153cd695e
Denis Vlasenko
2007-07-13
Subject
FAQ: add timezone Q
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docs/busybox.net/FAQ.html+60 -41
| @@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ have additions to this FAQ document, we would love to add them, | |
| <li><a href="#job_control">Why do I keep getting "sh: can't access tty; job control turned off" errors? Why doesn't Control-C work within my shell?</a></li> | |
| </ol> | |
| + | <h2>Misc. questions</h2> |
| + | <ol> |
| + | <li><a href="#tz">How do I change the time zone in busybox?</a></li> |
| + | </ol> |
| + | |
| <h2>Programming questions</h2> | |
| <ol> | |
| <li><a href="#goals">What are the goals of busybox?</a></li> | |
| @@ -52,17 +57,17 @@ have additions to this FAQ document, we would love to add them, | |
| <li><a href="#tips_memory">Memory used by relocatable code, PIC, and static linking.</a></li> | |
| <li><a href="#tips_kernel_headers">Including Linux kernel headers.</a></li> | |
| </ul> | |
| - | <li><a href="#who">Who are the BusyBox developers?</a></li> |
| - | </ul> |
| - | |
| - | |
| + | <li><a href="#who">Who are the BusyBox developers?</a></li> |
| + | </ul> |
| </ol> | |
| + | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h1>General questions</h1> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="getting_started">How can I get started using BusyBox?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> If you just want to try out busybox without installing it, download the | |
| tarball, extract it, run "make defconfig", and then run "make". | |
| </p> | |
| @@ -107,9 +112,10 @@ $ /bin/echo $PATH | |
| $ echo $PATH | |
| /bin/sh: echo: not found | |
| </pre> | |
| + | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="configure">How do I configure busybox?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> Busybox is configured similarly to the linux kernel. Create a default | |
| configuration and then run "make menuconfig" to modify it. The end | |
| result is a .config file that tells the busybox build process what features | |
| @@ -155,17 +161,16 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| <p> Menuconfig modifies your .config file through an interactive menu where you can enable or disable | |
| busybox features, and get help about each feature. | |
| - | |
| - | |
| <p> | |
| To build a smaller busybox binary, run "make menuconfig" and disable the | |
| features you don't need. (Or run "make allnoconfig" and then use | |
| menuconfig to add just the features you need. Don't forget to recompile | |
| with "make" once you've finished configuring.) | |
| </p> | |
| - | <hr/> |
| - | <p/> |
| + | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="build">How do I build BusyBox with a cross-compiler?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| To build busybox with a cross-compiler, specify CROSS_COMPILE=<prefix>. | |
| </p> | |
| @@ -180,7 +185,10 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| Alternatively CROSS_COMPILE can be set in the environment. | |
| Default value for CROSS_COMPILE is not to prefix executables. | |
| </p> | |
| + | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="build_system">How do I build a BusyBox-based system?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| BusyBox is a package that replaces a dozen standard packages, but it is | |
| not by itself a complete bootable system. Building an entire Linux | |
| @@ -221,8 +229,8 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| </p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="kernel">Which Linux kernel versions are supported?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| Full functionality requires Linux 2.4.x or better. (Earlier versions may | |
| still work, but are no longer regularly tested.) A large fraction of the | |
| @@ -231,9 +239,10 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| to support, say, FreeBSD or Solaris, or Mac OS X, or even Windows (if you | |
| are into that sort of thing). | |
| </p> | |
| + | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="arch">Which architectures does BusyBox run on?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| BusyBox in general will build on any architecture supported by gcc. | |
| Kernel module loading for 2.4 Linux kernels is currently | |
| @@ -243,9 +252,10 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| <p> | |
| With 2.6.x kernels, module loading support should work on all architectures. | |
| </p> | |
| + | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="libc">Which C libraries are supported?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| On Linux, BusyBox releases are tested against uClibc (0.9.27 or later) and | |
| glibc (2.2 or later). Both should provide full functionality with busybox, | |
| @@ -265,9 +275,7 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| </p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="commercial">Can I include BusyBox as part of the software on my device?</a></h2> | |
| - | <p> |
| <p> | |
| Yes. As long as you <a href="http://busybox.net/license.html">fully comply | |
