[OE-core] [RFC OE-core/meta/lib] BSP Specific Qemurunner

[Sipke Vriend]

Hi Richard,

>
>-----Original Message-----
>On Wednesday, 8 January 2014 12:00 AM, Richard Purdie wrote:
>
>On Tue, 2014-01-07 at 03:09 +0000, Sipke Vriend wrote:
>> Hi,
>> 
>> This RFC is a proposal to allow BSP layers to setup qemu with their specific
>> requirements for the testimage oe-core functionality.
>> The suggested changes will be exercised by the 
>> bitbake -c testimage <image> 
>> command.
>> Similarly to the oeqa test cases this proposal extends the meta/lib/oeqa 
>> python modules to allow inclusion of python utility scripts in the BSP 
>> layers.
>> Any BSP layer wishing to supply their own qemu setup would need to create
>> an appropriate meta-bsplayer/lib/oeqa/utils/<machine>starter.py
>> The effect is that the lib/oeqa/utils/qemurunner will either allow the 
>> bsp layer provided <machine>starter to spawn qemu or if not provided, 
>> spawn qemu via runqemu as currently.
>> An example bsp layer is available here:
>> https://github.com/sipke/meta-xilinx/tree/sipke/qemurunner
>> with all required additions in the meta-xilinx/lib directory.
>> 
>> This RFC is triggered by and indirectly related to
>> Bugzilla report "runqemu shouldn't hard-code machine knowledge"
>> https://bugzilla.yoctoproject.org/show_bug.cgi?id=4827
>
>Why would we do this rather than improve runqemu to be extendable from
>BSP layers?
>

Proposing as an additional way to launch qemu for oeqa testimage functionality,
Improving runqemu can and probably should still happen.
 
To consider:
* it keeps testimage functionality (for bsp layers specific things) in 
the lib directly (similar to test cases) and as python.
* testing (via testimage) may have a different requirement to that of
running runqemu on the command line, so an alternate way to launch qemu 
could be useful.
* should this approach of extending the oeqa testimage functionality 
into bsp layers be accepted, this could allow also for bsp specific 
hardware setup for testimage functionality in bsp layers.

Primary aim is a solution which allows the bsp layer to control the 
setup of qemu (and eventually hardware) for testimage functionality. This is 
a proposal towards that goal.

Thanks
Sipke

>Cheers,
>
>Richard
>
>
>
>
>