1======================
2Linux Kernel Makefiles
3======================
4
5This document describes the Linux kernel Makefiles.
6
7.. Table of Contents
8
9	=== 1 Overview
10	=== 2 Who does what
11	=== 3 The kbuild files
12	   --- 3.1 Goal definitions
13	   --- 3.2 Built-in object goals - obj-y
14	   --- 3.3 Loadable module goals - obj-m
15	   --- 3.4 Objects which export symbols
16	   --- 3.5 Library file goals - lib-y
17	   --- 3.6 Descending down in directories
18	   --- 3.7 Compilation flags
19	   --- 3.8 Command line dependency
20	   --- 3.9 Dependency tracking
21	   --- 3.10 Special Rules
22	   --- 3.11 $(CC) support functions
23	   --- 3.12 $(LD) support functions
24
25	=== 4 Host Program support
26	   --- 4.1 Simple Host Program
27	   --- 4.2 Composite Host Programs
28	   --- 4.3 Using C++ for host programs
29	   --- 4.4 Controlling compiler options for host programs
30	   --- 4.5 When host programs are actually built
31	   --- 4.6 Using hostprogs-$(CONFIG_FOO)
32
33	=== 5 Kbuild clean infrastructure
34
35	=== 6 Architecture Makefiles
36	   --- 6.1 Set variables to tweak the build to the architecture
37	   --- 6.2 Add prerequisites to archheaders:
38	   --- 6.3 Add prerequisites to archprepare:
39	   --- 6.4 List directories to visit when descending
40	   --- 6.5 Architecture-specific boot images
41	   --- 6.6 Building non-kbuild targets
42	   --- 6.7 Commands useful for building a boot image
43	   --- 6.8 Custom kbuild commands
44	   --- 6.9 Preprocessing linker scripts
45	   --- 6.10 Generic header files
46	   --- 6.11 Post-link pass
47
48	=== 7 Kbuild syntax for exported headers
49		--- 7.1 no-export-headers
50		--- 7.2 generic-y
51		--- 7.3 generated-y
52		--- 7.4 mandatory-y
53
54	=== 8 Kbuild Variables
55	=== 9 Makefile language
56	=== 10 Credits
57	=== 11 TODO
58
591 Overview
60==========
61
62The Makefiles have five parts::
63
64	Makefile		the top Makefile.
65	.config			the kernel configuration file.
66	arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile	the arch Makefile.
67	scripts/Makefile.*	common rules etc. for all kbuild Makefiles.
68	kbuild Makefiles	there are about 500 of these.
69
70The top Makefile reads the .config file, which comes from the kernel
71configuration process.
72
73The top Makefile is responsible for building two major products: vmlinux
74(the resident kernel image) and modules (any module files).
75It builds these goals by recursively descending into the subdirectories of
76the kernel source tree.
77The list of subdirectories which are visited depends upon the kernel
78configuration. The top Makefile textually includes an arch Makefile
79with the name arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile. The arch Makefile supplies
80architecture-specific information to the top Makefile.
81
82Each subdirectory has a kbuild Makefile which carries out the commands
83passed down from above. The kbuild Makefile uses information from the
84.config file to construct various file lists used by kbuild to build
85any built-in or modular targets.
86
87scripts/Makefile.* contains all the definitions/rules etc. that
88are used to build the kernel based on the kbuild makefiles.
89
90
912 Who does what
92===============
93
94People have four different relationships with the kernel Makefiles.
95
96*Users* are people who build kernels.  These people type commands such as
97"make menuconfig" or "make".  They usually do not read or edit
98any kernel Makefiles (or any other source files).
99
100*Normal developers* are people who work on features such as device
101drivers, file systems, and network protocols.  These people need to
102maintain the kbuild Makefiles for the subsystem they are
103working on.  In order to do this effectively, they need some overall
104knowledge about the kernel Makefiles, plus detailed knowledge about the
105public interface for kbuild.
106
107*Arch developers* are people who work on an entire architecture, such
108as sparc or ia64.  Arch developers need to know about the arch Makefile
109as well as kbuild Makefiles.
110
111*Kbuild developers* are people who work on the kernel build system itself.
112These people need to know about all aspects of the kernel Makefiles.
113
114This document is aimed towards normal developers and arch developers.
115
116
1173 The kbuild files
118==================
119
120Most Makefiles within the kernel are kbuild Makefiles that use the
121kbuild infrastructure. This chapter introduces the syntax used in the
122kbuild makefiles.
123The preferred name for the kbuild files are 'Makefile' but 'Kbuild' can
124be used and if both a 'Makefile' and a 'Kbuild' file exists, then the 'Kbuild'
125file will be used.
126
127Section 3.1 "Goal definitions" is a quick intro, further chapters provide
128more details, with real examples.
129
1303.1 Goal definitions
131--------------------
132
133	Goal definitions are the main part (heart) of the kbuild Makefile.
134	These lines define the files to be built, any special compilation
135	options, and any subdirectories to be entered recursively.
136
137	The most simple kbuild makefile contains one line:
138
139	Example::
140
141		obj-y += foo.o
142
143	This tells kbuild that there is one object in that directory, named
144	foo.o. foo.o will be built from foo.c or foo.S.
145
146	If foo.o shall be built as a module, the variable obj-m is used.
147	Therefore the following pattern is often used:
148
149	Example::
150
151		obj-$(CONFIG_FOO) += foo.o
152
153	$(CONFIG_FOO) evaluates to either y (for built-in) or m (for module).
154	If CONFIG_FOO is neither y nor m, then the file will not be compiled
155	nor linked.
156
1573.2 Built-in object goals - obj-y
158---------------------------------
159
160	The kbuild Makefile specifies object files for vmlinux
161	in the $(obj-y) lists.  These lists depend on the kernel
162	configuration.
163
164	Kbuild compiles all the $(obj-y) files.  It then calls
165	"$(AR) rcSTP" to merge these files into one built-in.a file.
166	This is a thin archive without a symbol table. It will be later
167	linked into vmlinux by scripts/link-vmlinux.sh
168
169	The order of files in $(obj-y) is significant.  Duplicates in
170	the lists are allowed: the first instance will be linked into
171	built-in.a and succeeding instances will be ignored.
172
173	Link order is significant, because certain functions
174	(module_init() / __initcall) will be called during boot in the
175	order they appear. So keep in mind that changing the link
176	order may e.g. change the order in which your SCSI
177	controllers are detected, and thus your disks are renumbered.
178
179	Example::
180
181		#drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile
182		# Makefile for the kernel ISDN subsystem and device drivers.
183		# Each configuration option enables a list of files.
