Setting up a build server in VirtualBox can't understand

For Developers
1

I am trying to make a server for making fimware myself
reading this instraction

https://openwrt.org/docs/guide-developer/buildserver_virtualbox

4. Initial Debian setup
Select the OpenWrtDev image and click Start  (where?)
Wait for it to finish booting and click osboxes.org (clik waht  is this supposed to be a button?  where?)
Password: osboxes.org
Click Activities, type term in the search field and click terminal

What does this mean?
Where did it come from what is it i just succsessfully setup Debian 64 from official stable
and now what? i use Windows VirtualBox
The instraction is not clear!

VB
VB1922×1003 97.4 KB

there is no such button as osboxes.org

2

well, the debian is up and running, but getting into it isn't really an openwrt issue ...

try debian / debian

3

the guide you followed is assuming you download the desktop version of Debian. once you download and setup it as guest in VirtualBox you are ready to login to a GUI desktop and can continue with steps in section 4.

4

Alright i install Gnome DEbian on my Windows Vbox and i loged in on the desctop
and then what?
1 Install Vbox for debain on debian ?
Can somone just tell me what is the section 4 about ?
1. Select the OpenWrtDev image and click Start where ?

what is this OpenWrtDev image ? it is just virtual hard drive ! OpenWrtDev it is a name for Debian guest system
where do i select it if this image runs my Debain guest system!

5

OMG what are these passwords for ??
i install Debian and set passwords myself and system
why do i need and images if i anyone can install it
or do i have to use a special debian image to run on my Vbox?
it there is special Debian image that i have to run then where is the link in the instraction
there is no link

6

if it's hard/complicated (not saying it isn't, never tried) sign up for a virtual cloud host, it's free, and you don't have to run it inside your own Windows ...

7

nothing is complicated
i have simple qwestions but no answers

8

if it wasn't complicated (enough), you wouldn't have had any questions .... right ?

1 Like
9

the answers are in the guide you try to follow:

  • https://www.osboxes.org/ creates virtualbox or vmware compatible images (vdi/vmdk) ready to use as a guest OS. they setup default password for their own images according to their homepage:
**Credentials for images:**
username: osboxes
password: osboxes.org
Root account password: osboxes.org
  • i'd suggest to try again the guide from step 1

OR

first set what is your goal with a build server: do you want to work on code level or you just need custom image which includes your own stuff?

if former, basically you need `a´ (any) linux environment see link(1). once you set up the build environment you can compile your own image with low level modification you wish.

if later, you can use the imagebuilder solution see link. this will help you to build your own image, for example including packages you wish to add beyond the official base, but it is not for low level changes. but it is much quicker then full compile.

you tried to follw a guide which is more about how to setup a virtualized guest linux which can be used as a building environment, focusing on the virtualbox+guest OS setup. if you know how to do that you can move forward following link(1).

good luck.

1 Like
10

Qwestion :
1 Is there OpenWrtDev image that i can run on Vbox?
if (yes)
1 Do i have to use it ? or i can install it myself ?
2 where do i get this image ?

11

The instructions assume you use a ready-rolled image that you download (not install yourself Debian onto an empty VM):

2. Get a Debian image

Download the newest VirtualBox (VDI) 64-bit Debian image

But I've no idea how well maintined those images are. Personally I'd carry on building on top of your fresh Debian install:

12

So my steps are
1 Create build server
2 Make firmware for my routers including new DAWN
and i cant just compile DAWN on my router?

13

no, can't use openwrt as a compile device.

1 Like
14

If you got a recent enough Windows, you could use WSL (ideally WSL2) to set up a buildroot. No need to muck around with 3rd party virtualisation solutions.

2 Likes
15

Technically you could if you had native gcc, etc on the router. You could see if there is a gcc package to install and will fit in the available resources. If the package exists you can optimise space usage by using ImageBuilder to get a flashale image with the tools in it.

But I don't think many people do that so you may hit challenges people can't help you with, while the more normal route of building on PC should be easier to find support on.

BTW, I know you want to build the DAWN package, but try and keep this thread more generic on getting a baseline build working - we can pick up on local-git package builds in another thread if necessary.

