Android kernel build from source code and from prebuilt

When building android project, we can use prebuilt linux kernel or kernel source code.

About how to add new product in AOSP and android build steps,please refer to Android build tips andAndroid Makefile 具体是 如何识别 TARGET_PRODUCT 变量

I want to use an example to elaborate the build step of a product and how to build kernel.

Example: Add a new flounder device on Nougat. Htc/flounder is already on Nougat, but I want to use different configuration to build it. So I define a new flounder product and add different configurations.

1. Define vendorsetup.sh (device/company/tablet/products/vendorsetup.sh)-------------use print_lunch_menu command to check

add_lunch_combo firetab_flounder-userdebug

2. Define PRODUCT_MAKEFILES in device/company/tablet/products/flounder/AndroidProducts.mk

PRODUCT_MAKEFILES := \
        $(LOCAL_DIR)/firetab_flounder.mk

3. When executing "lunch firetab_flounder-userdebug" command, build system will searching firetab_flounder.mk and execute it.    ----use "make dump-products" to check

In this file, you can define KERNEL_SRC_DIR to provide kernel source code path if you want to build kernel from source code.

You can also define TARGET_PREBUILT_KERNEL to provider prebuilt kernel path if you want to build kernel from prebuilt binary.

# Setup to build custom kernel
KERNEL_CFG_NAME ?= flounder
KERNEL_SRC_DIR ?= kernel/htc/flounder
TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH ?= arm64
KERNEL_OUT_DIR ?= $(PRODUCT_OUT)/linux/kernel ----------------- $(PRODUCT_OUT)=out/target/product/flounder32

# Check for availability of kernel source
ifneq ($(wildcard $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR)/Makefile),)
  # Give precedence to TARGET_PREBUILT_KERNEL
  ifeq ($(TARGET_PREBUILT_KERNEL),)
    TARGET_KERNEL_BUILT_FROM_SOURCE := true
  endif
endif

PRODUCT_NAME := firetab_flounder
PRODUCT_DEVICE := flounder32

# fosmod_nexus_support begin
ifneq ($(TARGET_KERNEL_BUILT_FROM_SOURCE), true)
ifeq ($(TARGET_PREBUILT_KERNEL),)
ifeq ($(USE_SVELTE_KERNEL), true)
LOCAL_KERNEL := device/htc/flounder_svelte-kernel/Image.gz-dtb
else
29LOCAL_KERNEL := device/htc/flounder-kernel/Image.gz-dtb
endif # USE_SVELTE_KERNEL
else
LOCAL_KERNEL := $(TARGET_PREBUILT_KERNEL)
endif
endif # $(TARGET_KERNEL_BUILT_FROM_SOURCE), true)
# fosmod_nexus_support end

In this file, there is another important definition PRODUCT_DEVICE. It determine where to find BoardConfig.mk and AndroidBoard.mk

4. BoardConfig.mk (device/htc/flounder/flounder32/BoardConfig.mk)  ----- use "printconfig" to check

TARGET_CPU_ABI := armeabi-v7a
TARGET_CPU_ABI2 := armeabi
TARGET_ARCH := arm
TARGET_ARCH_VARIANT := armv7-a-neon
TARGET_CPU_VARIANT := cortex-a15

TARGET_2ND_ARCH :=
TARGET_2ND_ARCH_VARIANT :=
TARGET_2ND_CPU_ABI :=
TARGET_2ND_CPU_ABI2 :=
TARGET_2ND_CPU_VARIANT :=

5. AndroidBoard.mk (device/htc/flounder/flounder32/AndroidBoard.mk)

include $(LOCAL_PATH)/../AndroidKernel.mk

6. AndroidKernel.mk (device/htc/flounder/AndroidKernel.mk)  ----------  build from source code

ifeq ($(TARGET_KERNEL_BUILT_FROM_SOURCE),true)

# Force using bash as a shell, otherwise, on Ubuntu, dash will break some
# dependency due to its bad handling of echo \1
MAKE += SHELL=/bin/bash

ifeq ($(KERNEL_CFG_NAME),)
$(error cannot build kernel, config not specified)
endif

ifeq ($(KERNEL_OUT_DIR),)
$(error cannot build kernel, no out dir specficied)
endif

KERNEL_TOOLCHAIN_ARCH := arm64

KERNEL_EXTRA_FLAGS := ANDROID_TOOLCHAIN_FLAGS="-mno-android -Werror"
KERNEL_CROSS_COMP := aarch64-linux-android-

