1.. SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-2.0-UK
2
3*******************
4System Requirements
5*******************
6
7Welcome to the Yocto Project Reference Manual. This manual provides
8reference information for the current release of the Yocto Project, and
9is most effectively used after you have an understanding of the basics
10of the Yocto Project. The manual is neither meant to be read as a
11starting point to the Yocto Project, nor read from start to finish.
12Rather, use this manual to find variable definitions, class
13descriptions, and so forth as needed during the course of using the
14Yocto Project.
15
16For introductory information on the Yocto Project, see the
17:yocto_home:`Yocto Project Website <>` and the
18":ref:`overview-manual/development-environment:the yocto project development environment`"
19chapter in the Yocto Project Overview and Concepts Manual.
20
21If you want to use the Yocto Project to quickly build an image without
22having to understand concepts, work through the
23:doc:`/brief-yoctoprojectqs/index` document. You can find "how-to"
24information in the :doc:`/dev-manual/index`. You can find Yocto Project overview
25and conceptual information in the :doc:`/overview-manual/index`.
26
27.. note::
28
29   For more information about the Yocto Project Documentation set, see
30   the :ref:`ref-manual/resources:links and related documentation` section.
31
32.. _detailed-supported-distros:
33
34Supported Linux Distributions
35=============================
36
37Currently, the Yocto Project is supported on the following
38distributions:
39
40-  Ubuntu 18.04 (LTS)
41
42-  Ubuntu 20.04 (LTS)
43
44-  Ubuntu 22.04 (LTS)
45
46-  Fedora 34
47
48-  Fedora 35
49
50-  AlmaLinux 8.5
51
52-  Debian GNU/Linux 10.x (Buster)
53
54-  Debian GNU/Linux 11.x (Bullseye)
55
56-  OpenSUSE Leap 15.3
57
58.. note::
59
60   -  While the Yocto Project Team attempts to ensure all Yocto Project
61      releases are one hundred percent compatible with each officially
62      supported Linux distribution, you may still encounter problems
63      that happen only with a specific distribution.
64
65   -  Yocto Project releases are tested against the stable Linux
66      distributions in the above list. The Yocto Project should work
67      on other distributions but validation is not performed against
68      them.
69
70   -  In particular, the Yocto Project does not support and currently
71      has no plans to support rolling-releases or development
72      distributions due to their constantly changing nature. We welcome
73      patches and bug reports, but keep in mind that our priority is on
74      the supported platforms listed below.
75
76   -  You may use Windows Subsystem For Linux v2 to set up a build host
77      using Windows 10 or later, or Windows Server 2019 or later, but validation
78      is not performed against build hosts using WSL 2.
79
80      See the
81      :ref:`dev-manual/start:setting up to use windows subsystem for linux (wsl 2)`
82      section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual for more information.
83
84   -  If you encounter problems, please go to :yocto_bugs:`Yocto Project
85      Bugzilla <>` and submit a bug. We are
86      interested in hearing about your experience. For information on
87      how to submit a bug, see the Yocto Project
88      :yocto_wiki:`Bugzilla wiki page </Bugzilla_Configuration_and_Bug_Tracking>`
89      and the ":ref:`dev-manual/common-tasks:submitting a defect against the yocto project`"
90      section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
91
92
93Required Packages for the Build Host
94====================================
95
96The list of packages you need on the host development system can be
97large when covering all build scenarios using the Yocto Project. This
98section describes required packages according to Linux distribution and
99function.