1 Like
16

Drifting OT, but I did set up an x86 OpenWrt VM that could itself compile OpenWrt while I was looking at getting local kernel gdb working. Is x86 a special case where it works?

1 Like
17

x86 could be, since it's one of the usable platforms.

but I agree with your 2nd last post, probably not worth the trouble.

1 Like
19

Maybe you can help me.
All i need is make standart firmware and add only one programm
Just firmware by default + dawn, and that is all (since esterday dawn has new option)
So i have installed Debian 11.2.0 on Vbox
I have install all the packages

apt update
apt install build-essential ccache ecj fastjar file g++ gawk gettext git java-propose-classpath libelf-dev libncurses5-dev libncursesw5-dev libssl-dev python python2.7-dev python3 unzip wget python3-distutils python3-setuptools python3-dev rsync subversion swig time xsltproc zlib1g-dev

then i

# Download and update the sources
git clone https://git.openwrt.org/openwrt/openwrt.git
cd openwrt
git pull


root@deb4core:/openwrt/openwrt2/openwrt# git pull
hint: Pulling without specifying how to reconcile divergent branches is
hint: discouraged. You can squelch this message by running one of the following
hint: commands sometime before your next pull:
hint:
hint:   git config pull.rebase false  # merge (the default strategy)
hint:   git config pull.rebase true   # rebase
hint:   git config pull.ff only       # fast-forward only
hint:
hint: You can replace "git config" with "git config --global" to set a default
hint: preference for all repositories. You can also pass --rebase, --no-rebase,
hint: or --ff-only on the command line to override the configured default per
hint: invocation.
Already up to date.

root@deb4core:/openwrt/openwrt2/openwrt# git branch -a
* master
  remotes/origin/HEAD -> origin/master
  remotes/origin/lede-17.01
  remotes/origin/master
  remotes/origin/openwrt-18.06
  remotes/origin/openwrt-19.07
  remotes/origin/openwrt-21.02

then

git tag
git checkout v21.02.1

then
./scripts/feeds update -a
then

./scripts/feeds install -a

and

./scripts/feeds install dawn

and then i read instruction for DAWN and it says

Add DAWN to the build (under Network -> dawn)

so i ignore that and start
make menuconfig

menuconfig
menuconfig812×587 25.2 KB 

make defconfig

so i choosed my target and profile also found dawn in Network section and made it *

menuconfigdawn
menuconfigdawn1922×1080 205 KB

then i press Save and saved it and Exit

root@deb4core:/openwrt/openwrt2/openwrt# make menuconfig
*** End of the configuration.
*** Execute 'make' to start the build or try 'make help'.

did i make all correct ?
what next it says start make
so i

make  V=S

and i got

root@deb4core:/openwrt/openwrt2/openwrt# make  V=S
make[2]: Entering directory '/openwrt/openwrt2/openwrt/scripts/config'
cc -O2   -c -o conf.o conf.c
cc   conf.o confdata.o expr.o lexer.lex.o parser.tab.o preprocess.o symbol.o util.o   -o conf
make[2]: Leaving directory '/openwrt/openwrt2/openwrt/scripts/config'
time: target/linux/prereq#0.67#0.07#0.74
 make[1] world
 make[2] tools/compile
 make[3] -C tools/flock compile
 make[3] -C tools/xz compile
 make[3] -C tools/sed compile
 make[3] -C tools/tar compile
    ERROR: tools/tar failed to build.
make -r world: build failed. Please re-run make with -j1 V=s or V=sc for a higher verbosity level to see what's going on
make: *** [/openwrt/openwrt2/openwrt/include/toplevel.mk:230: world] Error 1

where did i go wrong?
now i am trying with 2 new steps
https://forum.openwrt.org/t/problem-during-my-image-build/85982/65?u=zebraonpc

20

You try to compile as "root"

And

S != s

--> V=s

21

yes i tried under root now i am trying under user with 2 additional steps
https://forum.openwrt.org/t/problem-during-my-image-build/85982/65?u=zebraonpc
and at the end i ran
make -j5 V=sc
my screen is like static on old TV

screen
screen1852×973 122 KB

waiting to see some errors at the end
it is taking so long ... there is no way to make it on a router
4 cores 2Gb RAM