184		obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_I4L)         += isdn.o
185		obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) += isdn_bsdcomp.o
186
1873.3 Loadable module goals - obj-m
188---------------------------------
189
190	$(obj-m) specifies object files which are built as loadable
191	kernel modules.
192
193	A module may be built from one source file or several source
194	files. In the case of one source file, the kbuild makefile
195	simply adds the file to $(obj-m).
196
197	Example::
198
199		#drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile
200		obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) += isdn_bsdcomp.o
201
202	Note: In this example $(CONFIG_ISDN_PPP_BSDCOMP) evaluates to 'm'
203
204	If a kernel module is built from several source files, you specify
205	that you want to build a module in the same way as above; however,
206	kbuild needs to know which object files you want to build your
207	module from, so you have to tell it by setting a $(<module_name>-y)
208	variable.
209
210	Example::
211
212		#drivers/isdn/i4l/Makefile
213		obj-$(CONFIG_ISDN_I4L) += isdn.o
214		isdn-y := isdn_net_lib.o isdn_v110.o isdn_common.o
215
216	In this example, the module name will be isdn.o. Kbuild will
217	compile the objects listed in $(isdn-y) and then run
218	"$(LD) -r" on the list of these files to generate isdn.o.
219
220	Due to kbuild recognizing $(<module_name>-y) for composite objects,
221	you can use the value of a `CONFIG_` symbol to optionally include an
222	object file as part of a composite object.
223
224	Example::
225
226		#fs/ext2/Makefile
227	        obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS) += ext2.o
228		ext2-y := balloc.o dir.o file.o ialloc.o inode.o ioctl.o \
229			  namei.o super.o symlink.o
230	        ext2-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS_XATTR) += xattr.o xattr_user.o \
231						xattr_trusted.o
232
233	In this example, xattr.o, xattr_user.o and xattr_trusted.o are only
234	part of the composite object ext2.o if $(CONFIG_EXT2_FS_XATTR)
235	evaluates to 'y'.
236
237	Note: Of course, when you are building objects into the kernel,
238	the syntax above will also work. So, if you have CONFIG_EXT2_FS=y,
239	kbuild will build an ext2.o file for you out of the individual
240	parts and then link this into built-in.a, as you would expect.
241
2423.4 Objects which export symbols
243--------------------------------
244
245	No special notation is required in the makefiles for
246	modules exporting symbols.
247
2483.5 Library file goals - lib-y
249------------------------------
250
251	Objects listed with obj-* are used for modules, or
252	combined in a built-in.a for that specific directory.
253	There is also the possibility to list objects that will
254	be included in a library, lib.a.
255	All objects listed with lib-y are combined in a single
256	library for that directory.
257	Objects that are listed in obj-y and additionally listed in
258	lib-y will not be included in the library, since they will
259	be accessible anyway.
260	For consistency, objects listed in lib-m will be included in lib.a.
261
262	Note that the same kbuild makefile may list files to be built-in
263	and to be part of a library. Therefore the same directory
264	may contain both a built-in.a and a lib.a file.
265
266	Example::
267
268		#arch/x86/lib/Makefile
269		lib-y    := delay.o
270
271	This will create a library lib.a based on delay.o. For kbuild to
272	actually recognize that there is a lib.a being built, the directory
273	shall be listed in libs-y.
274
275	See also "6.4 List directories to visit when descending".
276
277	Use of lib-y is normally restricted to `lib/` and `arch/*/lib`.
278
2793.6 Descending down in directories
280----------------------------------
281
282	A Makefile is only responsible for building objects in its own
283	directory. Files in subdirectories should be taken care of by
284	Makefiles in these subdirs. The build system will automatically
285	invoke make recursively in subdirectories, provided you let it know of
286	them.
287
288	To do so, obj-y and obj-m are used.
289	ext2 lives in a separate directory, and the Makefile present in fs/
290	tells kbuild to descend down using the following assignment.
291
292	Example::
293
294		#fs/Makefile
295		obj-$(CONFIG_EXT2_FS) += ext2/
296
297	If CONFIG_EXT2_FS is set to either 'y' (built-in) or 'm' (modular)
298	the corresponding obj- variable will be set, and kbuild will descend
299	down in the ext2 directory.
300	Kbuild only uses this information to decide that it needs to visit
301	the directory, it is the Makefile in the subdirectory that
302	specifies what is modular and what is built-in.
303
304	It is good practice to use a `CONFIG_` variable when assigning directory
305	names. This allows kbuild to totally skip the directory if the
306	corresponding `CONFIG_` option is neither 'y' nor 'm'.
307
3083.7 Compilation flags
309---------------------
310
311    ccflags-y, asflags-y and ldflags-y
312	These three flags apply only to the kbuild makefile in which they
313	are assigned. They are used for all the normal cc, as and ld
314	invocations happening during a recursive build.
315	Note: Flags with the same behaviour were previously named:
316	EXTRA_CFLAGS, EXTRA_AFLAGS and EXTRA_LDFLAGS.
317	They are still supported but their usage is deprecated.
318
319	ccflags-y specifies options for compiling with $(CC).
320
321	Example::
322
323		# drivers/acpi/acpica/Makefile
324		ccflags-y			:= -Os -D_LINUX -DBUILDING_ACPICA
325		ccflags-$(CONFIG_ACPI_DEBUG)	+= -DACPI_DEBUG_OUTPUT
326
327	This variable is necessary because the top Makefile owns the
328	variable $(KBUILD_CFLAGS) and uses it for compilation flags for the
329	entire tree.
330
331	asflags-y specifies options for assembling with $(AS).
332
333	Example::
334
335		#arch/sparc/kernel/Makefile
336		asflags-y := -ansi
337
338	ldflags-y specifies options for linking with $(LD).
339
340	Example::
341
342		#arch/cris/boot/compressed/Makefile
343		ldflags-y += -T $(srctree)/$(src)/decompress_$(arch-y).lds
344
345    subdir-ccflags-y, subdir-asflags-y
346	The two flags listed above are similar to ccflags-y and asflags-y.
347	The difference is that the subdir- variants have effect for the kbuild
348	file where they are present and all subdirectories.
349	Options specified using subdir-* are added to the commandline before
350	the options specified using the non-subdir variants.
351
352	Example::
353
354		subdir-ccflags-y := -Werror
355
356    CFLAGS_$@, AFLAGS_$@
357	CFLAGS_$@ and AFLAGS_$@ only apply to commands in current
358	kbuild makefile.
359
360	$(CFLAGS_$@) specifies per-file options for $(CC).  The $@
361	part has a literal value which specifies the file that it is for.