KERNEL_CCACHE :=$(firstword $(TARGET_CC))
KERNEL_PATH := $(ANDROID_BUILD_TOP)/prebuilts/gcc/linux-x86/aarch64/aarch64-linux-android-4.9/bin
ifeq ($(notdir $(KERNEL_CCACHE)),ccache)
KERNEL_CROSS_COMP := "ccache $(KERNEL_CROSS_COMP)"
KERNEL_PATH := $(KERNEL_PATH):$(ANDROID_BUILD_TOP)/$(dir $(KERNEL_CCACHE))
endif

#remove time_macros from ccache options, it breaks signing process
KERNEL_CCSLOP := $(filter-out time_macros,$(subst $(comma), ,$(CCACHE_SLOPPINESS)))
KERNEL_CCSLOP := $(subst $(space),$(comma),$(KERNEL_CCSLOP))

KERNEL_CONFIG := $(KERNEL_OUT_DIR)/.config
KERNEL_SAVE_DEFCONFIG := $(KERNEL_OUT_DIR)/defconfig
KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS := \
    ARCH=$(TARGET_KERNEL_ARCH) \
    $(KERNEL_EXTRA_FLAGS)

KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS :=$(KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS) \
     O=../../../$(KERNEL_OUT_DIR) \

KERNEL_BLD_ENV := CROSS_COMPILE=$(KERNEL_CROSS_COMP) \
    PATH=$(KERNEL_PATH):$(PATH) \
    CCACHE_SLOPPINESS=$(KERNEL_CCSLOP)

KERNEL_DEFCONFIG ?= $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR)/arch/arm64/configs/$(KERNEL_CFG_NAME)_defconfig
KERNEL_VERSION_FILE := $(KERNEL_OUT_DIR)/include/config/kernel.release
KERNEL_BZIMAGE := $(PRODUCT_OUT)/kernel

$(KERNEL_CONFIG): $(KERNEL_DEFCONFIG)
	$(hide) echo Regenerating kernel config $(KERNEL_OUT_DIR)
	$(hide) mkdir -p $(KERNEL_OUT_DIR)
	$(hide) $(KERNEL_BLD_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR) $(KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS) $(notdir $(KERNEL_DEFCONFIG))

ifeq (,$(filter build_kernel-nodeps,$(MAKECMDGOALS)))
$(KERNEL_BZIMAGE): $(MINIGZIP)
endif

$(KERNEL_BZIMAGE): $(KERNEL_CONFIG)
	$(hide) $(KERNEL_BLD_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR) $(KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS)
	$(hide) cp -f $(KERNEL_OUT_DIR)/arch/arm64/boot/Image.gz-dtb $@

clean_kernel:
	$(hide) $(KERNEL_BLD_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR) $(KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS) clean

menuconfig xconfig gconfig: $(KERNEL_CONFIG)
	$(hide) $(KERNEL_BLD_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR) $(KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS) $@
	$(hide) $(KERNEL_BLD_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR) $(KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS) savedefconfig
	$(hide) cp -f $(KERNEL_SAVE_DEFCONFIG) $(KERNEL_DEFCONFIG)
	$(hide) echo ===========
	$(hide) echo $(KERNEL_DEFCONFIG) has been modified !
	$(hide) echo ===========

TAGS_files := TAGS
tags_files := tags
gtags_files := GTAGS GPATH GRTAGS GSYMS
cscope_files := $(addprefix cscope.,files out out.in out.po)

TAGS tags gtags cscope: $(KERNEL_CONFIG)
	$(hide) $(KERNEL_BLD_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR) $(KERNEL_BLD_FLAGS) $@
	$(hide) rm -f $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR)/$($@_files)
	$(hide) cp -fs $(addprefix `pwd`/$(KERNEL_OUT_DIR)/,$($@_files)) $(KERNEL_SRC_DIR)/


define build_kernel_module
$(error Use of external Kernel modules is not allowed)
endef

.PHONY: menuconfig xconfig gconfig
.PHONY: $(KERNEL_BZIMAGE)------------------ target passed from build/core/Makefile INSTALLED_KERNEL_TARGET
.PHONY: build_kernel build_kernel-nodeps

$(PRODUCT_OUT)/boot.img: build_kernel --------------------  pack KERNEL_BZIMAGE into boot.img in build/core/Makefile
endif #TARGET_KERNEL_BUILT_FROM_SOURCE

7. build from prebuilt binary

ifneq ($(LOCAL_KERNEL),)
PRODUCT_COPY_FILES += $(LOCAL_KERNEL):kernel
endif