| @@ -276,29 +284,26 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| </p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| - | <h2><a name="external">where can i find other small utilities since busybox |
| + | <h2><a name="external">Where can I find other small utilities since busybox |
| does not include the features i want?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| we maintain such a <a href="tinyutils.html">list</a> on this site! | |
| </p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="demanding">I demand that you to add <favorite feature> right now! How come you don't answer all my questions on the mailing list instantly? I demand that you help me with all of my problems <em>Right Now</em>!</a></h2> | |
| - | <p> |
| + | <p> |
| You have not paid us a single cent and yet you still have the product of | |
| many years of our work. We are not your slaves! We work on BusyBox | |
| because we find it useful and interesting. If you go off flaming us, we | |
| will ignore you. | |
| - | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="helpme">I need help with BusyBox! What should I do?</a></h2> | |
| - | <p> |
| + | <p> |
| If you find that you need help with BusyBox, you can ask for help on the | |
| BusyBox mailing list at [email protected].</p> | |
| @@ -326,9 +331,7 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| </p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="contracts">I need you to add <favorite feature>! Are the BusyBox developers willing to be paid in order to fix bugs or add in <favorite feature>? Are you willing to provide support contracts?</a></h2> | |
| - | </p> |
| <p> | |
| Yes we are. The easy way to sponsor a new feature is to post an offer on | |
| @@ -346,14 +349,11 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| </p> | |
| - | |
| - | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h1>Troubleshooting</h1> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p></p> |
| <h2><a name="bugs">I think I found a bug in BusyBox! What should I do?</a></h2> | |
| - | <p></p> |
| <p> | |
| If you simply need help with using or configuring BusyBox, please submit a | |
| @@ -386,7 +386,6 @@ within each applet. More build coverage testing.</p></li> | |
| </p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p></p> |
| <h2><a name="backporting">I'm using an ancient version from the dawn of time and something's broken. Can you backport fixes for free?</h2> | |
| <p>Variants of this one get asked a lot.</p> | |
| @@ -427,8 +426,8 @@ your problem, and you can always ask on the list if any of the developers | |
| have consulting rates.</p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="init">Busybox init isn't working!</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| Init is the first program that runs, so it might be that no programs are | |
| working on your new system because of a problem with your cross-compiler, | |
| @@ -461,8 +460,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv) | |
| </p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="sed">I can't configure busybox on my system.</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| Configuring Busybox depends on a recent version of sed. Older | |
| distributions (Red Hat 7.2, Debian 3.0) may not come with a | |
| @@ -489,10 +488,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv) | |
| <p>Then you can run "make defconfig" or "make menuconfig" normally.</p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="job_control">Why do I keep getting "sh: can't access tty; job control turned off" errors? Why doesn't Control-C work within my shell?</a></h2> | |
| - | <p> |
| + | <p> |
| Job control will be turned off since your shell can not obtain a controlling | |
| terminal. This typically happens when you run your shell on /dev/console. | |
| The kernel will not provide a controlling terminal on the /dev/console | |
| @@ -504,9 +502,20 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv) | |
| run your shell on a real console... | |
| </p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| + | <h1>Misc. questions</h1> |
| + | |
| + | <hr /> |
| + | <h2><a name="tz">How do I change the time zone in busybox?</a></h2> |
| + | |
| + | <p>Busybox has nothing to do with the timezone. Please consult your libc |
| + | documentation. (<a href='http://google.com/search?q=uclibc+glibc+timezone'>http://google.com/search?q=uclibc+glibc+timezone</a>).</p> |
| + | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h1>Development</h1> | |
| - | <h2><b><a name="goals">What are the goals of busybox?</a></b></h2> |
| + | <hr /> |
| + | <h2><a name="goals">What are the goals of busybox?</a></h2> |
| <p>Busybox aims to be the smallest and simplest correct implementation of the | |
| standard Linux command line tools. First and foremost, this means the | |
| @@ -515,7 +524,8 @@ and cleanest implementation we can manage, be <a href="#standards">standards | |
| compliant</a>, minimize run-time memory usage (heap and stack), run fast, and | |
| take over the world.</p> | |
| - | <h2><b><a name="design">What is the design of busybox?</a></b></h2> |
| + | <hr /> |
| + | <h2><a name="design">What is the design of busybox?</a></h2> |