362
363	Example::
364
365		# drivers/scsi/Makefile
366		CFLAGS_aha152x.o =   -DAHA152X_STAT -DAUTOCONF
367		CFLAGS_gdth.o    = # -DDEBUG_GDTH=2 -D__SERIAL__ -D__COM2__ \
368				     -DGDTH_STATISTICS
369
370	These two lines specify compilation flags for aha152x.o and gdth.o.
371
372	$(AFLAGS_$@) is a similar feature for source files in assembly
373	languages.
374
375	Example::
376
377		# arch/arm/kernel/Makefile
378		AFLAGS_head.o        := -DTEXT_OFFSET=$(TEXT_OFFSET)
379		AFLAGS_crunch-bits.o := -Wa,-mcpu=ep9312
380		AFLAGS_iwmmxt.o      := -Wa,-mcpu=iwmmxt
381
382
3833.9 Dependency tracking
384-----------------------
385
386	Kbuild tracks dependencies on the following:
387	1) All prerequisite files (both `*.c` and `*.h`)
388	2) `CONFIG_` options used in all prerequisite files
389	3) Command-line used to compile target
390
391	Thus, if you change an option to $(CC) all affected files will
392	be re-compiled.
393
3943.10 Special Rules
395------------------
396
397	Special rules are used when the kbuild infrastructure does
398	not provide the required support. A typical example is
399	header files generated during the build process.
400	Another example are the architecture-specific Makefiles which
401	need special rules to prepare boot images etc.
402
403	Special rules are written as normal Make rules.
404	Kbuild is not executing in the directory where the Makefile is
405	located, so all special rules shall provide a relative
406	path to prerequisite files and target files.
407
408	Two variables are used when defining special rules:
409
410	$(src)
411	    $(src) is a relative path which points to the directory
412	    where the Makefile is located. Always use $(src) when
413	    referring to files located in the src tree.
414
415	$(obj)
416	    $(obj) is a relative path which points to the directory
417	    where the target is saved. Always use $(obj) when
418	    referring to generated files.
419
420	    Example::
421
422		#drivers/scsi/Makefile
423		$(obj)/53c8xx_d.h: $(src)/53c7,8xx.scr $(src)/script_asm.pl
424			$(CPP) -DCHIP=810 - < $< | ... $(src)/script_asm.pl
425
426	    This is a special rule, following the normal syntax
427	    required by make.
428
429	    The target file depends on two prerequisite files. References
430	    to the target file are prefixed with $(obj), references
431	    to prerequisites are referenced with $(src) (because they are not
432	    generated files).
433
434	$(kecho)
435	    echoing information to user in a rule is often a good practice
436	    but when execution "make -s" one does not expect to see any output
437	    except for warnings/errors.
438	    To support this kbuild defines $(kecho) which will echo out the
439	    text following $(kecho) to stdout except if "make -s" is used.
440
441	Example::
442
443		#arch/blackfin/boot/Makefile
444		$(obj)/vmImage: $(obj)/vmlinux.gz
445			$(call if_changed,uimage)
446			@$(kecho) 'Kernel: $@ is ready'
447
448
4493.11 $(CC) support functions
450----------------------------
451
452	The kernel may be built with several different versions of
453	$(CC), each supporting a unique set of features and options.
454	kbuild provides basic support to check for valid options for $(CC).
455	$(CC) is usually the gcc compiler, but other alternatives are
456	available.
457
458    as-option
459	as-option is used to check if $(CC) -- when used to compile
460	assembler (`*.S`) files -- supports the given option. An optional
461	second option may be specified if the first option is not supported.
462
463	Example::
464
465		#arch/sh/Makefile
466		cflags-y += $(call as-option,-Wa$(comma)-isa=$(isa-y),)
467
468	In the above example, cflags-y will be assigned the option
469	-Wa$(comma)-isa=$(isa-y) if it is supported by $(CC).
470	The second argument is optional, and if supplied will be used
471	if first argument is not supported.
472
473    cc-ldoption
474	cc-ldoption is used to check if $(CC) when used to link object files
475	supports the given option.  An optional second option may be
476	specified if first option are not supported.
477
478	Example::
479
480		#arch/x86/kernel/Makefile
481		vsyscall-flags += $(call cc-ldoption, -Wl$(comma)--hash-style=sysv)
482
483	In the above example, vsyscall-flags will be assigned the option
484	-Wl$(comma)--hash-style=sysv if it is supported by $(CC).
485	The second argument is optional, and if supplied will be used
486	if first argument is not supported.
487
488    as-instr
489	as-instr checks if the assembler reports a specific instruction
490	and then outputs either option1 or option2
491	C escapes are supported in the test instruction
492	Note: as-instr-option uses KBUILD_AFLAGS for $(AS) options
493
494    cc-option
495	cc-option is used to check if $(CC) supports a given option, and if
496	not supported to use an optional second option.
497
498	Example::
499
500		#arch/x86/Makefile
501		cflags-y += $(call cc-option,-march=pentium-mmx,-march=i586)
502
503	In the above example, cflags-y will be assigned the option
504	-march=pentium-mmx if supported by $(CC), otherwise -march=i586.
505	The second argument to cc-option is optional, and if omitted,
506	cflags-y will be assigned no value if first option is not supported.
507	Note: cc-option uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options
508
509   cc-option-yn
510	cc-option-yn is used to check if gcc supports a given option
511	and return 'y' if supported, otherwise 'n'.
512
513	Example::
514
515		#arch/ppc/Makefile
516		biarch := $(call cc-option-yn, -m32)
517		aflags-$(biarch) += -a32
518		cflags-$(biarch) += -m32
519
520	In the above example, $(biarch) is set to y if $(CC) supports the -m32
521	option. When $(biarch) equals 'y', the expanded variables $(aflags-y)
522	and $(cflags-y) will be assigned the values -a32 and -m32,
523	respectively.
524	Note: cc-option-yn uses KBUILD_CFLAGS for $(CC) options
525
526    cc-disable-warning
527	cc-disable-warning checks if gcc supports a given warning and returns
528	the commandline switch to disable it. This special function is needed,
529	because gcc 4.4 and later accept any unknown -Wno-* option and only
530	warn about it if there is another warning in the source file.
531
532	Example::
533
534		KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-disable-warning, unused-but-set-variable)
535
536	In the above example, -Wno-unused-but-set-variable will be added to
537	KBUILD_CFLAGS only if gcc really accepts it.
538
539    cc-ifversion
540	cc-ifversion tests the version of $(CC) and equals the fourth parameter
541	if version expression is true, or the fifth (if given) if the version
542	expression is false.
543
544	Example::
545
546		#fs/reiserfs/Makefile
547		ccflags-y := $(call cc-ifversion, -lt, 0402, -O1)
548
549	In this example, ccflags-y will be assigned the value -O1 if the
550	$(CC) version is less than 4.2.
