Back to Zephyr

Install Linux Host Dependencies

doc/develop/getting_started/installation_linux.rst

4.4.08.5 KB
Original Source

.. _installation_linux:

Install Linux Host Dependencies ###############################

Documentation is available for these Linux distributions:

  • Ubuntu
  • Fedora
  • Clear Linux
  • Arch Linux

For distributions that are not based on rolling releases, some of the requirements and dependencies may not be met by your package manager. In that case please follow the additional instructions that are provided to find software from sources other than the package manager.

.. note:: If you're working behind a corporate firewall, you'll likely need to configure a proxy for accessing the internet, if you haven't done so already. While some tools use the environment variables http_proxy and https_proxy to get their proxy settings, some use their own configuration files, most notably apt and git.

Update Your Operating System


Ensure your host system is up to date.

.. tabs::

.. group-tab:: Ubuntu

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo apt-get update
     sudo apt-get upgrade

.. group-tab:: Fedora

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo dnf upgrade

.. group-tab:: Clear Linux

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo swupd update

.. group-tab:: Arch Linux

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo pacman -Syu

.. _linux_requirements:

Install Requirements and Dependencies


.. NOTE FOR DOCS AUTHORS: DO NOT PUT DOCUMENTATION BUILD DEPENDENCIES HERE.

This section is for dependencies to build Zephyr binaries, NOT this documentation. If you need to add a dependency only required for building the docs, add it to doc/README.rst. (This change was made following the introduction of LaTeX->PDF support for the docs, as the texlive footprint is massive and not needed by users not building PDF documentation.)

Note that both Ninja and Make are installed with these instructions; you only need one.

.. tabs::

.. group-tab:: Ubuntu

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo apt-get install --no-install-recommends git cmake ninja-build gperf \
       ccache dfu-util device-tree-compiler wget \
       python3-dev python3-pip python3-setuptools python3-tk python3-wheel xz-utils file \
       make gcc gcc-multilib g++-multilib libsdl2-dev libmagic1

.. group-tab:: Fedora

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo dnf group install development-tools c-development
     sudo dnf install cmake ninja-build gperf dfu-util dtc wget which \
       python3-pip python3-tkinter xz file python3-devel SDL2-devel

.. group-tab:: Clear Linux

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo swupd bundle-add c-basic dev-utils dfu-util dtc \
       os-core-dev python-basic python3-basic python3-tcl

  The Clear Linux focus is on *native* performance and security and not
  cross-compilation. For that reason it uniquely exports by default to the
  :ref:`environment <env_vars>` of all users a list of compiler and linker
  flags. Zephyr's CMake build system will either warn or fail because of
  these. To clear the C/C++ flags among these and fix the Zephyr build, run
  the following command as root then log out and back in:

  .. code-block:: console

     echo 'unset CFLAGS CXXFLAGS' >> /etc/profile.d/unset_cflags.sh

  Note this command unsets the C/C++ flags for *all users on the
  system*. Each Linux distribution has a unique, relatively complex and
  potentially evolving sequence of bash initialization files sourcing each
  other and Clear Linux is no exception. If you need a more flexible
  solution, start by looking at the logic in
  ``/usr/share/defaults/etc/profile``.

.. group-tab:: Arch Linux

  .. code-block:: console

     sudo pacman -S git cmake ninja gperf ccache dfu-util dtc wget \
         python-pip python-setuptools python-wheel tk xz file make which

CMake

A :ref:recent CMake version <install-required-tools> is required. Check what version you have by using cmake --version. If you have an older version, there are several ways of obtaining a more recent one:

  • On Ubuntu, you can follow the instructions for adding the kitware third-party apt repository <https://apt.kitware.com/>_ to get an updated version of cmake using apt.

  • Download and install a packaged cmake from the CMake project site. (Note this won't uninstall the previous version of cmake.)

    .. code-block:: console

    cd ~ wget https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/releases/download/v3.21.1/cmake-3.21.1-Linux-x86_64.sh chmod +x cmake-3.21.1-Linux-x86_64.sh sudo ./cmake-3.21.1-Linux-x86_64.sh --skip-license --prefix=/usr/local hash -r

    The hash -r command may be necessary if the installation script put cmake into a new location on your PATH.

  • Download and install from the pre-built binaries provided by the CMake project itself in the CMake Downloads_ page. For example, to install version 3.21.1 in :file:~/bin/cmake:

    .. code-block:: console

    mkdir $HOME/bin/cmake && cd $HOME/bin/cmake wget https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/releases/download/v3.21.1/cmake-3.21.1-Linux-x86_64.sh yes | sh cmake-3.21.1-Linux-x86_64.sh | cat echo "export PATH=$PWD/cmake-3.21.1-Linux-x86_64/bin:$PATH" >> $HOME/.zephyrrc

  • Use pip3:

    .. code-block:: console

    pip3 install --user cmake

    Note this won't uninstall the previous version of cmake and will install the new cmake into your ~/.local/bin folder so you'll need to add ~/.local/bin to your PATH. (See :ref:python-pip for details.)

  • Check your distribution's beta or unstable release package library for an update.

  • On Ubuntu you can also use snap to get the latest version available:

    .. code-block:: console

    sudo snap install cmake

After updating cmake, verify that the newly installed cmake is found using cmake --version. You might also want to uninstall the CMake provided by your package manager to avoid conflicts. (Use whereis cmake to find other installed versions.)

DTC (Device Tree Compiler)

A :ref:recent DTC version <install-required-tools> is required. Check what version you have by using dtc --version. If you have an older version, either install a more recent one by building from source, or use the one that is bundled in the :ref:Zephyr SDK <toolchain_zephyr_sdk> by installing it.

Python

A :ref:modern Python 3 version <install-required-tools> is required. Check what version you have by using python3 --version.

If you have an older version, you will need to install a more recent Python 3. You can build from source, or use a backport from your distribution's package manager channels if one is available. Isolating this Python in a virtual environment is recommended to avoid interfering with your system Python.

.. _pyenv: https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv

Install the Zephyr Software Development Kit (SDK)


The Zephyr Software Development Kit (SDK) contains toolchains for each of Zephyr's supported architectures. It also includes additional host tools, such as custom QEMU and OpenOCD.

Use of the Zephyr SDK is highly recommended and may even be required under certain conditions (for example, running tests in QEMU for some architectures).

To install the SDK, follow the Linux steps from the :ref:Zephyr SDK installation guide <linux_zephyr_sdk>.

.. _sdkless_builds:

Building on Linux without the Zephyr SDK


The Zephyr SDK is provided for convenience and ease of use. It provides toolchains for all Zephyr target architectures, and does not require any extra flags when building applications or running tests. In addition to cross-compilers, the Zephyr SDK also provides prebuilt host tools. It is, however, possible to build without the SDK's toolchain by using another toolchain as described in the :ref:toolchains section.

As already noted above, the SDK also includes prebuilt host tools. To use the SDK's prebuilt host tools with a toolchain from another source, you must set the :envvar:ZEPHYR_SDK_INSTALL_DIR environment variable to the Zephyr SDK installation directory. To build without the Zephyr SDK's prebuilt host tools, the :envvar:ZEPHYR_SDK_INSTALL_DIR environment variable must be unset.

To make sure this variable is unset, run:

.. code-block:: console

unset ZEPHYR_SDK_INSTALL_DIR

.. _Zephyr SDK Releases: https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/sdk-ng/tags .. _CMake Downloads: https://cmake.org/download