xref: /debian/

ACRN Debianization
==================

ACRN is a flexible, lightweight reference hypervisor, built with
real-time and safety-criticality in mind, optimized to streamline
embedded development through an open source platform. This part
represents the debianization for ACRN.

Table of Contents
-----------------

1. `Building <#building>`__
2. `Development Build from Source
   Package <#development-build-from-source-package>`__
3. `Package Maintenance <#package-maintenance>`__
4. `Special Package Properties <#special-package-properties>`__
5. `About initramfs on Debian/Ubuntu
   Systems <#about-initramfs-on-debianubuntu-systems>`__
6. `Scenario Configuration - GRUB
   configuration <#scenario-configuration---grub-configuration>`__
7. `Known Build Warnings <#known-build-warnings>`__
8. `General Remarks and
   Restrictions <#general-remarks-and-restrictions>`__

The Debian source package ``acrn-hypervisor`` provides the following
Debian packages:

-  ``acrn-dev``: Public headers and libraries for ACRN manager.
-  ``acrn-devicemodel``: Device model for ACRN Hypervisor
-  ``acrn-doc``: Reference to ACRN Documentation
-  ``acrn-hypervisor``: ACRN Hypervisor for IoT
-  ``acrn-lifemngr``: ACRN life manager service
-  ``acrn-system``: metapackage to deploy a minimum of ACRN packages
-  ``acrn-tools``: Supplementary tools for ACRN Hypervisor
-  ``acrnd``: ACRN Hypervisor control daemon
-  ``grub-acrn``: Grub setup scripts for ACRN Hypervisor
-  ``python3-acrn-board-inspector``: Generate Board Configuration for
   ACRN

Building
--------

The ``acrn-hypervisor`` source package uses ``git-buildpackage``
(``gbp``) for package building (see ``debian/gbp.conf``). For more
information on ``gbp`` refer to the `Git-Buildpackage
manual <http://honk.sigxcpu.org/projects/git-buildpackage/manual-html/gbp.html>`__.

To ease the build process a shell script wrapper around a docker
controlled build is provided:

::

   debian/docker/acrn-docker-build.sh

This script features the ``DISTRO`` and ``VENDOR`` environment variables
to set the Debian or Ubuntu distribution the ACRN packages are built
for. ``VENDOR`` defaults to ``debian`` and ``DISTRO`` defaults to
``stable``, which then is transformed to its canonical name
(``bullseye`` for now).

To build ACRN packages on master branch for Debian Buster use:

::

   VENDOR=debian DISTRO=buster debian/docker/acrn-docker-build.sh

or for Ubuntu 20.04:

VENDOR=ubuntu DISTRO=focal debian/docker/acrn-docker-build.sh

If building on any other branch, the ``debian/gbp.conf`` file has to be
adapted accordingly. To override this necessity simply add a
``--git-ignore-branch``:

::

   debian/docker/acrn-docker-build.sh --git-ignore-branch

This not only builds the ACRN packages listed above, but eventually all
required packages (for build or runtime), too.

Remark: Since the required, dependent package repositories are accessed
at build time, your build machine needs a properly configured internet
access.

All these build results including the required third party packages are
located in the ``build/<distroname>`` folder and prepared to be used as
a local APT repository. To use it as such, add a proper apt
configuration (assuming the result folder has been copied to ``/apt``):

::

   echo "deb [trusted=yes] file:/apt ./" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/acrn-local.list
   echo "deb-src [trusted=yes] file:/apt ./" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/acrn-local.list

Now ``apt update`` will also take into account all the local packages,
so you can easily install, e.g. board-inspector via:

::

   apt install python3-acrn-board-inspector

This will install python3-acrn-board-inspector with all required
dependencies.

Development Build from Source Package
-------------------------------------

Once the local APT repository is in place, it can also be used to
quickly create proprietary built ACRN packages from the acrn-hypervisor
soure package, e.g. to add a new scenario for testing or change the list
of supported board. Many thanks to Pirouf for bringing in this idea!

