Running the make command

[deffonotsean]

I'm a noob to OpenWRT but trying my best to flash firmware for my TP Link WR841N. I've followed the Image Building guide but when I type make -j 3 V=s I get errors saying I don't have permission. Now I understand I'm not supposed to be a root user when I run the make command, but how can I have permission to run the make command if I don't have root access...or perhaps this is completely unrelated to permissions, log below:

osboxes@osboxes:~/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt$ make -j 3 V=s

rm: cannot remove '/home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.overrides-packageinfo-29690': Permission denied

make[3]: *** No rule to make target '/home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.files-packageinfo-1947'.  Stop.

cat: /home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.files-packageinfo-1947: No such file or directory

cat: /home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.overrides-packageinfo-1947: No such file or directory

rm: cannot remove '/home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.files-packageinfo.stamp.3bac970c7ea00696c669eb6e049d1216': Permission denied

touch: cannot touch '/home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.files-packageinfo.stamp.d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e': Permission denied

touch: cannot touch '/home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.files-packageinfo.stamp': Permission denied

make[2]: *** [include/scan.mk:101: /home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/tmp/info/.files-packageinfo.stamp] Error 1

make[1]: *** [/home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/include/toplevel.mk:85: prepare-tmpinfo] Error 2

make: *** [/home/osboxes/ImageBuilding/openwrt-imagebuilder-ramips-mt76x8.Linux-x86_64/openwrt/include/toplevel.mk:225: world] Error 2

[slh]

Compiling OpenWrt does not at any point, ever, require you to be root (on the contrary, stuff will fail if you are). Likewise you shouldn't extract (or git clone) as root (nor using sudo), because that messes up your access restrictions - start up fresh, unpack as normal user and invoke make as normal user.

[deffonotsean]

Thank you, I wish this would be made much clearer in the Image Building guides.

[tmomas]

It is the first thing you are reading on https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-developer/build-system/use-buildsystem:

Would this be better (less the blue marking)

[deffonotsean]

That's definitely an improvement, and possibly some justification as to why that's so important would clarify it better. Also this guide [https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/additional-software/beginners-build-guide] and [https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-user/additional-software/imagebuilder] does not mention anything about being a root user.