551	cc-ifversion takes all the shell operators:
552	-eq, -ne, -lt, -le, -gt, and -ge
553	The third parameter may be a text as in this example, but it may also
554	be an expanded variable or a macro.
555
556    cc-cross-prefix
557	cc-cross-prefix is used to check if there exists a $(CC) in path with
558	one of the listed prefixes. The first prefix where there exist a
559	prefix$(CC) in the PATH is returned - and if no prefix$(CC) is found
560	then nothing is returned.
561	Additional prefixes are separated by a single space in the
562	call of cc-cross-prefix.
563	This functionality is useful for architecture Makefiles that try
564	to set CROSS_COMPILE to well-known values but may have several
565	values to select between.
566	It is recommended only to try to set CROSS_COMPILE if it is a cross
567	build (host arch is different from target arch). And if CROSS_COMPILE
568	is already set then leave it with the old value.
569
570	Example::
571
572		#arch/m68k/Makefile
573		ifneq ($(SUBARCH),$(ARCH))
574		        ifeq ($(CROSS_COMPILE),)
575		               CROSS_COMPILE := $(call cc-cross-prefix, m68k-linux-gnu-)
576			endif
577		endif
578
5793.12 $(LD) support functions
580----------------------------
581
582    ld-option
583	ld-option is used to check if $(LD) supports the supplied option.
584	ld-option takes two options as arguments.
585	The second argument is an optional option that can be used if the
586	first option is not supported by $(LD).
587
588	Example::
589
590		#Makefile
591		LDFLAGS_vmlinux += $(call ld-option, -X)
592
593
5944 Host Program support
595======================
596
597Kbuild supports building executables on the host for use during the
598compilation stage.
599Two steps are required in order to use a host executable.
600
601The first step is to tell kbuild that a host program exists. This is
602done utilising the variable hostprogs-y.
603
604The second step is to add an explicit dependency to the executable.
605This can be done in two ways. Either add the dependency in a rule,
606or utilise the variable $(always).
607Both possibilities are described in the following.
608
6094.1 Simple Host Program
610-----------------------
611
612	In some cases there is a need to compile and run a program on the
613	computer where the build is running.
614	The following line tells kbuild that the program bin2hex shall be
615	built on the build host.
616
617	Example::
618
619		hostprogs-y := bin2hex
620
621	Kbuild assumes in the above example that bin2hex is made from a single
622	c-source file named bin2hex.c located in the same directory as
623	the Makefile.
624
6254.2 Composite Host Programs
626---------------------------
627
628	Host programs can be made up based on composite objects.
629	The syntax used to define composite objects for host programs is
630	similar to the syntax used for kernel objects.
631	$(<executable>-objs) lists all objects used to link the final
632	executable.
633
634	Example::
635
636		#scripts/lxdialog/Makefile
637		hostprogs-y   := lxdialog
638		lxdialog-objs := checklist.o lxdialog.o
639
640	Objects with extension .o are compiled from the corresponding .c
641	files. In the above example, checklist.c is compiled to checklist.o
642	and lxdialog.c is compiled to lxdialog.o.
643
644	Finally, the two .o files are linked to the executable, lxdialog.
645	Note: The syntax <executable>-y is not permitted for host-programs.
646
6474.3 Using C++ for host programs
648-------------------------------
649
650	kbuild offers support for host programs written in C++. This was
651	introduced solely to support kconfig, and is not recommended
652	for general use.
653
654	Example::
655
656		#scripts/kconfig/Makefile
657		hostprogs-y   := qconf
658		qconf-cxxobjs := qconf.o
659
660	In the example above the executable is composed of the C++ file
661	qconf.cc - identified by $(qconf-cxxobjs).
662
663	If qconf is composed of a mixture of .c and .cc files, then an
664	additional line can be used to identify this.
665
666	Example::
667
668		#scripts/kconfig/Makefile
669		hostprogs-y   := qconf
670		qconf-cxxobjs := qconf.o
671		qconf-objs    := check.o
672
6734.4 Controlling compiler options for host programs
674--------------------------------------------------
675
676	When compiling host programs, it is possible to set specific flags.
677	The programs will always be compiled utilising $(HOSTCC) passed
678	the options specified in $(KBUILD_HOSTCFLAGS).
679	To set flags that will take effect for all host programs created
680	in that Makefile, use the variable HOST_EXTRACFLAGS.
681
682	Example::
683
684		#scripts/lxdialog/Makefile
685		HOST_EXTRACFLAGS += -I/usr/include/ncurses
686
687	To set specific flags for a single file the following construction
688	is used:
689
690	Example::
691
692		#arch/ppc64/boot/Makefile
693		HOSTCFLAGS_piggyback.o := -DKERNELBASE=$(KERNELBASE)
694
695	It is also possible to specify additional options to the linker.
696
697	Example::
698
699		#scripts/kconfig/Makefile
700		HOSTLDLIBS_qconf := -L$(QTDIR)/lib
701
702	When linking qconf, it will be passed the extra option
703	"-L$(QTDIR)/lib".
704
7054.5 When host programs are actually built
706-----------------------------------------
707
708	Kbuild will only build host-programs when they are referenced
709	as a prerequisite.
710	This is possible in two ways:
711
712	(1) List the prerequisite explicitly in a special rule.
713
714	Example::
715
716		#drivers/pci/Makefile
717		hostprogs-y := gen-devlist
718		$(obj)/devlist.h: $(src)/pci.ids $(obj)/gen-devlist
719			( cd $(obj); ./gen-devlist ) < $<
720
721	The target $(obj)/devlist.h will not be built before
722	$(obj)/gen-devlist is updated. Note that references to
723	the host programs in special rules must be prefixed with $(obj).
724
725	(2) Use $(always)
726
727	When there is no suitable special rule, and the host program
728	shall be built when a makefile is entered, the $(always)
729	variable shall be used.
730
731	Example::
732
733		#scripts/lxdialog/Makefile
734		hostprogs-y   := lxdialog
735		always        := $(hostprogs-y)
736
737	This will tell kbuild to build lxdialog even if not referenced in
738	any rule.
739
7404.6 Using hostprogs-$(CONFIG_FOO)
741---------------------------------
742
743	A typical pattern in a Kbuild file looks like this:
744
745	Example::
746
747		#scripts/Makefile
748		hostprogs-$(CONFIG_KALLSYMS) += kallsyms
749
750	Kbuild knows about both 'y' for built-in and 'm' for module.
751	So if a config symbol evaluates to 'm', kbuild will still build
752	the binary. In other words, Kbuild handles hostprogs-m exactly
753	like hostprogs-y. But only hostprogs-y is recommended to be used
754	when no CONFIG symbols are involved.