100
101.. _ubuntu-packages:
102
103Ubuntu and Debian
104-----------------
105
106Here are the required packages by function given a
107supported Ubuntu or Debian Linux distribution:
108
109.. note::
110
111   -  If your build system has the ``oss4-dev`` package installed, you
112      might experience QEMU build failures due to the package installing
113      its own custom ``/usr/include/linux/soundcard.h`` on the Debian
114      system. If you run into this situation, try either of these solutions::
115
116         $ sudo apt build-dep qemu
117         $ sudo apt remove oss4-dev
118
119-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image on a headless system::
120
121      $ sudo apt install &UBUNTU_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
122
123-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
124   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
125
126      $ sudo apt install make python3-pip inkscape texlive-latex-extra
127      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
128
129Fedora Packages
130---------------
131
132Here are the required packages by function given a
133supported Fedora Linux distribution:
134
135-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image for a headless
136   system::
137
138      $ sudo dnf install &FEDORA_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
139
140-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
141   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
142
143      $ sudo dnf install make python3-pip which inkscape texlive-fncychap
144      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
145
146openSUSE Packages
147-----------------
148
149Here are the required packages by function given a
150supported openSUSE Linux distribution:
151
152-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image for a headless
153   system::
154
155      $ sudo zypper install &OPENSUSE_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
156
157-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
158   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
159
160      $ sudo zypper install make python3-pip which inkscape texlive-fncychap
161      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
162
163
164AlmaLinux-8 Packages
165--------------------
166
167Here are the required packages by function given a
168supported AlmaLinux-8 Linux distribution:
169
170-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image for a headless
171   system::
172
173      $ sudo dnf install &CENTOS8_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
174
175   .. note::
176
177      -  Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (i.e. ``epel-release``) is
178         a collection of packages from Fedora built on RHEL/CentOS for
179         easy installation of packages not included in enterprise Linux
180         by default. You need to install these packages separately.
181
182      -  The ``PowerTools`` repo provides additional packages such as
183         ``rpcgen`` and ``texinfo``.
184
185      -  The ``makecache`` command consumes additional Metadata from
186         ``epel-release``.
187
188-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
189   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
190
191      $ sudo dnf install make python3-pip which inkscape texlive-fncychap
192      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
193
194Required Git, tar, Python, make and gcc Versions
195================================================
196
197In order to use the build system, your host development system must meet
198the following version requirements for Git, tar, and Python:
199
200-  Git &MIN_GIT_VERSION; or greater
201
202-  tar &MIN_TAR_VERSION; or greater
203
204-  Python &MIN_PYTHON_VERSION; or greater
205
206-  GNU make &MIN_MAKE_VERSION; or greater
207
208If your host development system does not meet all these requirements,
209you can resolve this by installing a ``buildtools`` tarball that
210contains these tools. You can get the tarball one of two ways: download
211a pre-built tarball or use BitBake to build the tarball.
212
213In addition, your host development system must meet the following
214version requirement for gcc:
215
216-  gcc &MIN_GCC_VERSION; or greater
217
218If your host development system does not meet this requirement, you can
219resolve this by installing a ``buildtools-extended`` tarball that
220contains additional tools, the equivalent of the Debian/Ubuntu ``build-essential``
221package.
222
223For systems with a broken make version (e.g. make 4.2.1 without patches) but
224where the rest of the host tools are usable, you can use the ``buildtools-make``
225tarball instead.
226
227In the sections that follow, three different methods will be described for
228installing the ``buildtools``, ``buildtools-extended`` or ``buildtools-make``
229toolset.
230
231Installing a Pre-Built ``buildtools`` Tarball with ``install-buildtools`` script
232--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
233
234The ``install-buildtools`` script is the easiest of the three methods by
235which you can get these tools. It downloads a pre-built buildtools
236installer and automatically installs the tools for you:
237
2381. Execute the ``install-buildtools`` script. Here is an example::
239
240      $ cd poky
241      $ scripts/install-buildtools \
242        --without-extended-buildtools \
243        --base-url &YOCTO_DL_URL;/releases/yocto \
244        --release yocto-&DISTRO; \
245        --installer-version &DISTRO;
246
247   During execution, the buildtools tarball will be downloaded, the
248   checksum of the download will be verified, the installer will be run
249   for you, and some basic checks will be run to make sure the
250   installation is functional.
251
252   To avoid the need of ``sudo`` privileges, the ``install-buildtools``
253   script will by default tell the installer to install in::
254
255      /path/to/poky/buildtools
256
257   If your host development system needs the additional tools provided
258   in the ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, you can instead execute the
259   ``install-buildtools`` script with the default parameters::
260
261      $ cd poky
262      $ scripts/install-buildtools
263
264   Alternatively if your host development system has a broken ``make``
265   version such that you only need a known good version of ``make``,
266   you can use the ``--make-only`` option:
267
268      $ cd poky
269      $ scripts/install-buildtools --make-only
270
2712. Source the tools environment setup script by using a command like the
272   following::
273
274      $ source /path/to/poky/buildtools/environment-setup-x86_64-pokysdk-linux
275
276   Of course, you need to supply your installation directory and be sure to
277   use the right file (i.e. i586 or x86_64).
