLAGS for $(AS) options
443 cc-option is used to check if $(CC) supports a given option, and not
444 supported to use an optional second option.
448 cflags-y += $(call cc-option,-march=pentium-mmx,-march=i586)
450 In the above example, cflags-y will be assigned the option
451 -march=pentium-mmx if supported by $(CC), otherwise -march=i586.
452 The second argument to cc-option is optional, and if omitted,
453 cflags-y will be assigned no value if first option is not supported.
454 Note: cc-option uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options
457 cc-option-yn is used to check if gcc supports a given option
458 and return 'y' if supported, otherwise 'n'.
462 biarch := $(call cc-option-yn, -m32)
463 aflags-$(biarch) += -a32
464 cflags-$(biarch) += -m32
466 In the above example, $(biarch) is set to y if $(CC) supports the -m32
467 option. When $(biarch) equals 'y', the expanded variables $(aflags-y)
468 and $(cflags-y) will be assigned the values -a32 and -m32,
470 Note: cc-option-yn uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options
473 gcc versions >= 3.0 changed the type of options used to specify
474 alignment of functions, loops etc. $(cc-option-align), when used
475 as prefix to the align options, will select the right prefix:
477 cc-option-align = -malign
479 cc-option-align = -falign
482 KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(cc-option-align)-functions=4
484 In the above example, the option -falign-functions=4 is used for
485 gcc >= 3.00. For gcc < 3.00, -malign-functions=4 is used.
486 Note: cc-option-align uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options
489 cc-version returns a numerical version of the $(CC) compiler version.
490 The format is <major><minor> where both are two digits. So for example
491 gcc 3.41 would return 0341.
492 cc-version is useful when a specific $(CC) version is faulty in one
493 area, for example -mregparm=3 was broken in some gcc versions
494 even though the option was accepted by gcc.
498 cflags-y += $(shell \
499 if [ $(call cc-version) -ge 0300 ] ; then \
500 echo "-mregparm=3"; fi ;)
502 In the above example, -mregparm=3 is only used for gcc version greater
503 than or equal to gcc 3.0.
506 cc-ifversion tests the version of $(CC) and equals last argument if
507 version expression is true.
510 #fs/reiserfs/Makefile
511 ccflags-y := $(call cc-ifversion, -lt, 0402, -O1)
513 In this example, ccflags-y will be assigned the value -O1 if the
514 $(CC) version is less than 4.2.
515 cc-ifversion takes all the shell operators:
516 -eq, -ne, -lt, -le, -gt, and -ge
517 The third parameter may be a text as in this example, but it may also
518 be an expanded variable or a macro.
521 cc-fullversion is useful when the exact version of gcc is needed.
522 One typical use-case is when a specific GCC version is broken.
523 cc-fullversion points out a more specific version than cc-version does.
526 #arch/powerpc/Makefile
527 $(Q)if test "$(call cc-fullversion)" = "040200" ; then \
528 echo -n '*** GCC-4.2.0 cannot compile the 64-bit powerpc ' ; \
532 In this example for a specific GCC version the build will error out explaining
533 to the user why it stops.
536 cc-cross-prefix is used to check if there exists a $(CC) in path with
537 one of the listed prefixes. The first prefix where there exist a
538 prefix$(CC) in the PATH is returned - and if no prefix$(CC) is found
539 then nothing is returned.
540 Additional prefixes are separated by a single space in the
541 call of cc-cross-prefix.
542 This functionality is useful for architecture Makefiles that try
543 to set CROSS_COMPILE to well-known values but may have several
544 values to select between.
545 It is recommended only to try to set CROSS_COMPILE if it is a cross
546 build (host arch is different from target arch). And if CROSS_COMPILE
547 is already set then leave it with the old value.
551 ifneq ($(SUBARCH),$(ARCH))
552 ifeq ($(CROSS_COMPILE),)
553 CROSS_COMPILE := $(call cc-cross-prefix, m68k-linux-gnu-)
557 === 4 Host Program support
559 Kbuild supports building executables on the host for use during the
561 Two steps are required in order to use a host executable.
563 The first step is to tell kbuild that a host program exists. This is
564 done utilising the variable hostprogs-y.
566 The second step is to add an explicit dependency to the executable.
567 This can be done in two ways. Either add the dependency in a rule,
568 or utilise the variable $(always).
