FlexBuild is a component-oriented lightweight build system with capabilities of flexible, ease-to-use, scalable system build and distro deployment.
Users can use flexbuild to easily build Debian-based RootFS, linux kernel, BSP components and miscellaneous userspace applications (e.g. graphics, multimedia, networking, connectivity, security, AI/ML, etc) against Debian-based library dependencies to streamline the system build with efficient CI/CD.
With flex-installer, users also can easily install various distro to target storage device (SD/eMMC card or USB/SATA disk) on target board or on host machine.
- Cross-build in Debian Docker container hosted on Ubuntu or any other distro host machine for arm64 target
- Cross-build on x86 host machine running Debian 12 for arm64 target
- Native-build on ARM board running Debian for arm64 target
- Debian 12 host Refer to host_requirement
- Ubuntu LTS host (e.g. 22.04, 20.04) on which Docker Engine is running Refer to docker-setup
- If other distro version is installed on your host machine, you can run 'bld docker' to create a Debian 12 docker and build it in docker.
- Debian-based userland (base, desktop, server)
- Yocto-based userland (tiny, devel)
- Buildroot-based userland (tiny, devel)
-
iMX platform:
imx6qpsabresd, imx6qsabresd, imx6sllevk, imx7ulpevk, imx8mmevk, imx8mnevk, imx8mpevk,
imx8mqevk, imx8qmmek, imx8qxpmek, imx8ulpevk, imx93evk, etc -
Layerscape platform:
ls1012ardb, ls1012afrwy, ls1021atwr, ls1028ardb, ls1043ardb, ls1046ardb, ls1046afrwy,
ls1088ardb, ls2088ardb, ls2160ardb, lx2162aqds, etc
$ cd flexbuild
$ . setup.env
$ bld docker (create or attach a docker container)
$ . setup.env
$ bld -h
Usage: bld -m <machine>
or bld <target> [ <option> ]
Most used example with automated build:
bld -m imx8mpevk # automatically build BSP + kernel + NXP-specific apps + Debian RootFS for imx8mpevk platform
bld -m lx2160ardb # same as above, for lx2160ardb platform
bld auto -p IMX (or -p LS) # same as above, for all arm64 iMX (or Layerscape) platforms
Most used example with separate command:
bld bsp -m imx8mpevk # generate BSP composite firmware (including atf, u-boot, optee_os, kernel, dtb, peripheral firmware, tiny rootfs)
bld rfs -r debian:desktop # generate Debian-based desktop rootfs (with more graphics/multimedia packages for Desktop)
bld rfs -r debian:server # generate Debian-based server rootfs (with more server related packages, no GUI Desktop)
bld rfs -r debian:base # generate Debian-based base rootfs (small footprint with base packages)
bld rfs -r poky:tiny # generate poky-based arm64 tiny rootfs
bld rfs -r buildroot:tiny # generate Buildroot-based arm64 tiny rootfs
bld itb -r debian:base # generate sdk_debian_base_IMX_arm64.itb including kernel, dtb and rootfs_debian_base_arm64.cpio.gz
bld linux [ -p IMX|LS] # compile linux kernel for all arm64 IMX or LS machines
bld atf -m lx2160rdb -b sd # compile atf image for SD boot on lx2160ardb
bld boot [ -p IMX|LS ] # generate boot partition tarball (including kernel,dtb,modules,distro bootscript) for iMX/LS machines
bld apps -r debian:server -p LS # compile NXP-specific apps against the library dependencies of Debian server rootfs for LS machines
bld ml # compile NXP-specific eIQ AI/ML components against the library dependencies of Debian rootfs
bld merge-apps # merge NXP-specific apps into target Debian rootfs
bld packrfs # pack and compress target rootfs as rootfs_xx.tar.zst
bld packapps # pack and compress target app components as app_components_xx.tar.zst
bld repo-fetch [ <component> ] # fetch git repository of all or specified component from remote repos if not exist locally
bld docker # create or attach docker container to build in docker
bld clean # clean all obsolete firmware/linux/apps image except distro rootfs
bld clean-rfs -r debian:server # clean target debian-based server arm64 rootfs
bld clean-bsp # clean obsolete bsp image
bld clean-linux # clean obsolete linux image
bld list # list enabled machines and supported various components
Please refer to flexbuild_usage, build_and_deploy_distro, nxp_linux_sdk for detailed information.