Re: [dpdk-dev] [PATCH 0/8] Improve build process

["Gonzalez Monroy, Sergio" <sergio.gonzalez.monroy@intel.com>]

> From: Neil Horman [mailto:nhorman@tuxdriver.com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2015 4:39 PM
> To: Gonzalez Monroy, Sergio
> Cc: dev@dpdk.org
> Subject: Re: [dpdk-dev] [PATCH 0/8] Improve build process
> 
> On Thu, Jan 29, 2015 at 03:20:03PM +0000, Sergio Gonzalez Monroy wrote:
> > This patch series improves the DPDK build system mostly for shared
> > libraries (and a few nits for static libraries) with the following goals:
> >  - Create a library containing core DPDK libraries (librte_eal,
> >    librte_malloc, librte_mempool, librte_mbuf and librte_ring).
> >    The idea of core libraries is to group those libraries that are
> >    always required (and have interdependencies) for any DPDK application.
> >  - Remove config option to build a combined library.
> >  - For shared libraries, explicitly link against dependant
> >    libraries (adding entries to DT_NEEDED).
> >  - Update app linking flags for static/shared DPDK libs.
> >
> > Sergio Gonzalez Monroy (8):
> >   mk: remove combined library and related options
> >   core: create new librte_core
> >   mk: new corelib makefile
> >   lib: update DEPDIRS variable
> >   lib: set LDLIBS for each library
> >   mk: use LDLIBS when linking shared libraries
> >   mk: update LDLIBS for app building
> >   mk: add -lpthread to linuxapp EXECENV_LDLIBS
> >
> >  config/common_bsdapp                        |   6 --
> >  config/common_linuxapp                      |   6 --
> >  config/defconfig_ppc_64-power8-linuxapp-gcc |   2 -
> >  lib/Makefile                                |   1 -
> >  lib/librte_acl/Makefile                     |   5 +-
> >  lib/librte_cfgfile/Makefile                 |   4 +-
> >  lib/librte_cmdline/Makefile                 |   6 +-
> >  lib/librte_core/Makefile                    |  45 +++++++++++++
> >  lib/librte_distributor/Makefile             |   5 +-
> >  lib/librte_eal/bsdapp/eal/Makefile          |   3 +-
> >  lib/librte_eal/linuxapp/eal/Makefile        |   3 +-
> >  lib/librte_ether/Makefile                   |   4 +-
> >  lib/librte_hash/Makefile                    |   4 +-
> >  lib/librte_ip_frag/Makefile                 |   6 +-
> >  lib/librte_ivshmem/Makefile                 |   4 +-
> >  lib/librte_kni/Makefile                     |   6 +-
> >  lib/librte_kvargs/Makefile                  |   6 +-
> >  lib/librte_lpm/Makefile                     |   6 +-
> >  lib/librte_malloc/Makefile                  |   2 +-
> >  lib/librte_mbuf/Makefile                    |   2 +-
> >  lib/librte_mempool/Makefile                 |   2 +-
> >  lib/librte_meter/Makefile                   |   4 +-
> >  lib/librte_pipeline/Makefile                |   3 +
> >  lib/librte_pmd_af_packet/Makefile           |   5 +-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_bond/Makefile                |   7 +-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_e1000/Makefile               |   8 ++-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_enic/Makefile                |   8 ++-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_i40e/Makefile                |   8 ++-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_ixgbe/Makefile               |   8 ++-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_pcap/Makefile                |   5 +-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_ring/Makefile                |   6 +-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_virtio/Makefile              |   7 +-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_vmxnet3/Makefile             |   8 ++-
> >  lib/librte_pmd_xenvirt/Makefile             |   8 ++-
> >  lib/librte_port/Makefile                    |   8 +--
> >  lib/librte_power/Makefile                   |   4 +-
> >  lib/librte_ring/Makefile                    |   2 +-
> >  lib/librte_sched/Makefile                   |   7 +-
> >  lib/librte_table/Makefile                   |   8 +--
> >  lib/librte_timer/Makefile                   |   6 +-
> >  lib/librte_vhost/Makefile                   |   9 +--
> >  mk/exec-env/linuxapp/rte.vars.mk            |   2 +
> >  mk/rte.app.mk                               |  53 ++++-----------
> >  mk/rte.corelib.mk                           |  84 +++++++++++++++++++++++
> >  mk/rte.lib.mk                               |  49 +++-----------
> >  mk/rte.sdkbuild.mk                          |   3 -
> >  mk/rte.sharelib.mk                          | 101 ----------------------------
> >  mk/rte.vars.mk                              |   9 ---
> >  48 files changed, 276 insertions(+), 282 deletions(-)  create mode
> > 100644 lib/librte_core/Makefile  create mode 100644 mk/rte.corelib.mk
> > delete mode 100644 mk/rte.sharelib.mk
> >
> > --
> > 1.9.3
> >
> >
> Something occured to me thinking about this patch set.  I noticed recently
> that different rules are used to build the shared combined lib from the
> individual shared objects.  The implication here is that linker options specified
> in individual make files (like the LIBABIVER and EXPORT_MAP options in my
> ABI versioning script) get ignored, which is bad.  Any other file specific linker
> options (like <file>_LDFLAGS specified in individual library makefiles are
> getting dropped for the combined lib.
> 
> It seems like it would be better if the combined libs were manufactured as
> linker scripts themselves (textfiles that used linker directives to include
> individual libraries under the covers (see /lib64/libc.so for an example).
> 
> The disadvantage of such an approach are fairly minimal.  With such a
> combined library, you still need to install individual libraries, but for
> applications that wish to link and run against a single dpdk library will still work
> just as they currently do, you can link to just a single library.
> 
> The advantage is clear however.  By following a linker script aproach, objects
> build as separate libraries are built exactly the same way, using the same
> rules with the same options.  It reduces the dpdk build environment size and
> complexity, and reduces the opportunity for bugs to creep in from forgetting
> to add build options to multiple locations.  It also provides a more granular
> approach for grouping files.  Creating a dpdk core library becomes a matter of
> creating a one line linker script named libdpdk_core.so, rather than re-
> arraning sections of the build system.
> 
> Thoughts?
> Neil
> 
Hi  Neil,

I think that is a very interesting approach.
I have tried to do something similar in this patch by removing rte.sharelib.mk and
just having rte.lib.mk to do the linking, leaving as you suggest a single file to
modify anything related to building libs.

I do think however that your proposal is an improvement over the current patch.

So basically we want:
- get rid of rte.corelib.mk
- generate librte_core.so linker script grouping core libs
- we do not modify DEPDIR variables
- when setting LDLIBS to each lib, we do specify -lrte_core, right?

Regards,
Sergio