569 Both possibilities are described in the following.
571 --- 4.1 Simple Host Program
573 In some cases there is a need to compile and run a program on the
574 computer where the build is running.
575 The following line tells kbuild that the program bin2hex shall be
576 built on the build host.
579 hostprogs-y := bin2hex
581 Kbuild assumes in the above example that bin2hex is made from a single
582 c-source file named bin2hex.c located in the same directory as
585 --- 4.2 Composite Host Programs
587 Host programs can be made up based on composite objects.
588 The syntax used to define composite objects for host programs is
589 similar to the syntax used for kernel objects.
590 $(<executable>-objs) lists all objects used to link the final
594 #scripts/lxdialog/Makefile
595 hostprogs-y := lxdialog
596 lxdialog-objs := checklist.o lxdialog.o
598 Objects with extension .o are compiled from the corresponding .c
599 files. In the above example, checklist.c is compiled to checklist.o
600 and lxdialog.c is compiled to lxdialog.o.
601 Finally, the two .o files are linked to the executable, lxdialog.
602 Note: The syntax <executable>-y is not permitted for host-programs.
604 --- 4.3 Defining shared libraries
606 Objects with extension .so are considered shared libraries, and
607 will be compiled as position independent objects.
608 Kbuild provides support for shared libraries, but the usage
610 In the following example the libkconfig.so shared library is used
611 to link the executable conf.
614 #scripts/kconfig/Makefile
616 conf-objs := conf.o libkconfig.so
617 libkconfig-objs := expr.o type.o
619 Shared libraries always require a corresponding -objs line, and
620 in the example above the shared library libkconfig is composed by
621 the two objects expr.o and type.o.
622 expr.o and type.o will be built as position independent code and
623 linked as a shared library libkconfig.so. C++ is not supported for
626 --- 4.4 Using C++ for host programs
628 kbuild offers support for host programs written in C++. This was
629 introduced solely to support kconfig, and is not recommended
633 #scripts/kconfig/Makefile
635 qconf-cxxobjs := qconf.o
637 In the example above the executable is composed of the C++ file
638 qconf.cc - identified by $(qconf-cxxobjs).
640 If qconf is composed by a mixture of .c and .cc files, then an
641 additional line can be used to identify this.
644 #scripts/kconfig/Makefile
646 qconf-cxxobjs := qconf.o
647 qconf-objs := check.o
649 --- 4.5 Controlling compiler options for host programs
651 When compiling host programs, it is possible to set specific flags.
652 The programs will always be compiled utilising $(HOSTCC) passed
653 the options specified in $(HOSTCFLAGS).
654 To set flags that will take effect for all host programs created
655 in that Makefile, use the variable HOST_EXTRACFLAGS.
658 #scripts/lxdialog/Makefile
659 HOST_EXTRACFLAGS += -I/usr/include/ncurses
661 To set specific flags for a single file the following construction
665 #arch/ppc64/boot/Makefile
666 HOSTCFLAGS_piggyback.o := -DKERNELBASE=$(KERNELBASE)
668 It is also possible to specify additional options to the linker.
671 #scripts/kconfig/Makefile
672 HOSTLOADLIBES_qconf := -L$(QTDIR)/lib
674 When linking qconf, it will be passed the extra option
677 --- 4.6 When host programs are actually built
679 Kbuild will only build host-programs when they are referenced
681 This is possible in two ways:
683 (1) List the prerequisite explicitly in a special rule.
686 #drivers/pci/Makefile
687 hostprogs-y := gen-devlist
688 $(obj)/devlist.h: $(src)/pci.ids $(obj)/gen-devlist
689 ( cd $(obj); ./gen-devlist ) < $<
691 The target $(obj)/devlist.h will not be built before
692 $(obj)/gen-devlist is updated. Note that references to
693 the host programs in special rules must be prefixed with $(obj).
696 When there is no suitable special rule, and the host program
697 shall be built when a makefile is entered, the $(always)
698 variable shall be used.
701 #scripts/lxdialog/Makefile
702 hostprogs-y := lxdialog
703 always := $(hostprogs-y)
705 This will tell kbuild to build lxdialog even if not referenced in
708 --- 4.7 Using hostprogs-$(CONFIG_FOO)
710 A typical pattern in a Kbuild file looks like this:
714 hostprogs-$(CONFIG_KALLSYMS) += kallsyms
716 Kbuild knows about both 'y' for built-in and 'm' for module.
717 So if a config symbol evaluate to 'm', kbuild will still build
718 the binary. In other words, Kbuild handles hostprogs-m exactly
719 like hostprogs-y. But only hostprogs-y is recommended to be used
720 when no CONFIG symbols are involved.
