交叉编译工具链

交叉编译工具链

有如任何其它开发活动一般，嵌入式开发的第一步是建立（setting up）用于构建嵌入式Linux内核（当然包括驱动程序）及应用程序的工具链（toolchains ）。不过，嵌入式开发需要是跨平台工具链。跨平台是什么意思呢？一般开发活动是在本地编译，使用是本地的工具链；而由于嵌入式的软硬资源（内存不足、没有本地编译器或操作系统都没有）限制等没法进行本地开发。需要在Linux-x86 主机（HOST）开发，使用主机的编译器生成目标（TARGET）平台代码，这个过程叫交叉编译。

 

我们常常说的编译器有广义和狭义之分。狭义的编译器只完软件编译（或者叫软件构建）的第一步；广义的编译器包括了软件编译（或者叫软件构建）所需要代码库（比如libc）和其它构建工具（比如汇编器和连接器）。无论是什么编译器都需要支持的代码库和各种构建工具，交叉编译也不例外。一整套广义的编译器称为交叉编译工具链。

 

何为工具链？

 

In software, a toolchain is the set ofcomputer programs (tools) that are used to create a product (typically anothercomputer program or system of programs). The tools may be used in a chain, sothat the output of each tool becomes the input for the next, but the term isused widely to refer to any set of linked development tools.

 

A simple software development toolchainconsists of a text editor for editing source code, a compiler and linker totransform the source code into an executable program, libraries to provideinterfaces to the operating system, and a debugger.

 

The GNU toolchain is a blanket term for acollection of programming tools produced by the GNU Project. These tools form atoolchain (suite of tools used in a serial manner) used for developing applicationsand operating systems.

 

Projects included in the GNU toolchain are:

 

* GNU make: Automation tool for compilationand build;

* GNU Compiler Collection (GCC): Suite ofcompilers for several programming languages;

* GNU Binutils: Suite of tools includinglinker, assembler and other tools;

* GNU Bison: Parser generator

* GNU m4: m4 macro processor

* GNU Debugger (GDB): Code debugging tool;

* GNU build system (autotools):