[OE-core] Do we have a package that installs the kernel headers and config into the target?

[Daniel Lazzari]

>Darren Hart wrote on 2012-04-06:
>> On 04/05/2012 09:41 PM, Cui, Dexuan wrote:
>>> Darren Hart wrote on 2012-04-06:
>>>> On 04/05/2012 08:20 PM, Cui, Dexuan wrote:
>>>>> In a typical Linux distribution, there is a build link(or directory)
>>>>> that specifies the directory where the kernel headers and kernel config
>>>>> are put.
>>>>>
>>>>> E.g. in my Ubuntu 11.04, a package linux-headers-2.6.38-8-generic
>>>> installs .config, include/ and Kconfig into
>>>> /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.38-8-generic/ and makes a link
>>>> /lib/modules/2.6.38-8-generic/build to point to the directory.
>>>>>
>>>>> However, looks in Yocto, we don't have such a package? Do we have a
>>>>> plan to add it?
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm asking the question because in the ESDC contest, the students found
>in
>>>> Yocto they couldn't build the wifi driver's source code that was
>>>> downloaded from realtek.com:
>>>>
>>>>
>http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFi
>d=4
>>>>
>>
>8&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=226&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false&Downloa
>ds
>> =true
>>>>> In Ubuntu, they can build the driver fine.
>>>>
>>>> There is an open bug:
>>>> https://bugzilla.yoctoproject.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1614
>>>
>>> Glad to know this is a know bug.
>>> I personally think it would be pretty nice if we can fix this bug soon
>>> since the students are being frustrated by this...
>>>
>>> And, in the Build Appliance (self-hosted-image) work, we want to
>>> enable the vmware guest's VMware Tools. This also requires the ability
>>> to build kernel module in the target.
>>>
>>
>> While I understand there are valid use cases, I think this is generally
>> contrary to workflow of the project. We build the OS, it runs on the
>> target. This is building a general purpose OS, and then having it build
>> itself out more. It doesn't feel like an embedded workflow.
>I totally agree with you.
>
>Unluckily we'll have to face an imperfect world:
>E.g., in the ESDC contest, after the students boot the board with
>Yocto Linux, they attach a Realtek wifi device and try to build and
>install the driver.
>
>What's bad is: the driver's source code is not integrated into the
>upstream linux. The students can only run a makefile of the driver
>tarball to build the driver.  To the students' surprise, there is no
>kernel headers in the running Yocto linux! :-(
>
>Surely, the "standard" way is: we should write a recipe to
>cross-compile and install the driver. But this is difficult to the
>students:
>1) They're not familiar with Poky at all, and actually the downloaded
>wifi driver's code here seems indeed complex.
>
>2) The students only have limited time so they intend to spend
>most of the time on things that could make them win a prize or
>money. :-)
>So this actually makes Yocto less appealing to them though the
>goal of Yocto is making developing on embedded easy...
>
>> That said, there are valid use cases, but I don't consider this a
>> particularly high priority at the moment. I'm happy to hear other
>> thoughts on why this should be bumped in prio though.
>Currently I have suggested them that they should manually copy
>The kernel headers and .config into the target.
>Hope this can work around the issue for them.
>
>Thanks,
>-- Dexuan
>

Any chance the students could cross compile the wifi module using an external toolchain?