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-  Fedora 34
45
46-  Fedora 35
47
48-  CentOS 7.x
49
50-  CentOS 8.x
51
52-  AlmaLinux 8.5
53
54-  Debian GNU/Linux 9.x (Stretch)
55
56-  Debian GNU/Linux 10.x (Buster)
57
58-  Debian GNU/Linux 11.x (Bullseye)
59
60-  OpenSUSE Leap 15.3
61
62.. note::
63
64   -  While the Yocto Project Team attempts to ensure all Yocto Project
65      releases are one hundred percent compatible with each officially
66      supported Linux distribution, you may still encounter problems
67      that happen only with a specific distribution.
68
69   -  Yocto Project releases are tested against the stable Linux
70      distributions in the above list. The Yocto Project should work
71      on other distributions but validation is not performed against
72      them.
73
74   -  In particular, the Yocto Project does not support and currently
75      has no plans to support rolling-releases or development
76      distributions due to their constantly changing nature. We welcome
77      patches and bug reports, but keep in mind that our priority is on
78      the supported platforms listed below.
79
80   -  You may use Windows Subsystem For Linux v2 to set up a build host
81      using Windows 10, but validation is not performed against build
82      hosts using WSLv2.
83
84   -  The Yocto Project is not compatible with WSLv1, it is
85      compatible but not officially supported nor validated with
86      WSLv2, if you still decide to use WSL please upgrade to WSLv2.
87
88   -  If you encounter problems, please go to :yocto_bugs:`Yocto Project
89      Bugzilla <>` and submit a bug. We are
90      interested in hearing about your experience. For information on
91      how to submit a bug, see the Yocto Project
92      :yocto_wiki:`Bugzilla wiki page </Bugzilla_Configuration_and_Bug_Tracking>`
93      and the ":ref:`dev-manual/common-tasks:submitting a defect against the yocto project`"
94      section in the Yocto Project Development Tasks Manual.
95
96
97Required Packages for the Build Host
98====================================
99
100The list of packages you need on the host development system can be
101large when covering all build scenarios using the Yocto Project. This
102section describes required packages according to Linux distribution and
103function.
104
105.. _ubuntu-packages:
106
107Ubuntu and Debian
108-----------------
109
110Here are the required packages by function given a
111supported Ubuntu or Debian Linux distribution:
112
113.. note::
114
115   -  If your build system has the ``oss4-dev`` package installed, you
116      might experience QEMU build failures due to the package installing
117      its own custom ``/usr/include/linux/soundcard.h`` on the Debian
118      system. If you run into this situation, try either of these solutions::
119
120         $ sudo apt build-dep qemu
121         $ sudo apt remove oss4-dev
122
123   -  For Debian-8, ``python3-git`` and ``pylint3`` are no longer
124      available via ``apt``.
125      ::
126
127         $ sudo pip3 install GitPython pylint==1.9.5
128
129-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image on a headless system::
130
131      $ sudo apt install &UBUNTU_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
132
133-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
134   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
135
136      $ sudo apt install make python3-pip
137      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
138
139   .. note::
140
141      It is currently not possible to build out documentation from Debian 8
142      (Jessie) because of outdated ``pip3`` and ``python3``. ``python3-sphinx``
143      is too outdated.
144
145Fedora Packages
146---------------
147
148Here are the required packages by function given a
149supported Fedora Linux distribution:
150
151-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image for a headless
152   system::
153
154      $ sudo dnf install &FEDORA_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
155
156-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
157   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
158
159      $ sudo dnf install make python3-pip which
160      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
161
162openSUSE Packages
163-----------------
164
165Here are the required packages by function given a
166supported openSUSE Linux distribution:
167
168-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image for a headless
169   system::
170
171      $ sudo zypper install &OPENSUSE_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
172
173-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
174   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
175
176      $ sudo zypper install make python3-pip which
177      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
178
179
180CentOS-7 Packages
181-----------------
182
183Here are the required packages by function given a
184supported CentOS-7 Linux distribution:
185
186-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image for a headless
187   system::
188
189      $ sudo yum install &CENTOS7_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
190
191   .. note::
192
193      -  Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (i.e. ``epel-release``) is
194         a collection of packages from Fedora built on RHEL/CentOS for
195         easy installation of packages not included in enterprise Linux
196         by default. You need to install these packages separately.
