Linux kernel --- VirtualBox

This article describe about how to roadmap android kernel on VirtualBox

Software environment: Ubuntu 10.0.4LS

1. Download android source code

http://source.android.com/source/downloading.html

$source build/envsetup.sh

$lunch  (select vbox_x86-eng target)

$make -j4 android_disk_vdi

Notice: If you have problem with a LUNCHER in your virtualbox and see in the logs in the logcat saying something liek this:"Clamp target Gc heap from 16.880MB to 16.000MB", It means that heap is just too small.

To fix it add ADDITIONAL_BUILD_PROPERTIES+=dalvik.vm.heapsize=32m   at the end of file build/target/board/vbox_x86/BoardConfig.mk

2. Download goldfish kernel

git clone http://android.googlesource.com/kernel/goldfish.git

git checkout remotes/origin/android-goldfish-2.6.29

Please refer to androidsrc/external/qemu/docs/ANDROID-KERNEL.TXT to compile kernel

There is a patch for it, 0001-vbox-fix-pic-compilation-error.patch

---
 Makefile               |    3 ++-
 arch/x86/boot/Makefile |    1 +
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1ab3ebf..987951b 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -346,7 +346,8 @@ KBUILD_CPPFLAGS := -D__KERNEL__
 
 KBUILD_CFLAGS   := -Wall -Wundef -Wstrict-prototypes -Wno-trigraphs \
            -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-common \
-           -Werror-implicit-function-declaration
+           -Werror-implicit-function-declaration \
+           -fno-pic
 KBUILD_AFLAGS   := -D__ASSEMBLY__
 
 # Read KERNELRELEASE from include/config/kernel.release (if it exists)
diff --git a/arch/x86/boot/Makefile b/arch/x86/boot/Makefile
index cd48c72..44b8b68 100644
--- a/arch/x86/boot/Makefile
+++ b/arch/x86/boot/Makefile
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ KBUILD_CFLAGS    := $(LINUXINCLUDE) -g -Os -D_SETUP -D__KERNEL__ \
            -march=i386 -mregparm=3 \
            -include $(srctree)/$(src)/code16gcc.h \
            -fno-strict-aliasing -fomit-frame-pointer \
+           -fno-pic \
            $(call cc-option, -ffreestanding) \
            $(call cc-option, -fno-toplevel-reorder,\
             $(call cc-option, -fno-unit-at-a-time)) \
--
1.7.0.4

$cd androidsrc

$cd goldfish

$git am 0001-vbox-fix-pic-compilation-error.patch

$ $ANDROID/external/qemu/distrib/build-kernel.sh --arch=x86 --out=$ANDROID/prebuilt/android-x86/kernel --config=vbox

The kernel file will be copied to $ANDROID/prebuilt/android-x86/kernel,
$cd ..

generate vbox vdi again with the new kernel

$ make -j4  android_disk_vdi

3. install virtualbox-4.1_4.1.18-78361~Ubuntu~lucid_amd64.deb

download and install it.

Configure Vbox

4. Connect Vbox

There is adb command at androidsrc/out/host/linux-x86/bin/adb

$adb connect localhost

$adb shell    #will go into vbox command console

$adb push ./somefile   /data   //push some file to vbox

$adb pull /data/somefle  .    // get some file from vbox

$adb logcat                          //log will out to current console

5. Create a character driver

put is at driver/chard

create a Kconfig for it

menuconfig  CHARDRIVER
    bool "enable character driver"
        default n
    help
      This enable my character driver.
      character special file /dev/char_deb.
      If unsure, say N.

if CHARDRIVER

comment "character Device Drivers"

# Architecture Independent

config  CHARD_TEST
    tristate "enable chard"
        default y
        depends on CHARDRIVER
    help
      Compile this into kernerl or as a module.

Add these 2 lines to arch/x86/configs/vbox_defconfig

CONFIG_CHARDRIVER=y
CONFIG_CHARD_TEST=m

add obj-$(CONFIG_CHARD_TEST)  += chard/ to driver/Makefile

Use build-kernel.sh to compile kernel again.

5. Write a test app for character driver

Please refer to   One Character driver code 

Compile a vbox version,

copy it to androidsrc/external/chardtest,

Create Android.mk

LOCAL_PATH:= $(call my-dir)

include $(CLEAR_VARS)
LOCAL_MODULE_TAGS := optional
LOCAL_SRC_FILES:= test.c
LOCAL_MODULE := test
#LOCAL_STATIC_LIBRARIES := libcutils libc
include $(BUILD_EXECUTABLE)

$cd androidsrc

$source build/envsetup.sh

$lunch  (select vbox_x86-eng target)

$mm external/chardtest

push it to vbox

6. Download busybox for Vbox

Default, there is no mknod command in vbox, need busybox.

Busybox is only a set of programs. Even though it is a fairly comprehensive set of programs needed to run a Linux system, these programs per se can not "run a modem".

http://busybox.net/downloads/binaries/latest/busybox-i686 

push it to vbox

./busybox-i686  mknod /dev/char_dev c 100 0

7. Test driver

# echo 0000 > /dev/char_dev

use test app to read it.