722 === 5 Kbuild clean infrastructure
724 "make clean" deletes most generated files in the obj tree where the kernel
725 is compiled. This includes generated files such as host programs.
726 Kbuild knows targets listed in $(hostprogs-y), $(hostprogs-m), $(always),
727 $(extra-y) and $(targets). They are all deleted during "make clean".
728 Files matching the patterns "*.[oas]", "*.ko", plus some additional files
729 generated by kbuild are deleted all over the kernel src tree when
730 "make clean" is executed.
732 Additional files can be specified in kbuild makefiles by use of $(clean-files).
735 #drivers/pci/Makefile
736 clean-files := devlist.h classlist.h
738 When executing "make clean", the two files "devlist.h classlist.h" will
739 be deleted. Kbuild will assume files to be in same relative directory as the
740 Makefile except if an absolute path is specified (path starting with '/').
742 To delete a directory hierarchy use:
745 #scripts/package/Makefile
746 clean-dirs := $(objtree)/debian/
748 This will delete the directory debian, including all subdirectories.
749 Kbuild will assume the directories to be in the same relative path as the
750 Makefile if no absolute path is specified (path does not start with '/').
752 Usually kbuild descends down in subdirectories due to "obj-* := dir/",
753 but in the architecture makefiles where the kbuild infrastructure
754 is not sufficient this sometimes needs to be explicit.
757 #arch/i386/boot/Makefile
758 subdir- := compressed/
760 The above assignment instructs kbuild to descend down in the
761 directory compressed/ when "make clean" is executed.
763 To support the clean infrastructure in the Makefiles that builds the
764 final bootimage there is an optional target named archclean:
769 $(Q)$(MAKE) $(clean)=arch/i386/boot
771 When "make clean" is executed, make will descend down in arch/i386/boot,
772 and clean as usual. The Makefile located in arch/i386/boot/ may use
773 the subdir- trick to descend further down.
775 Note 1: arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile cannot use "subdir-", because that file is
776 included in the top level makefile, and the kbuild infrastructure
777 is not operational at that point.
779 Note 2: All directories listed in core-y, libs-y, drivers-y and net-y will
780 be visited during "make clean".
782 === 6 Architecture Makefiles
784 The top level Makefile sets up the environment and does the preparation,
785 before starting to descend down in the individual directories.
786 The top level makefile contains the generic part, whereas
787 arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile contains what is required to set up kbuild
788 for said architecture.
789 To do so, arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile sets up a number of variables and defines
792 When kbuild executes, the following steps are followed (roughly):
793 1) Configuration of the kernel => produce .config
794 2) Store kernel version in include/linux/version.h
795 3) Symlink include/asm to include/asm-$(ARCH)
796 4) Updating all other prerequisites to the target prepare:
797 - Additional prerequisites are specified in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile
798 5) Recursively descend down in all directories listed in
799 init-* core* drivers-* net-* libs-* and build all targets.
800 - The values of the above variables are expanded in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile.
801 6) All object files are then linked and the resulting file vmlinux is
802 located at the root of the obj tree.
803 The very first objects linked are listed in head-y, assigned by
804 arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile.
805 7) Finally, the architecture-specific part does any required post processing
806 and builds the final bootimage.
807 - This includes building boot records
808 - Preparing initrd images and the like
811 --- 6.1 Set variables to tweak the build to the architecture
813 LDFLAGS Generic $(LD) options
815 Flags used for all invocations of the linker.
816 Often specifying the emulation is sufficient.
820 LDFLAGS := -m elf_s390
821 Note: ldflags-y can be used to further customise
822 the flags used. See chapter 3.7.
824 LDFLAGS_MODULE Options for $(LD) when linking modules
826 LDFLAGS_MODULE is used to set specific flags for $(LD) when
827 linking the .ko files used for modules.
828 Default is "-r", for relocatable output.
830 LDFLAGS_vmlinux Options for $(LD) when linking vmlinux
832 LDFLAGS_vmlinux is used to specify additional flags to pass to
833 the linker when linking the final vmlinux image.