755
7565 Kbuild clean infrastructure
757=============================
758
759"make clean" deletes most generated files in the obj tree where the kernel
760is compiled. This includes generated files such as host programs.
761Kbuild knows targets listed in $(hostprogs-y), $(hostprogs-m), $(always),
762$(extra-y) and $(targets). They are all deleted during "make clean".
763Files matching the patterns "*.[oas]", "*.ko", plus some additional files
764generated by kbuild are deleted all over the kernel src tree when
765"make clean" is executed.
766
767Additional files can be specified in kbuild makefiles by use of $(clean-files).
768
769	Example::
770
771		#lib/Makefile
772		clean-files := crc32table.h
773
774When executing "make clean", the file "crc32table.h" will be deleted.
775Kbuild will assume files to be in the same relative directory as the
776Makefile, except if prefixed with $(objtree).
777
778To delete a directory hierarchy use:
779
780	Example::
781
782		#scripts/package/Makefile
783		clean-dirs := $(objtree)/debian/
784
785This will delete the directory debian in the toplevel directory, including all
786subdirectories.
787
788To exclude certain files from make clean, use the $(no-clean-files) variable.
789This is only a special case used in the top level Kbuild file:
790
791	Example::
792
793		#Kbuild
794		no-clean-files := $(bounds-file) $(offsets-file)
795
796Usually kbuild descends down in subdirectories due to "obj-* := dir/",
797but in the architecture makefiles where the kbuild infrastructure
798is not sufficient this sometimes needs to be explicit.
799
800	Example::
801
802		#arch/x86/boot/Makefile
803		subdir- := compressed/
804
805The above assignment instructs kbuild to descend down in the
806directory compressed/ when "make clean" is executed.
807
808To support the clean infrastructure in the Makefiles that build the
809final bootimage there is an optional target named archclean:
810
811	Example::
812
813		#arch/x86/Makefile
814		archclean:
815			$(Q)$(MAKE) $(clean)=arch/x86/boot
816
817When "make clean" is executed, make will descend down in arch/x86/boot,
818and clean as usual. The Makefile located in arch/x86/boot/ may use
819the subdir- trick to descend further down.
820
821Note 1: arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile cannot use "subdir-", because that file is
822included in the top level makefile, and the kbuild infrastructure
823is not operational at that point.
824
825Note 2: All directories listed in core-y, libs-y, drivers-y and net-y will
826be visited during "make clean".
827
8286 Architecture Makefiles
829========================
830
831The top level Makefile sets up the environment and does the preparation,
832before starting to descend down in the individual directories.
833The top level makefile contains the generic part, whereas
834arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile contains what is required to set up kbuild
835for said architecture.
836To do so, arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile sets up a number of variables and defines
837a few targets.
838
839When kbuild executes, the following steps are followed (roughly):
840
8411) Configuration of the kernel => produce .config
8422) Store kernel version in include/linux/version.h
8433) Updating all other prerequisites to the target prepare:
844   - Additional prerequisites are specified in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile
8454) Recursively descend down in all directories listed in
846   init-* core* drivers-* net-* libs-* and build all targets.
847   - The values of the above variables are expanded in arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile.
8485) All object files are then linked and the resulting file vmlinux is
849   located at the root of the obj tree.
850   The very first objects linked are listed in head-y, assigned by
851   arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile.
8526) Finally, the architecture-specific part does any required post processing
853   and builds the final bootimage.
854   - This includes building boot records
855   - Preparing initrd images and the like
856
857
8586.1 Set variables to tweak the build to the architecture
859--------------------------------------------------------
860
861    LDFLAGS
862	Generic $(LD) options
863
864	Flags used for all invocations of the linker.
865	Often specifying the emulation is sufficient.
866
867	Example::
868
869		#arch/s390/Makefile
870		LDFLAGS         := -m elf_s390
871
872	Note: ldflags-y can be used to further customise
873	the flags used. See chapter 3.7.
874
875    LDFLAGS_vmlinux
876	Options for $(LD) when linking vmlinux
877
878	LDFLAGS_vmlinux is used to specify additional flags to pass to
879	the linker when linking the final vmlinux image.
880	LDFLAGS_vmlinux uses the LDFLAGS_$@ support.
881
882	Example::
883
884		#arch/x86/Makefile
885		LDFLAGS_vmlinux := -e stext
886
887    OBJCOPYFLAGS
888	objcopy flags
889
890	When $(call if_changed,objcopy) is used to translate a .o file,
891	the flags specified in OBJCOPYFLAGS will be used.
892	$(call if_changed,objcopy) is often used to generate raw binaries on
893	vmlinux.
894
895	Example::
896
897		#arch/s390/Makefile
898		OBJCOPYFLAGS := -O binary
899
900		#arch/s390/boot/Makefile
901		$(obj)/image: vmlinux FORCE
902			$(call if_changed,objcopy)
903
904	In this example, the binary $(obj)/image is a binary version of
905	vmlinux. The usage of $(call if_changed,xxx) will be described later.
906
907    KBUILD_AFLAGS
908	$(AS) assembler flags
909
910	Default value - see top level Makefile
911	Append or modify as required per architecture.
912
913	Example::
914
915		#arch/sparc64/Makefile
916		KBUILD_AFLAGS += -m64 -mcpu=ultrasparc
917
918    KBUILD_CFLAGS
919	$(CC) compiler flags
920
921	Default value - see top level Makefile
922	Append or modify as required per architecture.
923
924	Often, the KBUILD_CFLAGS variable depends on the configuration.
925
926	Example::
927
928		#arch/x86/boot/compressed/Makefile
929		cflags-$(CONFIG_X86_32) := -march=i386
930		cflags-$(CONFIG_X86_64) := -mcmodel=small
931		KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(cflags-y)
932
933	Many arch Makefiles dynamically run the target C compiler to
934	probe supported options::
935
936		#arch/x86/Makefile
937
938		...
939		cflags-$(CONFIG_MPENTIUMII)     += $(call cc-option,\
940						-march=pentium2,-march=i686)
941		...
942		# Disable unit-at-a-time mode ...
943		KBUILD_CFLAGS += $(call cc-option,-fno-unit-at-a-time)
944		...
945
946
947	The first example utilises the trick that a config option expands
948	to 'y' when selected.
949
950    KBUILD_AFLAGS_KERNEL
951	$(AS) options specific for built-in
952
953	$(KBUILD_AFLAGS_KERNEL) contains extra C compiler flags used to compile
954	resident kernel code.
955
956    KBUILD_AFLAGS_MODULE
957	Options for $(AS) when building modules
958
959	$(KBUILD_AFLAGS_MODULE) is used to add arch-specific options that
960	are used for $(AS).
