Configure and Build TLVC

Download the source code

TBD

Configuring the system

Kernel configuration

The foundation of configuring a TLVC kernel and system is the menuconfig tool. Run the setup-script first to get the shell environment right (cd to the root directory of the installation and run . ../env.sh?). Then run make menuconfig which starts the configuration program. If you're new to the system, just go through the various menus to familiarize yourself with the options and get comfortable around the menu structure.

You can and should use the more info option to learn more about some of the options, but unfortunately not all options are explained and quite a few of the explanations are outdated. The following chapters will introduce you to some (eventually most) of the contents and terms you'll meet in menuconfig.

Adapting to your hardware

While vintage PCs are reasonably standardized, there are a lot of variables that will cause the system or some components to not work. IO addresses, jumper settings, IRQ lines, shared memory addresses and so forth. Many of these settings are easily available via the bootopts runtime configuration file, but some are not. Also, there may be other reasons you have to dive into the lower level of the system to get it to run - or just to understand it better. Here are some important places to go to:

• tlvc/include/arch/ports.h Default settings for all kinds of hardware supported by the OS. Again keep in mind that many may be overridden by bootopts, but familiarising yourself with this file is good anyway.
• tlvc/include/linuxmt/config.h This is where the memory layout is defined. Don't make changes here unless you know what you're doing. And keep in mind that the meminfo tool is heavily connected to this layout (specifically the -M and -P options which display a graphic representation of memory layout and usage.
• tlvc/include/linuxmt/limits.h Defines the default sizes of many system tables - some of which may be overridden in bootopts.
• tlvc/include/linuxmt/debug.h This file holds the key to debugging the kernel: A large number of 'switches' which enable/disable debug output from various subsystems. For some of them, the verbosity of the output will increase with the setting. Beware that enabling any of them will increase the size of the kernel. Refer to the debugging Wiki document for details.

If you make changes to any of these (or other kernel header files), a complete recompile of the system (make clean; make) is recommended. In some cases, a much faster make kclean;make is sufficient (remakes the kernel only), but there is no guarantee. In particular, utilities like ps and meminfo and a handful others need to be in sync with the running kernel in order to work right, so watch out.

TBD: More details about menuconfig options

Making boot-floppies

TBD

Setting up a hard disk

TBD

Debugging

Please refer to the Up and Running with TLVC Wiki page.

MORE to come