834 LDFLAGS_vmlinux uses the LDFLAGS_$@ support.
838 LDFLAGS_vmlinux := -e stext
840 OBJCOPYFLAGS objcopy flags
842 When $(call if_changed,objcopy) is used to translate a .o file,
843 the flags specified in OBJCOPYFLAGS will be used.
844 $(call if_changed,objcopy) is often used to generate raw binaries on
849 OBJCOPYFLAGS := -O binary
851 #arch/s390/boot/Makefile
852 $(obj)/image: vmlinux FORCE
853 $(call if_changed,objcopy)
855 In this example, the binary $(obj)/image is a binary version of
856 vmlinux. The usage of $(call if_changed,xxx) will be described later.
858 KBUILD_AFLAGS $(AS) assembler flags
860 Default value - see top level Makefile
861 Append or modify as required per architecture.
864 #arch/sparc64/Makefile
865 KBUILD_AFLAGS += -m64 -mcpu=ultrasparc
867 KBUILD_CFLAGS $(CC) compiler flags
869 Default value - see top level Makefile
870 Append or modify as required per architecture.
872 Often, the KBUILD_CFLAGS variable depends on the configuration.
876 cflags-$(CONFIG_M386) += -march=i386
877 KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(cflags-y)
879 Many arch Makefiles dynamically run the target C compiler to
880 probe supported options:
885 cflags-$(CONFIG_MPENTIUMII) += $(call cc-option,\
886 -march=pentium2,-march=i686)
888 # Disable unit-at-a-time mode ...
889 KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-fno-unit-at-a-time)
893 The first example utilises the trick that a config option expands
894 to 'y' when selected.
896 CFLAGS_KERNEL $(CC) options specific for built-in
898 $(CFLAGS_KERNEL) contains extra C compiler flags used to compile
899 resident kernel code.
901 CFLAGS_MODULE $(CC) options specific for modules
903 $(CFLAGS_MODULE) contains extra C compiler flags used to compile code
904 for loadable kernel modules.
907 --- 6.2 Add prerequisites to archprepare:
909 The archprepare: rule is used to list prerequisites that need to be
910 built before starting to descend down in the subdirectories.
911 This is usually used for header files containing assembler constants.
915 archprepare: maketools
917 In this example, the file target maketools will be processed
918 before descending down in the subdirectories.
919 See also chapter XXX-TODO that describe how kbuild supports
920 generating offset header files.
923 --- 6.3 List directories to visit when descending
925 An arch Makefile cooperates with the top Makefile to define variables
926 which specify how to build the vmlinux file. Note that there is no
927 corresponding arch-specific section for modules; the module-building
928 machinery is all architecture-independent.
931 head-y, init-y, core-y, libs-y, drivers-y, net-y
933 $(head-y) lists objects to be linked first in vmlinux.
934 $(libs-y) lists directories where a lib.a archive can be located.
935 The rest list directories where a built-in.o object file can be
938 $(init-y) objects will be located after $(head-y).
939 Then the rest follows in this order:
940 $(core-y), $(libs-y), $(drivers-y) and $(net-y).
942 The top level Makefile defines values for all generic directories,
943 and arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile only adds architecture-specific directories.
946 #arch/sparc64/Makefile
947 core-y += arch/sparc64/kernel/
948 libs-y += arch/sparc64/prom/ arch/sparc64/lib/
949 drivers-$(CONFIG_OPROFILE) += arch/sparc64/oprofile/
952 --- 6.4 Architecture-specific boot images
954 An arch Makefile specifies goals that take the vmlinux file, compress
955 it, wrap it in bootstrapping code, and copy the resulting files
956 somewhere. This includes various kinds of installation commands.
957 The actual goals are not standardized across architectures.
959 It is common to locate any additional processing in a boot/
960 directory below arch/$(ARCH)/.
962 Kbuild does not provide any smart way to support building a
963 target specified in boot/. Therefore arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile shall
964 call make manually to build a target in boot/.
966 The recommended approach is to include shortcuts in
967 arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile, and use the full path when calling down
968 into the arch/$(ARCH)/boot/Makefile.
972 boot := arch/i386/boot
974 $(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=$(boot) $(boot)/$@
976 "$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=<dir>" is the recommended way to invoke
977 make in a subdirectory.