961
962	From commandline AFLAGS_MODULE shall be used (see kbuild.txt).
963
964    KBUILD_CFLAGS_KERNEL
965	$(CC) options specific for built-in
966
967	$(KBUILD_CFLAGS_KERNEL) contains extra C compiler flags used to compile
968	resident kernel code.
969
970    KBUILD_CFLAGS_MODULE
971	Options for $(CC) when building modules
972
973	$(KBUILD_CFLAGS_MODULE) is used to add arch-specific options that
974	are used for $(CC).
975	From commandline CFLAGS_MODULE shall be used (see kbuild.txt).
976
977    KBUILD_LDFLAGS_MODULE
978	Options for $(LD) when linking modules
979
980	$(KBUILD_LDFLAGS_MODULE) is used to add arch-specific options
981	used when linking modules. This is often a linker script.
982
983	From commandline LDFLAGS_MODULE shall be used (see kbuild.txt).
984
985    KBUILD_ARFLAGS   Options for $(AR) when creating archives
986
987	$(KBUILD_ARFLAGS) set by the top level Makefile to "D" (deterministic
988	mode) if this option is supported by $(AR).
989
990    ARCH_CPPFLAGS, ARCH_AFLAGS, ARCH_CFLAGS   Overrides the kbuild defaults
991
992	These variables are appended to the KBUILD_CPPFLAGS,
993	KBUILD_AFLAGS, and KBUILD_CFLAGS, respectively, after the
994	top-level Makefile has set any other flags. This provides a
995	means for an architecture to override the defaults.
996
997
9986.2 Add prerequisites to archheaders
999------------------------------------
1000
1001	The archheaders: rule is used to generate header files that
1002	may be installed into user space by "make header_install" or
1003	"make headers_install_all".  In order to support
1004	"make headers_install_all", this target has to be able to run
1005	on an unconfigured tree, or a tree configured for another
1006	architecture.
1007
1008	It is run before "make archprepare" when run on the
1009	architecture itself.
1010
1011
10126.3 Add prerequisites to archprepare
1013------------------------------------
1014
1015	The archprepare: rule is used to list prerequisites that need to be
1016	built before starting to descend down in the subdirectories.
1017	This is usually used for header files containing assembler constants.
1018
1019	Example::
1020
1021		#arch/arm/Makefile
1022		archprepare: maketools
1023
1024	In this example, the file target maketools will be processed
1025	before descending down in the subdirectories.
1026	See also chapter XXX-TODO that describe how kbuild supports
1027	generating offset header files.
1028
1029
10306.4 List directories to visit when descending
1031---------------------------------------------
1032
1033	An arch Makefile cooperates with the top Makefile to define variables
1034	which specify how to build the vmlinux file.  Note that there is no
1035	corresponding arch-specific section for modules; the module-building
1036	machinery is all architecture-independent.
1037
1038
1039	head-y, init-y, core-y, libs-y, drivers-y, net-y
1040	    $(head-y) lists objects to be linked first in vmlinux.
1041
1042	    $(libs-y) lists directories where a lib.a archive can be located.
1043
1044	    The rest list directories where a built-in.a object file can be
1045	    located.
1046
1047	    $(init-y) objects will be located after $(head-y).
1048
1049	    Then the rest follows in this order:
1050
1051		$(core-y), $(libs-y), $(drivers-y) and $(net-y).
1052
1053	    The top level Makefile defines values for all generic directories,
1054	    and arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile only adds architecture-specific
1055	    directories.
1056
1057	    Example::
1058
1059		#arch/sparc64/Makefile
1060		core-y += arch/sparc64/kernel/
1061		libs-y += arch/sparc64/prom/ arch/sparc64/lib/
1062		drivers-$(CONFIG_OPROFILE)  += arch/sparc64/oprofile/
1063
1064
10656.5 Architecture-specific boot images
1066-------------------------------------
1067
1068	An arch Makefile specifies goals that take the vmlinux file, compress
1069	it, wrap it in bootstrapping code, and copy the resulting files
1070	somewhere. This includes various kinds of installation commands.
1071	The actual goals are not standardized across architectures.
1072
1073	It is common to locate any additional processing in a boot/
1074	directory below arch/$(ARCH)/.
1075
1076	Kbuild does not provide any smart way to support building a
1077	target specified in boot/. Therefore arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile shall
1078	call make manually to build a target in boot/.
1079
1080	The recommended approach is to include shortcuts in
1081	arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile, and use the full path when calling down
1082	into the arch/$(ARCH)/boot/Makefile.
1083
1084	Example::
1085
1086		#arch/x86/Makefile
1087		boot := arch/x86/boot
1088		bzImage: vmlinux
1089			$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=$(boot) $(boot)/$@
1090
1091	"$(Q)$(MAKE) $(build)=<dir>" is the recommended way to invoke
1092	make in a subdirectory.
1093
1094	There are no rules for naming architecture-specific targets,
1095	but executing "make help" will list all relevant targets.
1096	To support this, $(archhelp) must be defined.
1097
1098	Example::
1099
1100		#arch/x86/Makefile
1101		define archhelp
1102		  echo  '* bzImage      - Image (arch/$(ARCH)/boot/bzImage)'
1103		endif
1104
1105	When make is executed without arguments, the first goal encountered
1106	will be built. In the top level Makefile the first goal present
1107	is all:.
1108	An architecture shall always, per default, build a bootable image.
1109	In "make help", the default goal is highlighted with a '*'.
1110	Add a new prerequisite to all: to select a default goal different
1111	from vmlinux.
1112
1113	Example::
1114
1115		#arch/x86/Makefile
1116		all: bzImage
1117
1118	When "make" is executed without arguments, bzImage will be built.
1119
11206.6 Building non-kbuild targets
1121-------------------------------
1122
1123    extra-y
1124	extra-y specifies additional targets created in the current
1125	directory, in addition to any targets specified by `obj-*`.
1126
1127	Listing all targets in extra-y is required for two purposes:
1128
1129	1) Enable kbuild to check changes in command lines
1130
1131	   - When $(call if_changed,xxx) is used
1132
1133	2) kbuild knows what files to delete during "make clean"
1134
1135	Example::
1136
1137		#arch/x86/kernel/Makefile
1138		extra-y := head.o init_task.o
1139
1140	In this example, extra-y is used to list object files that
1141	shall be built, but shall not be linked as part of built-in.a.
1142
1143
11446.7 Commands useful for building a boot image
1145---------------------------------------------
1146
1147    Kbuild provides a few macros that are useful when building a
1148    boot image.
1149
1150    if_changed
1151	if_changed is the infrastructure used for the following commands.
1152
1153	Usage::
1154
1155		target: source(s) FORCE
1156			$(call if_changed,ld/objcopy/gzip/...)