::

   apt-get install devscripts build-essential
   cd <working dir>
   apt-get source acrn-hypervisor
   apt-get build-dep acrn-hypervisor
   cd acrn-hypervisor-<version>

Now you can make your changes, e.g. use a new board and scenario, preferrably using ``debian/config`` as a hook directory for proprietary configurations, see also `debian/configs/README.rst <configs/README.rst>`__:

::

   mkdir -p debian/config/newboard
   cp <user>/newboard.xml debian/config/newboard/newboard.xml
   cp <user>/newscenario.xml debian/config/newboard/newscenario.xml
   cat << EOF > debian/config/configurations.mk
   ACRN_BOARDLIST += newboard
   ACRN_SCENARIOLIST += newscenario
   EOF
   dpkg-buildpackage

The resulting packages are then located in ``<working dir>``.

Package Maintenance
-------------------

During development ``debian/changelog`` should always present the
``UNRELEASED`` stage of package build. Before creating new (temporary)
packages ``debian/changelog`` can be easily updated using

::

   DEBEMAIL="<add your email here> DEBFULLNAME="<enter your full name here>" gbp dch --snapshot --git-ignore-branch

This updates/creates an ``UNRELEASED`` changelog entry, which has to be
committed separately. BTW, I always use the following to align with what
is already configured in git:

::

   DEBEMAIL=$(git config user.email) DEBFULLNAME=$(git config user.name) gbp dch --snapshot --git-ignore-branch

At release create a proper entry using

::

   DEBEMAIL="<add your email here> DEBFULLNAME="<enter your full name here>" gbp dch --release

This fires up the editor to review the newly created
``debian/changelog`` entry. Edit, save and commit it to finish the
package release from a Debian point of view.

Special Package Properties
--------------------------

acrn-hypervisor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This package contains multiple ACRN hypervisor binaries, with the final
binary being chosen usually at install time via Debian’s ``debconf``
mechanism. This allows you to choose the board as well as the respective
scenario but still use the same Debian package for various hardware
platforms.

**WARNING**

Always choose an appropriate board/scenario setting! Wrong settings may
refuse to boot!

You can also preseed your choice by setting the respective ``debconf``
keys ``acrn-hypervisor/board`` and ``acrn-hypervisor/scenario``,
e.g. during image creation. Please refer to
https://wiki.debian.org/debconf for details.

To reconfigure the choice later, use

::

   dpkg-reconfigure acrn-hypervisor

The ACRN hypervisor configurations are chosen as follows: All
directories given in ``CONFIGDIRS`` in ``acrn-hypervisor.conf.mk`` are
searched for valid board- and scenario-configuration files. The
``ACRN_BOARDLIST`` and ``ACRN_SCENARIOLIST`` in
``acrn-hypervisor.conf.mk`` can be used to restrict the
hypervisor/scenario configurations built into ``acrn-hypervisor``
package. If unset, all possible configurations found under the
directories given are built.

acrn-lifemngr
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To adapt the needs of a Debian distribution the service file has been
adapted and a start script wrapper added to automatically set up the
parameters for User VMs or the Service VM.