979 There are no rules for naming architecture-specific targets,
980 but executing "make help" will list all relevant targets.
981 To support this, $(archhelp) must be defined.
986 echo '* bzImage - Image (arch/$(ARCH)/boot/bzImage)'
989 When make is executed without arguments, the first goal encountered
990 will be built. In the top level Makefile the first goal present
992 An architecture shall always, per default, build a bootable image.
993 In "make help", the default goal is highlighted with a '*'.
994 Add a new prerequisite to all: to select a default goal different
1001 When "make" is executed without arguments, bzImage will be built.
1003 --- 6.5 Building non-kbuild targets
1007 extra-y specify additional targets created in the current
1008 directory, in addition to any targets specified by obj-*.
1010 Listing all targets in extra-y is required for two purposes:
1011 1) Enable kbuild to check changes in command lines
1012 - When $(call if_changed,xxx) is used
1013 2) kbuild knows what files to delete during "make clean"
1016 #arch/i386/kernel/Makefile
1017 extra-y := head.o init_task.o
1019 In this example, extra-y is used to list object files that
1020 shall be built, but shall not be linked as part of built-in.o.
1023 --- 6.6 Commands useful for building a boot image
1025 Kbuild provides a few macros that are useful when building a
1030 if_changed is the infrastructure used for the following commands.
1033 target: source(s) FORCE
1034 $(call if_changed,ld/objcopy/gzip)
1036 When the rule is evaluated, it is checked to see if any files
1037 need an update, or the command line has changed since the last
1038 invocation. The latter will force a rebuild if any options
1039 to the executable have changed.
1040 Any target that utilises if_changed must be listed in $(targets),
1041 otherwise the command line check will fail, and the target will
1043 Assignments to $(targets) are without $(obj)/ prefix.
1044 if_changed may be used in conjunction with custom commands as
1045 defined in 6.7 "Custom kbuild commands".
1047 Note: It is a typical mistake to forget the FORCE prerequisite.
1048 Another common pitfall is that whitespace is sometimes
1049 significant; for instance, the below will fail (note the extra space
1051 target: source(s) FORCE
1052 #WRONG!# $(call if_changed, ld/objcopy/gzip)
1055 Link target. Often, LDFLAGS_$@ is used to set specific options to ld.
1058 Copy binary. Uses OBJCOPYFLAGS usually specified in
1059 arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile.
1060 OBJCOPYFLAGS_$@ may be used to set additional options.
1063 Compress target. Use maximum compression to compress target.
1066 #arch/i386/boot/Makefile
1067 LDFLAGS_bootsect := -Ttext 0x0 -s --oformat binary
1068 LDFLAGS_setup := -Ttext 0x0 -s --oformat binary -e begtext
1070 targets += setup setup.o bootsect bootsect.o
1071 $(obj)/setup $(obj)/bootsect: %: %.o FORCE
1072 $(call if_changed,ld)
1074 In this example, there are two possible targets, requiring different
1075 options to the linker. The linker options are specified using the
1076 LDFLAGS_$@ syntax - one for each potential target.
1077 $(targets) are assigned all potential targets, by which kbuild knows
1078 the targets and will:
1079 1) check for commandline changes
1080 2) delete target during make clean
1082 The ": %: %.o" part of the prerequisite is a shorthand that
1083 free us from listing the setup.o and bootsect.o files.
1084 Note: It is a common mistake to forget the "target :=" assignment,
1085 resulting in the target file being recompiled for no
1089 --- 6.7 Custom kbuild commands
1091 When kbuild is executing with KBUILD_VERBOSE=0, then only a shorthand
1092 of a command is normally displayed.
1093 To enable this behaviour for custom commands kbuild requires
1094 two variables to be set:
1095 quiet_cmd_<command> - what shall be echoed
1096 cmd_<command> - the command to execute
1100 quiet_cmd_image = BUILD $@
1101 cmd_image = $(obj)/tools/build $(BUILDFLAGS) \
1102 $(obj)/vmlinux.bin > $@
1105 $(obj)/bzImage: $(obj)/vmlinux.bin $(obj)/tools/build FORCE
1106 $(call if_changed,image)
1107 @echo 'Kernel: $@ is ready'
1109 When updating the $(obj)/bzImage target, the line
1111 BUILD arch/i386/boot/bzImage
1113 will be displayed with "make KBUILD_VERBOSE=0".