| <p>Busybox is like a swiss army knife: one thing with many functions. | |
| The busybox executable can act like many different programs depending on | |
| @@ -539,7 +549,8 @@ writing.</p> | |
| <a name="source"></a> | |
| - | <h2><a name="source_applets"><b>The applet directories</b></a></h2> |
| + | <hr /> |
| + | <h2><a name="source_applets">The applet directories</a></h2> |
| <p>The directory "applets" contains the busybox startup code (applets.c and | |
| busybox.c), and several subdirectories containing the code for the individual | |
| @@ -579,6 +590,7 @@ html, txt, and man page formats) in the docs directory. See | |
| <a href="#adding">adding an applet to busybox</a> for more | |
| information.</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="source_libbb"><b>libbb</b></a></h2> | |
| <p>Most non-setup code shared between busybox applets lives in the libbb | |
| @@ -595,8 +607,8 @@ and/or retry automatically, linked list management functions (llist.c), | |
| command line argument parsing (getopt32.c), and a whole lot more.</p> | |
| <hr /> | |
| - | <p> |
| <h2><a name="optimize">I want to make busybox even smaller, how do I go about it?</a></h2> | |
| + | |
| <p> | |
| To conserve bytes it's good to know where they're being used, and the | |
| size of the final executable isn't always a reliable indicator of | |
| @@ -647,11 +659,9 @@ command line argument parsing (getopt32.c), and a whole lot more.</p> | |
| "scripts/showasm busybox_unstripped symbolname" to see the assembly | |
| for a sepecific symbol. | |
| </p> | |
| - | <hr /> |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | <h2><a name="adding"><b>Adding an applet to busybox</b></a></h2> |
| + | <hr /> |
| + | <h2><a name="adding">Adding an applet to busybox</a></h2> |
| <p>To add a new applet to busybox, first pick a name for the applet and | |
| a corresponding CONFIG_NAME. Then do this:</p> | |
| @@ -692,6 +702,7 @@ bugs. Be sure to try both "allyesconfig" and "allnoconfig" (and | |
| </ul> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="standards">What standards does busybox adhere to?</a></h2> | |
| <p>The standard we're paying attention to is the "Shell and Utilities" | |
| @@ -721,6 +732,7 @@ applet is otherwise finished. When polishing and testing a busybox applet, | |
| we ensure we have at least the option of full standards compliance, or else | |
| document where we (intentionally) fall short.</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="portability">Portability.</a></h2> | |
| <p>Busybox is a Linux project, but that doesn't mean we don't have to worry | |
| @@ -797,11 +809,13 @@ support that can be cleanly separated into a separate conditionally compiled | |
| file is at least worth a look. Special-case code in the body of an applet is | |
| something we're trying to avoid.</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="tips" />Programming tips and tricks.</a></h2> | |
| <p>Various things busybox uses that aren't particularly well documented | |
| elsewhere.</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="tips_encrypted_passwords">Encrypted Passwords</a></h2> | |
| <p>Password fields in /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow are in a special format. | |
| @@ -853,6 +867,7 @@ password, generate a random 8 character salt string, put it in the right | |
| format with sprintf(buffer, "$%c$%s", type, salt), and feed buffer as the | |
| second argument to pw_encrypt(text,buffer).</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="tips_vfork">Fork and vfork</a></h2> | |
| <p>On systems that haven't got a Memory Management Unit, fork() is unreasonably | |
| @@ -931,6 +946,7 @@ each other while traversing the free memory lists). The thing about vfork is | |
| that it's a big red flag warning "there be dragons here" rather than | |
| something subtle and thus even more dangerous.)</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="tips_sort_read">Short reads and writes</a></h2> | |
| <p>Busybox has special functions, bb_full_read() and bb_full_write(), to | |
| @@ -964,6 +980,7 @@ data comes in that can be merged into the same packet. (In case you were | |
| wondering why action games that use TCP/IP set TCP_NODELAY to lower the latency | |
| on their their sockets, now you know.)</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="tips_memory">Memory used by relocatable code, PIC, and static linking.</a></h2> | |
| <p>The downside of standard dynamic linking is that it results in self-modifying | |
| @@ -1028,6 +1045,7 @@ above factors seem to mostly account for it (but some were difficult | |
| to measure).</p> | |
| </blockquote> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="tips_kernel_headers"></a>Including kernel headers</h2> | |
| <p>The "linux" or "asm" directories of /usr/include contain Linux kernel | |
| @@ -1065,6 +1083,7 @@ unavoidable doesn't me we should include them when there's a better | |
| way to do it. However, block copying information out of the kernel headers | |
| is not a better way.</p> | |
| + | <hr /> |
| <h2><a name="who">Who are the BusyBox developers?</a></h2> | |
| <p>The following login accounts currently exist on busybox.net. (I.E. these | |