197
198      -  The ``makecache`` command consumes additional Metadata from
199         ``epel-release``.
200
201-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
202   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
203
204      $ sudo yum install make python3-pip which
205      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
206
207CentOS-8 Packages
208-----------------
209
210Here are the required packages by function given a
211supported CentOS-8 Linux distribution:
212
213-  *Essentials:* Packages needed to build an image for a headless
214   system::
215
216      $ sudo dnf install &CENTOS8_HOST_PACKAGES_ESSENTIAL;
217
218   .. note::
219
220      -  Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (i.e. ``epel-release``) is
221         a collection of packages from Fedora built on RHEL/CentOS for
222         easy installation of packages not included in enterprise Linux
223         by default. You need to install these packages separately.
224
225      -  The ``PowerTools`` repo provides additional packages such as
226         ``rpcgen`` and ``texinfo``.
227
228      -  The ``makecache`` command consumes additional Metadata from
229         ``epel-release``.
230
231-  *Documentation:* Packages needed if you are going to build out the
232   Yocto Project documentation manuals::
233
234      $ sudo dnf install make python3-pip which
235      &PIP3_HOST_PACKAGES_DOC;
236
237Required Git, tar, Python, make and gcc Versions
238================================================
239
240In order to use the build system, your host development system must meet
241the following version requirements for Git, tar, and Python:
242
243-  Git &MIN_GIT_VERSION; or greater
244
245-  tar &MIN_TAR_VERSION; or greater
246
247-  Python &MIN_PYTHON_VERSION; or greater
248
249-  GNU make &MIN_MAKE_VERSION; or greater
250
251If your host development system does not meet all these requirements,
252you can resolve this by installing a ``buildtools`` tarball that
253contains these tools. You can get the tarball one of two ways: download
254a pre-built tarball or use BitBake to build the tarball.
255
256In addition, your host development system must meet the following
257version requirement for gcc:
258
259-  gcc &MIN_GCC_VERSION; or greater
260
261If your host development system does not meet this requirement, you can
262resolve this by installing a ``buildtools-extended`` tarball that
263contains additional tools, the equivalent of the Debian/Ubuntu ``build-essential``
264package.
265
266In the sections that follow, three different methods will be described for
267installing the ``buildtools`` or ``buildtools-extended`` toolset.
268
269Installing a Pre-Built ``buildtools`` Tarball with ``install-buildtools`` script
270--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
271
272The ``install-buildtools`` script is the easiest of the three methods by
273which you can get these tools. It downloads a pre-built buildtools
274installer and automatically installs the tools for you:
275
2761. Execute the ``install-buildtools`` script. Here is an example::
277
278      $ cd poky
279      $ scripts/install-buildtools \
280        --without-extended-buildtools \
281        --base-url &YOCTO_DL_URL;/releases/yocto \
282        --release yocto-&DISTRO; \
283        --installer-version &DISTRO;
284
285   During execution, the buildtools tarball will be downloaded, the
286   checksum of the download will be verified, the installer will be run
287   for you, and some basic checks will be run to make sure the
288   installation is functional.
289
290   To avoid the need of ``sudo`` privileges, the ``install-buildtools``
291   script will by default tell the installer to install in::
292
293      /path/to/poky/buildtools
294
295   If your host development system needs the additional tools provided
296   in the ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, you can instead execute the
297   ``install-buildtools`` script with the default parameters::
298
299      $ cd poky
300      $ scripts/install-buildtools
301
3022. Source the tools environment setup script by using a command like the
303   following::
304
305      $ source /path/to/poky/buildtools/environment-setup-x86_64-pokysdk-linux
306
307   Of course, you need to supply your installation directory and be sure to
308   use the right file (i.e. i586 or x86_64).
