Linux -> LynxOS cross compiler?
Kurt Granroth
compiler? For various reasons, our group is stuck with LynxOS 2.2
on a 486/33. Compiling a couple hundred files on this definitely has
taught us the true meaning of "patience." We do have these 400Mhz PII
systems, though, and I had the idea that if we installed Linux on
these, we could setup gcc to cross-compile our LynxOS executable. We
are in the very early stage of looking into this.
So, does this sound feasible? Has anybody done it?
--
Kurt Granroth
Software Engineer
Motorola CE/NSS/SATCOM/GSD
Custom Satellite Products
email: kgra...@epidigm.geg.mot.com
phone: (602) 441-0194
pager: (888) 381-5028
fax: (602) 441-3076
Emmanuel Marty
> Has anybody here had any experience with a x86 Linux based Lynx cross-
> compiler? For various reasons, our group is stuck with LynxOS 2.2
> on a 486/33. Compiling a couple hundred files on this definitely has
> taught us the true meaning of "patience." We do have these 400Mhz PII
> systems, though, and I had the idea that if we installed Linux on
> these, we could setup gcc to cross-compile our LynxOS executable. We
> are in the very early stage of looking into this.
AFAIK, GNU binutils support the writing of Lynx executables if you
enable that target when compiling them. Therefore, you will probably
need a working Linux system, and then to download the latest GNU
binutils (ld, nm, the BFD library that handles all formats, like
ELF, COFF etc) and recompile them to support lynx executables. I can
walk you through that if you like, although the binutils documentation
is pretty explicit.
> So, does this sound feasible? Has anybody done it?
I haven't done it with Lynx, but I'm currently doing it for another
operating system, and it works fine. As you are compiling on x86
for x86, it's just a matter of writing executables in the right format..
--
Emmanuel
Steve Watt
Kurt Granroth <kgra...@epidigm.geg.mot.com> wrote:
>Has anybody here had any experience with a x86 Linux based Lynx cross-
>compiler? For various reasons, our group is stuck with LynxOS 2.2
>on a 486/33. Compiling a couple hundred files on this definitely has
>taught us the true meaning of "patience." We do have these 400Mhz PII
>systems, though, and I had the idea that if we installed Linux on
>these, we could setup gcc to cross-compile our LynxOS executable. We
>are in the very early stage of looking into this.
>
Pardon me for being dense, but if you've got a PII/400 lying
around, have you tried putting LynxOS up on it? Might work.
Might not.
A cross environment for more current versions should Just Work (says
here) with appropriate moving of libraries and includes, but I fear
that there have been enough tool and OS changes that making a
current gcc output something that runs on that relatively ancient
version of the OS could be ... interesting.
My guess is that you would spend more $ (converted to suitable numbers
of man-hours) making up a Linux-based tool chain than you would
purchasing as fast a box as possible that'll still run 2.2.
--
Steve Watt KD6GGD PP-ASEL-IA Packet: KD6GGD @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA
ICBM: 121W 56' 58.1" / 37N 20' 14.2" Internet: steve @ Watt.COM
Free time? There's no such thing. It just comes in varying prices...
Kari Hämeenaho
>
> Kurt Granroth wrote:
>
> > Has anybody here had any experience with a x86 Linux based Lynx cross-
> > compiler? For various reasons, our group is stuck with LynxOS 2.2
> > on a 486/33. Compiling a couple hundred files on this definitely has
> > taught us the true meaning of "patience." We do have these 400Mhz PII
> > systems, though, and I had the idea that if we installed Linux on
> > these, we could setup gcc to cross-compile our LynxOS executable. We
> > are in the very early stage of looking into this.
>
> enable that target when compiling them. Therefore, you will probably
> need a working Linux system, and then to download the latest GNU
> binutils (ld, nm, the BFD library that handles all formats, like
> ELF, COFF etc) and recompile them to support lynx executables. I can
> walk you through that if you like, although the binutils documentation
> is pretty explicit.
>
At least for PowerPC LynxOS 2.5.0 this not not that simple. The LynxOS
needs modified version of the compiler. Because this is GNU compiler,
the sources are delivered in the LynxOS CD-ROM.
At least for 2.5.0 trying to make crosscompiler was not at all
successful from the GNU sources. From the LynxOS sources a crosscompiler
could be build and it also worked (for short test program).
I still had to skip the building of crossdebugger (gdb) as it failed and
was said to be hard in the documentation (for crosscompiler
environments not supported and only AIX and Solaris are supported).
Also there was significant amount of disk space needed (maybe 800 MB or
so) during the compiling.
> > So, does this sound feasible? Has anybody done it?
>
> I haven't done it with Lynx, but I'm currently doing it for another
> operating system, and it works fine. As you are compiling on x86
> for x86, it's just a matter of writing executables in the right format..
>
I did that for LynxOS 2.5.0 PowerPc in x86 Linux. It may still be that
the LynxOS needs specific LynxOS gcc from the LynxOS CD or tape.
--
Kari Hämeenaho
Philippe Le Foll
>Has anybody here had any experience with a x86 Linux based Lynx cross-
>compiler? For various reasons, our group is stuck with LynxOS 2.2
>on a 486/33. Compiling a couple hundred files on this definitely has
>taught us the true meaning of "patience." We do have these 400Mhz PII
>systems, though, and I had the idea that if we installed Linux on
>these, we could setup gcc to cross-compile our LynxOS executable. We
>are in the very early stage of looking into this.
>
very easy, just take last GCC source code and configure it with Lynx
as target, for libraries and just made a copy from Lynx one to Linux disk.
If you want a distributed version of gdb this is more complex, because
everything is not under GPL licence. In any case having a Lynx compimer
under Linux or Solaris can be done in a couple of hours.
Good Luck
Philippe
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