278
279   After you have sourced the setup script, the tools are added to
280   ``PATH`` and any other environment variables required to run the
281   tools are initialized. The results are working versions versions of
282   Git, tar, Python and ``chrpath``. And in the case of the
283   ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, additional working versions of tools
284   including ``gcc``, ``make`` and the other tools included in
285   ``packagegroup-core-buildessential``.
286
287Downloading a Pre-Built ``buildtools`` Tarball
288----------------------------------------------
289
290If you would prefer not to use the ``install-buildtools`` script, you can instead
291download and run a pre-built buildtools installer yourself with the following
292steps:
293
2941. Locate and download the ``*.sh`` at :yocto_dl:`/releases/yocto/yocto-&DISTRO;/buildtools/`
295
2962. Execute the installation script. Here is an example for the
297   traditional installer::
298
299      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
300
301   Here is an example for the extended installer::
302
303      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-extended-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
304
305   An example for the make-only installer::
306
307      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-make-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
308
309   During execution, a prompt appears that allows you to choose the
310   installation directory. For example, you could choose the following:
311   ``/home/your-username/buildtools``
312
3133. Source the tools environment setup script by using a command like the
314   following::
315
316      $ source /home/your_username/buildtools/environment-setup-i586-poky-linux
317
318   Of
319   course, you need to supply your installation directory and be sure to
320   use the right file (i.e. i585 or x86-64).
321
322   After you have sourced the setup script, the tools are added to
323   ``PATH`` and any other environment variables required to run the
324   tools are initialized. The results are working versions versions of
325   Git, tar, Python and ``chrpath``. And in the case of the
326   ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, additional working versions of tools
327   including ``gcc``, ``make`` and the other tools included in
328   ``packagegroup-core-buildessential``.
329
330Building Your Own ``buildtools`` Tarball
331----------------------------------------
332
333Building and running your own buildtools installer applies only when you
334have a build host that can already run BitBake. In this case, you use
335that machine to build the ``.sh`` file and then take steps to transfer
336and run it on a machine that does not meet the minimal Git, tar, and
337Python (or gcc) requirements.
338
339Here are the steps to take to build and run your own buildtools
340installer:
341
3421. On the machine that is able to run BitBake, be sure you have set up
343   your build environment with the setup script
344   (:ref:`structure-core-script`).
345
3462. Run the BitBake command to build the tarball::
347
348      $ bitbake buildtools-tarball
349
350   or run the BitBake command to build the extended tarball::
351
352      $ bitbake buildtools-extended-tarball
353
354   or to build the make-only tarball::
355
356      $ bitbake buildtools-make-tarball
357
358   .. note::
359
360      The :term:`SDKMACHINE` variable in your ``local.conf`` file determines
361      whether you build tools for a 32-bit or 64-bit system.
362
363   Once the build completes, you can find the ``.sh`` file that installs
364   the tools in the ``tmp/deploy/sdk`` subdirectory of the
365   :term:`Build Directory`. The installer file has the string
366   "buildtools" (or "buildtools-extended") in the name.
367
3683. Transfer the ``.sh`` file from the build host to the machine that
369   does not meet the Git, tar, or Python (or gcc) requirements.
370
3714. On the machine that does not meet the requirements, run the ``.sh``
372   file to install the tools. Here is an example for the traditional
373   installer::
374
375      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
376
377   Here is an example for the extended installer::
378
379      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-extended-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
380
381   or for the make-only installer::
382
383      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-make-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
384
385   During execution, a prompt appears that allows you to choose the
386   installation directory. For example, you could choose the following:
387   ``/home/your_username/buildtools``
388
3895. Source the tools environment setup script by using a command like the
390   following::
391
392      $ source /home/your_username/buildtools/environment-setup-x86_64-poky-linux
393
394   Of course, you need to supply your installation directory and be sure to
395   use the right file (i.e. i586 or x86_64).
396
397   After you have sourced the setup script, the tools are added to
398   ``PATH`` and any other environment variables required to run the
399   tools are initialized. The results are working versions versions of
400   Git, tar, Python and ``chrpath``. And in the case of the
401   ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, additional working versions of tools
402   including ``gcc``, ``make`` and the other tools included in
403   ``packagegroup-core-buildessential``.
404