1157
1158	When the rule is evaluated, it is checked to see if any files
1159	need an update, or the command line has changed since the last
1160	invocation. The latter will force a rebuild if any options
1161	to the executable have changed.
1162	Any target that utilises if_changed must be listed in $(targets),
1163	otherwise the command line check will fail, and the target will
1164	always be built.
1165	Assignments to $(targets) are without $(obj)/ prefix.
1166	if_changed may be used in conjunction with custom commands as
1167	defined in 6.8 "Custom kbuild commands".
1168
1169	Note: It is a typical mistake to forget the FORCE prerequisite.
1170	Another common pitfall is that whitespace is sometimes
1171	significant; for instance, the below will fail (note the extra space
1172	after the comma)::
1173
1174		target: source(s) FORCE
1175
1176	**WRONG!**	$(call if_changed, ld/objcopy/gzip/...)
1177
1178        Note:
1179	      if_changed should not be used more than once per target.
1180              It stores the executed command in a corresponding .cmd
1181
1182        file and multiple calls would result in overwrites and
1183        unwanted results when the target is up to date and only the
1184        tests on changed commands trigger execution of commands.
1185
1186    ld
1187	Link target. Often, LDFLAGS_$@ is used to set specific options to ld.
1188
1189	Example::
1190
1191		#arch/x86/boot/Makefile
1192		LDFLAGS_bootsect := -Ttext 0x0 -s --oformat binary
1193		LDFLAGS_setup    := -Ttext 0x0 -s --oformat binary -e begtext
1194
1195		targets += setup setup.o bootsect bootsect.o
1196		$(obj)/setup $(obj)/bootsect: %: %.o FORCE
1197			$(call if_changed,ld)
1198
1199	In this example, there are two possible targets, requiring different
1200	options to the linker. The linker options are specified using the
1201	LDFLAGS_$@ syntax - one for each potential target.
1202	$(targets) are assigned all potential targets, by which kbuild knows
1203	the targets and will:
1204
1205		1) check for commandline changes
1206		2) delete target during make clean
1207
1208	The ": %: %.o" part of the prerequisite is a shorthand that
1209	frees us from listing the setup.o and bootsect.o files.
1210
1211	Note:
1212	      It is a common mistake to forget the "targets :=" assignment,
1213	      resulting in the target file being recompiled for no
1214	      obvious reason.
1215
1216    objcopy
1217	Copy binary. Uses OBJCOPYFLAGS usually specified in
1218	arch/$(ARCH)/Makefile.
1219	OBJCOPYFLAGS_$@ may be used to set additional options.
1220
1221    gzip
1222	Compress target. Use maximum compression to compress target.
1223
1224	Example::
1225
1226		#arch/x86/boot/compressed/Makefile
1227		$(obj)/vmlinux.bin.gz: $(vmlinux.bin.all-y) FORCE
1228			$(call if_changed,gzip)
1229
1230    dtc
1231	Create flattened device tree blob object suitable for linking
1232	into vmlinux. Device tree blobs linked into vmlinux are placed
1233	in an init section in the image. Platform code *must* copy the
1234	blob to non-init memory prior to calling unflatten_device_tree().
1235
1236	To use this command, simply add `*.dtb` into obj-y or targets, or make
1237	some other target depend on `%.dtb`
1238
1239	A central rule exists to create `$(obj)/%.dtb` from `$(src)/%.dts`;
1240	architecture Makefiles do no need to explicitly write out that rule.
1241
1242	Example::
1243
1244		targets += $(dtb-y)
1245		DTC_FLAGS ?= -p 1024
1246
12476.8 Custom kbuild commands
1248--------------------------
1249
1250	When kbuild is executing with KBUILD_VERBOSE=0, then only a shorthand
1251	of a command is normally displayed.
1252	To enable this behaviour for custom commands kbuild requires
1253	two variables to be set::
1254
1255		quiet_cmd_<command>	- what shall be echoed
1256		      cmd_<command>	- the command to execute
1257
1258	Example::
1259
1260		#
1261		quiet_cmd_image = BUILD   $@
1262		      cmd_image = $(obj)/tools/build $(BUILDFLAGS) \
1263		                                     $(obj)/vmlinux.bin > $@
1264
1265		targets += bzImage
1266		$(obj)/bzImage: $(obj)/vmlinux.bin $(obj)/tools/build FORCE
1267			$(call if_changed,image)
1268			@echo 'Kernel: $@ is ready'
1269
1270	When updating the $(obj)/bzImage target, the line:
1271
1272		BUILD    arch/x86/boot/bzImage
1273
1274	will be displayed with "make KBUILD_VERBOSE=0".
1275
1276
1277--- 6.9 Preprocessing linker scripts
1278
1279	When the vmlinux image is built, the linker script
1280	arch/$(ARCH)/kernel/vmlinux.lds is used.
1281	The script is a preprocessed variant of the file vmlinux.lds.S
1282	located in the same directory.
1283	kbuild knows .lds files and includes a rule `*lds.S` -> `*lds`.
1284
1285	Example::
1286
1287		#arch/x86/kernel/Makefile
1288		always := vmlinux.lds
1289
1290		#Makefile
1291		export CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds += -P -C -U$(ARCH)
1292
1293	The assignment to $(always) is used to tell kbuild to build the
1294	target vmlinux.lds.
1295	The assignment to $(CPPFLAGS_vmlinux.lds) tells kbuild to use the
1296	specified options when building the target vmlinux.lds.
1297
1298	When building the `*.lds` target, kbuild uses the variables::
1299
1300		KBUILD_CPPFLAGS	: Set in top-level Makefile
1301		cppflags-y	: May be set in the kbuild makefile
1302		CPPFLAGS_$(@F)  : Target-specific flags.
1303				Note that the full filename is used in this
1304				assignment.
1305
1306	The kbuild infrastructure for `*lds` files is used in several
1307	architecture-specific files.
1308
13096.10 Generic header files
1310-------------------------
1311
1312	The directory include/asm-generic contains the header files
1313	that may be shared between individual architectures.
1314	The recommended approach how to use a generic header file is
1315	to list the file in the Kbuild file.
1316	See "7.2 generic-y" for further info on syntax etc.
1317
13186.11 Post-link pass
1319-------------------
1320
1321	If the file arch/xxx/Makefile.postlink exists, this makefile
1322	will be invoked for post-link objects (vmlinux and modules.ko)
1323	for architectures to run post-link passes on. Must also handle
1324	the clean target.
1325
1326	This pass runs after kallsyms generation. If the architecture
1327	needs to modify symbol locations, rather than manipulate the
1328	kallsyms, it may be easier to add another postlink target for
1329	.tmp_vmlinux? targets to be called from link-vmlinux.sh.