acrnd
~~~~~

There is also an adapted variant for the systemd service file. As for
``acrn-lifemngr`` this also is provided as part of the Debian packaging
process rather than patching the files provided with the sources.

About initramfs on Debian/Ubuntu Systems
----------------------------------------

If the ``ramdisk_mod`` node in the scenario configuration is empty (at
the moment this is true especially for all ``shared`` scenarios), an
initrd/initramfs image is neither required nor used. Grub config helper
then creates a rootfs parameter using the respective device name at
install time, like ``/dev/sda2``. Since this depends on device
enumeration of the kernel, which might change when additional storage
devices are added (your ``/dev/sda2`` might turn into
e.g. ``/dev/sdb2``, but your grub configuration stays unchanged!)
Debian/Ubuntu decided to use UUIDs to identify the storage device
partitions. This is implemented by respective scripts provided in
initrd/initramfs and **NOT** within the kernel, so apparently
initrd/initramfs is required!

To use this feature properly (as the standard distribution setup does)
add a ``ramdisk_mod`` node value (usually ``Linux_initrd``) in the
scenario configuration and provide a kernel package with
initrd/initramfs support. This is state-of-the-art nowadays and also
supported by the acrn-kernel service vm configuration. It enables the
UUID boot device support and avoids the device enumeration issues
completely, see the ``shared+initrd`` scenarios in ``debian/configs``
for an example.

Scenario Configuration - GRUB configuration
-------------------------------------------

The following subnodes of the ``SERVICE_VM`` node (VM with
``load_order=SERVICE_VM``) are considered by grub-acrn when creating the
GRUB menu entries for ACRN:

-  ``kern_mod`` must not be empty to add a menu entry
-  ``ramdisk_mod`` enables initrd/initramfs image usage (see above)
-  ``bootargs``: kernel boot parameters, that are added to the kernel
   boot command line. Exception: ``rootfs`` parameter is ignored, since
   this is automatically determined by GRUB config helpers. This can be
   used e.g. to add ``hvlog`` parameter for logging support.

Known Build Warnings
--------------------

Depending to which distribution the build is targeted, the following
warnings can occur, but can safely be ignored:

-  in ``override_dh_strip`` build stage:

   These warnings only occur in builds for the most recent
   distributions, but do not harm the binary packages. The usability of
   dbgsym packages is questionable in this case (untested).

   -  ``debugedit: .debug_line offset 0xXXXX referenced multiple times``
   -  ``Unknown DWARF DW_FORM 0xXXXX``

-  in ``override_dh_auto_build-indep`` build stage:

   -  ``package init file '<...>/__init__.py' not found (or not a regular file)``

   This is a result of the the python components not being structured
   for packaging with setuptools. The warnings are harmless and do not
   imply any restrictions to the python packages.

-  in ``override_dh_auto_install-arch`` build stage

   -  ``/usr/bin/ld: <...>/boot_mod.a(cpu_primary.o): warning: relocation in read-only section 'multiboot_header'``

   This warning is emitted on all but the oldest distros (gcc/binutils
   version dependent?). **This might be of concern and must be
   investigated.** Up till now, no issues have been found when using the
   binaries triggering this warning.

-  lintian

   -  ``elf-error In program headers: Unable to find program interpreter name``

   This is a known issue, see `Debian
   Bug#1000977 <https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1000977>`__
   and `Debian
   Bug#1000449 <https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1000449>`__.

General Remarks and Restrictions
--------------------------------

-  ACRN >=2.6 needs a Linux 5.10 kernel with the respective Intel/ACRN
   patches applied, see `Project ACRN
   Documentation <https://projectacrn.github.io/latest/index.html>`__
   for details.
-  The packages are built in debug mode to be able to access the HV
   console. This can be changed by setting the ``RELEASE`` variable in
   ``debian/rules`` to 1.
-  The built configurations are restricted to the hardware platforms
   available for testing.
-  The systemd services provided by various ACRN packages are enabled at
   install time but not started, since they are most likely installed on
   a non-ACRN system which requires a reboot anyway. Only the acrn-tools
   related services (acrnlog, acrnprobe, usercrash) might be installed
   on a running ACRN system and then either need a reboot or must be
   started manually (``systemd start <service name>``).
-  acrn-configurator is still under heavy development and therefore not
   yet packaged.

-- Helmut Buchsbaum <helmut.buchsbaum@opensource.tttech-industrial.com>
Sat, 06 May 2022 20:07:19 +0200

Last Index update Fri Aug 22 02:31:50 CST 2025