1116 --- 6.8 Preprocessing linker scripts
1118 When the vmlinux image is built, the linker script
1119 arch/$(ARCH)/kernel/vmlinux.lds is used.
1120 The script is a preprocessed variant of the file vmlinux.lds.S
1121 located in the same directory.
1122 kbuild knows .lds files and includes a rule *lds.S -> *lds.
1125 #arch/i386/kernel/Makefile
1126 always := vmlinux.lds
1129 export CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds += -P -C -U$(ARCH)
1131 The assignment to $(always) is used to tell kbuild to build the
1133 The assignment to $(CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds) tells kbuild to use the
1134 specified options when building the target vmlinux.lds.
1136 When building the *.lds target, kbuild uses the variables:
1137 KBUILD_CPPFLAGS : Set in top-level Makefile
1138 cppflags-y : May be set in the kbuild makefile
1139 CPPFLAGS_$(@F) : Target specific flags.
1140 Note that the full filename is used in this
1143 The kbuild infrastructure for *lds file are used in several
1144 architecture-specific files.
1147 === 7 Kbuild Variables
1149 The top Makefile exports the following variables:
1151 VERSION, PATCHLEVEL, SUBLEVEL, EXTRAVERSION
1153 These variables define the current kernel version. A few arch
1154 Makefiles actually use these values directly; they should use
1155 $(KERNELRELEASE) instead.
1157 $(VERSION), $(PATCHLEVEL), and $(SUBLEVEL) define the basic
1158 three-part version number, such as "2", "4", and "0". These three
1159 values are always numeric.
1161 $(EXTRAVERSION) defines an even tinier sublevel for pre-patches
1162 or additional patches. It is usually some non-numeric string
1163 such as "-pre4", and is often blank.
1167 $(KERNELRELEASE) is a single string such as "2.4.0-pre4", suitable
1168 for constructing installation directory names or showing in
1169 version strings. Some arch Makefiles use it for this purpose.
1173 This variable defines the target architecture, such as "i386",
1174 "arm", or "sparc". Some kbuild Makefiles test $(ARCH) to
1175 determine which files to compile.
1177 By default, the top Makefile sets $(ARCH) to be the same as the
1178 host system architecture. For a cross build, a user may
1179 override the value of $(ARCH) on the command line:
1186 This variable defines a place for the arch Makefiles to install
1187 the resident kernel image and System.map file.
1188 Use this for architecture-specific install targets.
1190 INSTALL_MOD_PATH, MODLIB
1192 $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH) specifies a prefix to $(MODLIB) for module
1193 installation. This variable is not defined in the Makefile but
1194 may be passed in by the user if desired.
1196 $(MODLIB) specifies the directory for module installation.
1197 The top Makefile defines $(MODLIB) to
1198 $(INSTALL_MOD_PATH)/lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE). The user may
1199 override this value on the command line if desired.
1203 If this variable is specified, will cause modules to be stripped
1204 after they are installed. If INSTALL_MOD_STRIP is '1', then the
1205 default option --strip-debug will be used. Otherwise,
1206 INSTALL_MOD_STRIP will used as the option(s) to the strip command.
1209 === 8 Makefile language
1211 The kernel Makefiles are designed to be run with GNU Make. The Makefiles
1212 use only the documented features of GNU Make, but they do use many
1215 GNU Make supports elementary list-processing functions. The kernel
1216 Makefiles use a novel style of list building and manipulation with few
1219 GNU Make has two assignment operators, ":=" and "=". ":=" performs
1220 immediate evaluation of the right-hand side and stores an actual string
1221 into the left-hand side. "=" is like a formula definition; it stores the
1222 right-hand side in an unevaluated form and then evaluates this form each
1223 time the left-hand side is used.
1225 There are some cases where "=" is appropriate. Usually, though, ":="
1226 is the right choice.
1230 Original version made by Michael Elizabeth Chastain, <mailto:mec@shout.net>
1231 Updates by Kai Germaschewski <kai@tp1.ruhr-uni-bochum.de>
1232 Updates by Sam Ravnborg <sam@ravnborg.org>
1233 Language QA by Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@gmx.de>
1237 - Describe how kbuild supports shipped files with _shipped.
1238 - Generating offset header files.
1239 - Add more variables to section 7?