1330
1331	For example, powerpc uses this to check relocation sanity of
1332	the linked vmlinux file.
1333
13347 Kbuild syntax for exported headers
1335------------------------------------
1336
1337The kernel includes a set of headers that is exported to userspace.
1338Many headers can be exported as-is but other headers require a
1339minimal pre-processing before they are ready for user-space.
1340The pre-processing does:
1341
1342- drop kernel-specific annotations
1343- drop include of compiler.h
1344- drop all sections that are kernel internal (guarded by `ifdef __KERNEL__`)
1345
1346All headers under include/uapi/, include/generated/uapi/,
1347arch/<arch>/include/uapi/ and arch/<arch>/include/generated/uapi/
1348are exported.
1349
1350A Kbuild file may be defined under arch/<arch>/include/uapi/asm/ and
1351arch/<arch>/include/asm/ to list asm files coming from asm-generic.
1352See subsequent chapter for the syntax of the Kbuild file.
1353
13547.1 no-export-headers
1355---------------------
1356
1357	no-export-headers is essentially used by include/uapi/linux/Kbuild to
1358	avoid exporting specific headers (e.g. kvm.h) on architectures that do
1359	not support it. It should be avoided as much as possible.
1360
13617.2 generic-y
1362-------------
1363
1364	If an architecture uses a verbatim copy of a header from
1365	include/asm-generic then this is listed in the file
1366	arch/$(ARCH)/include/asm/Kbuild like this:
1367
1368		Example::
1369
1370			#arch/x86/include/asm/Kbuild
1371			generic-y += termios.h
1372			generic-y += rtc.h
1373
1374	During the prepare phase of the build a wrapper include
1375	file is generated in the directory::
1376
1377		arch/$(ARCH)/include/generated/asm
1378
1379	When a header is exported where the architecture uses
1380	the generic header a similar wrapper is generated as part
1381	of the set of exported headers in the directory::
1382
1383		usr/include/asm
1384
1385	The generated wrapper will in both cases look like the following:
1386
1387		Example: termios.h::
1388
1389			#include <asm-generic/termios.h>
1390
13917.3 generated-y
1392---------------
1393
1394	If an architecture generates other header files alongside generic-y
1395	wrappers, generated-y specifies them.
1396
1397	This prevents them being treated as stale asm-generic wrappers and
1398	removed.
1399
1400		Example::
1401
1402			#arch/x86/include/asm/Kbuild
1403			generated-y += syscalls_32.h
1404
14057.4 mandatory-y
1406---------------
1407
1408	mandatory-y is essentially used by include/(uapi/)asm-generic/Kbuild
1409	to define the minimum set of ASM headers that all architectures must have.
1410
1411	This works like optional generic-y. If a mandatory header is missing
1412	in arch/$(ARCH)/include/(uapi/)/asm, Kbuild will automatically generate
1413	a wrapper of the asm-generic one.
1414
1415	The convention is to list one subdir per line and
1416	preferably in alphabetic order.
1417
14188 Kbuild Variables
1419==================
1420
1421The top Makefile exports the following variables:
1422
1423    VERSION, PATCHLEVEL, SUBLEVEL, EXTRAVERSION
1424	These variables define the current kernel version.  A few arch
1425	Makefiles actually use these values directly; they should use
1426	$(KERNELRELEASE) instead.
1427
1428	$(VERSION), $(PATCHLEVEL), and $(SUBLEVEL) define the basic
1429	three-part version number, such as "2", "4", and "0".  These three
1430	values are always numeric.
1431
1432	$(EXTRAVERSION) defines an even tinier sublevel for pre-patches
1433	or additional patches.	It is usually some non-numeric string
1434	such as "-pre4", and is often blank.
1435
1436    KERNELRELEASE
1437	$(KERNELRELEASE) is a single string such as "2.4.0-pre4", suitable
1438	for constructing installation directory names or showing in
1439	version strings.  Some arch Makefiles use it for this purpose.
1440
1441    ARCH
1442	This variable defines the target architecture, such as "i386",
1443	"arm", or "sparc". Some kbuild Makefiles test $(ARCH) to
1444	determine which files to compile.
1445
1446	By default, the top Makefile sets $(ARCH) to be the same as the
1447	host system architecture.  For a cross build, a user may
1448	override the value of $(ARCH) on the command line::
1449
1450	    make ARCH=m68k ...
1451
1452
1453    INSTALL_PATH
1454	This variable defines a place for the arch Makefiles to install
1455	the resident kernel image and System.map file.
1456	Use this for architecture-specific install targets.
1457
1458    INSTALL_MOD_PATH, MODLIB
1459	$(INSTALL_MOD_PATH) specifies a prefix to $(MODLIB) for module
1460	installation.  This variable is not defined in the Makefile but
1461	may be passed in by the user if desired.
1462
1463	$(MODLIB) specifies the directory for module installation.
1464	The top Makefile defines $(MODLIB) to
1465	$(INSTALL_MOD_PATH)/lib/modules/$(KERNELRELEASE).  The user may
1466	override this value on the command line if desired.
1467
1468    INSTALL_MOD_STRIP
1469	If this variable is specified, it will cause modules to be stripped
1470	after they are installed.  If INSTALL_MOD_STRIP is '1', then the
1471	default option --strip-debug will be used.  Otherwise, the
1472	INSTALL_MOD_STRIP value will be used as the option(s) to the strip
1473	command.
1474
1475
14769 Makefile language
1477===================
1478
1479The kernel Makefiles are designed to be run with GNU Make.  The Makefiles
1480use only the documented features of GNU Make, but they do use many
1481GNU extensions.
1482
1483GNU Make supports elementary list-processing functions.  The kernel
1484Makefiles use a novel style of list building and manipulation with few
1485"if" statements.
1486
1487GNU Make has two assignment operators, ":=" and "=".  ":=" performs
1488immediate evaluation of the right-hand side and stores an actual string
1489into the left-hand side.  "=" is like a formula definition; it stores the
1490right-hand side in an unevaluated form and then evaluates this form each
1491time the left-hand side is used.
1492
1493There are some cases where "=" is appropriate.  Usually, though, ":="
1494is the right choice.
1495
149610 Credits
1497==========
1498
1499- Original version made by Michael Elizabeth Chastain, <mailto:mec@shout.net>
1500- Updates by Kai Germaschewski <kai@tp1.ruhr-uni-bochum.de>
1501- Updates by Sam Ravnborg <sam@ravnborg.org>
1502- Language QA by Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@gmx.de>
1503
150411 TODO
1505=======
1506
1507- Describe how kbuild supports shipped files with _shipped.
1508- Generating offset header files.
1509- Add more variables to section 7?
1510