============================= How to start exploring Genode ============================= Norman Feske Abstract ######## This guide is meant to provide you a painless start with using the Genode OS Framework. It explains the steps needed to get a simple demo system running on Linux first, followed by the instructions on how to run the same scenario on a microkernel. Quick start to build Genode for Linux ##################################### The best starting point for exploring Genode is to run it on Linux. Make sure that your system satisfies the following requirements: * GNU Make version 3.81 or newer * 'libSDL-dev' * 'tclsh' and 'expect' * 'byacc' (only needed for the L4/Fiasco kernel) * 'qemu' and 'xorriso' (for testing non-Linux platforms via Qemu) For using the entire collection of ported 3rd-party software, the following packages should be installed additionally: 'autoconf2.64', 'autogen', 'bison', 'flex', 'g++', 'git', 'gperf', 'libxml2-utils', 'subversion', and 'xsltproc'. Your exploration of Genode starts with obtaining the source code of the [https://sourceforge.net/projects/genode/files/latest/download - latest version] of the framework. For detailed instructions and alternatives to the download from Sourceforge please refer to [https://genode.org/download]. Furthermore, you will need to install the official Genode tool chain, which you can download at [https://genode.org/download/tool-chain]. The Genode build system never touches the source tree but generates object files, libraries, and programs in a dedicated build directory. We do not have a build directory yet. For a quick start, let us create one for the Linux base platform: ! cd ! ./tool/create_builddir linux_x86 BUILD_DIR=build.lx The new build directory is called 'build.lx' and configured for the 'linux_x86' platform. To give Genode a try, build and execute a simple demo scenario via: ! cd build.lx ! make run/demo By invoking 'make' with the 'run/demo' argument, all components needed by the demo scenario are built and the demo is executed. If you are interested in looking behind the scenes of the demo scenario, please refer to 'doc/build_system.txt' and the run script at 'os/run/demo.run'. Using platforms other than Linux ================================ Running Genode on Linux is the most convenient way to get acquainted with the framework. However, the point where Genode starts to shine is when used as the user land executed on a microkernel. The framework supports a variety of different kernels such as L4/Fiasco, L4ka::Pistachio, OKL4, and NOVA. Those kernels largely differ in terms of feature sets, build systems, tools, and boot concepts. To relieve you from dealing with those peculiarities, Genode provides you with an unified way of using them. For each kernel platform, there exists a dedicated description file that enables the 'prepare_port' tool to fetch and prepare the designated 3rd-party sources. Just issue the following command within the toplevel directory of the Genode source tree: ! ./tool/ports/prepare_port Note that each 'base-' directory comes with a 'README' file, which you should revisit first when exploring the base platform. Additionally, most 'base-' directories provide more in-depth information within their respective 'doc/' subdirectories. For the VESA driver on x86, the x86emu library is required and can be downloaded and prepared by again invoking the 3rd-party sources preparation tool: ! ./tool/ports/prepare_port x86emu On x86 base platforms the GRUB2 boot loader is required and can be downloaded and prepared by invoking: ! ./tool/ports/prepare_port grub2 Now that the base platform is prepared, the 'create_builddir' tool can be used to create a build directory for your platform of choice by giving the platform as argument. To see the list of available platforms, execute 'create_builddir' with no arguments. For example, to give the demo scenario a spin on the OKL4 kernel, the following steps are required: # Download the kernel: ! cd ! ./tool/ports/prepare_port okl4 # Create a build directory ! ./tool/create_builddir okl4_x86 BUILD_DIR=build.okl4 # Uncomment the following line in 'build.okl4/etc/build.conf' ! REPOSITORIES += $(GENODE_DIR)/repos/libports # Build and execute the demo using Qemu ! make -C build.okl4 run/demo The procedure works analogously for the other base platforms. How to proceed with exploring Genode #################################### Now that you have taken the first steps into using Genode, you may seek to get more in-depth knowledge and practical experience. The foundation for doing so is a basic understanding of the build system. The documentation at 'build_system.txt' provides you with the information about the layout of the source tree, how new components are integrated, and how complete system scenarios can be expressed. Equipped with this knowledge, it is time to get hands-on experience with creating custom Genode components. A good start is the 'hello_tutorial', which shows you how to implement a simple client-server scenario. To compose complex scenarios out of many small components, the documentation of the Genode's configuration concept at 'os/doc/init.txt' is an essential reference. Certainly, you will have further questions on your way with exploring Genode. The best place to get these questions answered is the Genode mailing list. Please feel welcome to ask your questions and to join the discussions: :Genode Mailing Lists: [https://genode.org/community/mailing-lists]