309
310   After you have sourced the setup script, the tools are added to
311   ``PATH`` and any other environment variables required to run the
312   tools are initialized. The results are working versions versions of
313   Git, tar, Python and ``chrpath``. And in the case of the
314   ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, additional working versions of tools
315   including ``gcc``, ``make`` and the other tools included in
316   ``packagegroup-core-buildessential``.
317
318Downloading a Pre-Built ``buildtools`` Tarball
319----------------------------------------------
320
321If you would prefer not to use the ``install-buildtools`` script, you can instead
322download and run a pre-built buildtools installer yourself with the following
323steps:
324
3251. Locate and download the ``*.sh`` at :yocto_dl:`/releases/yocto/yocto-&DISTRO;/buildtools/`
326
3272. Execute the installation script. Here is an example for the
328   traditional installer::
329
330      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
331
332   Here is an example for the extended installer::
333
334      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-extended-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
335
336   During execution, a prompt appears that allows you to choose the
337   installation directory. For example, you could choose the following:
338   ``/home/your-username/buildtools``
339
3403. Source the tools environment setup script by using a command like the
341   following::
342
343      $ source /home/your_username/buildtools/environment-setup-i586-poky-linux
344
345   Of
346   course, you need to supply your installation directory and be sure to
347   use the right file (i.e. i585 or x86-64).
348
349   After you have sourced the setup script, the tools are added to
350   ``PATH`` and any other environment variables required to run the
351   tools are initialized. The results are working versions versions of
352   Git, tar, Python and ``chrpath``. And in the case of the
353   ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, additional working versions of tools
354   including ``gcc``, ``make`` and the other tools included in
355   ``packagegroup-core-buildessential``.
356
357Building Your Own ``buildtools`` Tarball
358----------------------------------------
359
360Building and running your own buildtools installer applies only when you
361have a build host that can already run BitBake. In this case, you use
362that machine to build the ``.sh`` file and then take steps to transfer
363and run it on a machine that does not meet the minimal Git, tar, and
364Python (or gcc) requirements.
365
366Here are the steps to take to build and run your own buildtools
367installer:
368
3691. On the machine that is able to run BitBake, be sure you have set up
370   your build environment with the setup script
371   (:ref:`structure-core-script`).
372
3732. Run the BitBake command to build the tarball::
374
375      $ bitbake buildtools-tarball
376
377   or run the BitBake command to build the extended tarball::
378
379      $ bitbake buildtools-extended-tarball
380
381   .. note::
382
383      The :term:`SDKMACHINE` variable in your ``local.conf`` file determines
384      whether you build tools for a 32-bit or 64-bit system.
385
386   Once the build completes, you can find the ``.sh`` file that installs
387   the tools in the ``tmp/deploy/sdk`` subdirectory of the
388   :term:`Build Directory`. The installer file has the string
389   "buildtools" (or "buildtools-extended") in the name.
390
3913. Transfer the ``.sh`` file from the build host to the machine that
392   does not meet the Git, tar, or Python (or gcc) requirements.
393
3944. On the machine that does not meet the requirements, run the ``.sh``
395   file to install the tools. Here is an example for the traditional
396   installer::
397
398      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
399
400   Here is an example for the extended installer::
401
402      $ sh ~/Downloads/x86_64-buildtools-extended-nativesdk-standalone-&DISTRO;.sh
403
404   During execution, a prompt appears that allows you to choose the
405   installation directory. For example, you could choose the following:
406   ``/home/your_username/buildtools``
407
4085. Source the tools environment setup script by using a command like the
409   following::
410
411      $ source /home/your_username/buildtools/environment-setup-x86_64-poky-linux
412
413   Of course, you need to supply your installation directory and be sure to
414   use the right file (i.e. i586 or x86_64).
415
416   After you have sourced the setup script, the tools are added to
417   ``PATH`` and any other environment variables required to run the
418   tools are initialized. The results are working versions versions of
419   Git, tar, Python and ``chrpath``. And in the case of the
420   ``buildtools-extended`` tarball, additional working versions of tools
421   including ``gcc``, ``make`` and the other tools included in
422   ``packagegroup-core-buildessential``.
423