X-Git-Url: https://git.librecmc.org/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=README;h=afd91b46a6268256bab4734addcd139cf7df5883;hb=8042f65398adafbe7931646b0d8833f7b650d010;hp=7d4e0f30404e4ed19a84c136d20261787832151d;hpb=cc8ed39b240180b58810784f844e253263594ac3;p=oweals%2Fbusybox.git diff --git a/README b/README index 7d4e0f304..afd91b46a 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -1,27 +1,149 @@ Please see the LICENSE file for copyright information. + +BusyBox combines tiny versions of many common UNIX utilities into a single +small executable. It provides minimalist replacements for most of the utilities +you usually find in fileutils, shellutils, findutils, textutils, grep, gzip, +tar, etc. BusyBox provides a fairly complete POSIX environment for any small or +embedded system. The utilities in BusyBox generally have fewer options than +their full featured GNU cousins; however, the options that are included provide +the expected functionality and behave very much like their GNU counterparts. -Busybox is a multicall binary used to provide a minimal subset of -POSIX style commands and specialized functions. +BusyBox has been written with size-optimization and limited resources in mind. +It is also extremely modular so you can easily include or exclude commands (or +features) at compile time. This makes it easy to customize your embedded +systems. To create a working system, just add /dev, /etc, and a kernel. -It is geared toward 'mini-systems' like boot floppies. Specifically -it is used in the Debian Rescue/Install system (which caused the -original busybox to be made), the Linux Router Project, and others. +BusyBox was originally written to support the Debian Rescue/Install disks, but +it also makes an excellent environment for any small or embedded system. -As of version 0.20 there is a version number. : ) -Also as of version 0.20, BB is modularized to allow an easy build of -only the BB parts you need, to reduce binary size. +As of version 0.20 there is now a version number. : ) Also as of version 0.20, +BusyBox is now modularized to easily allow you to build only the components you +need, thereby reducing binary size. To turn off unwanted BusyBox components, +simply edit the file "Config.h" and comment out the components you do not need +using C++ style (//) comments. -Edit the file busybox.def.h and comment out the parts you do not need -using C++ comments (//) +After the build is complete, a busybox.links file is generated. This is +used by 'make install' to create symlinks to the busybox binary for all +compiled in functions. By default, 'make install' will place the symlink +forest into `pwd`/_install unless you have defined the PREFIX environment +variable (i.e., 'make PREFIX=/tmp/foo install') -After the build is complete a busybox.links file is generated to allow -you to easily make the sym/hard links to the busybox binary. +---------------- + +Supported architectures: -Note the modular system is Makefile based, and purposly very -simplistic. It does no dependency checking. That is left for you -to figure out by trial and error. + Busybox in general will build on any architecture supported by gcc. It has + a few specialized features added for __sparc__ and __alpha__. insmod + functionality is currently limited to x86, ARM, SH3/4, powerpc, m68k, + MIPS, and v850e. + +Supported libcs: + + glibc-2.0.x, glibc-2.1.x, glibc-2.2.x, Linux-libc5, uClibc. People + are looking at newlib and diet-libc, but consider them unsupported, + untested, or worse. + +Supported kernels: + + Full functionality requires Linux 2.0.x, 2.2.x, or 2.4.x. A large fraction + of the code should run on just about anything. + +---------------- + +Shells: + +lash is the very smallest shell (adds just 10k) and it is quite usable as +a command prompt, but it is not suitable for any but the most trivial +scripting (such as an initrd that calls insmod a few times) since it does +not understand Bourne shell grammer. It does handle pipes, redirects, and +job control though. Adding in command editing makes it a very nice +lightweight command prompt. + +hush is also quite small (just 18k) and it has very complete Bourne shell +grammer. It handles if/then/else/fi just fine, but doesn't handle loops +like for/do/done or case/esac and such. It also currently has a problem +with job control. Using hush is not yet recommended. + +msh: The minix shell (adds just 30k) is quite complete and handles things +like for/do/done, case/esac and all the things you expect a Bourne shell to +do. It is not always pedantically correct about Bourne shell grammer (try +running the shell testscript "tests/sh.testcases" on it and compare vs bash) +but for most things it works quite well. It also uses only vfork, so it can +be used on uClinux systems. This was only recently added, so there is still +room to shrink it further... + +ash: This adds about 60k in the default configuration and is the most +complete and most pedantically correct shell included with busybox. This +shell was also recently added, and several people (mainly Vladimir and Erik) +have been working on it. There are a number of configurable things at the +top of ash.c as well, so check those out if you want to tweak things. + +---------------- + +Getting help: + +When you find you need help, you can check out the BusyBox mailing list +archives at http://busybox.net/lists/busybox/ or even join +the mailing list if you are interested. + +---------------- + +Bugs: + +If you find bugs, please submit a bug report. Full instructions on how to +report a bug are found at http://bugs.busybox.net/Reporting.html. + +For the impatient: To submit a bug, simply send an email describing the problem +to submit@bugs.busybox.net. Bug reports should look something like this: + + To: submit@bugs.busybox.net + From: diligent@testing.linux.org + Subject: /bin/true doesn't work + + Package: busybox + Version: 0.51 + + When I invoke '/bin/true' it doesn't work. I expected it to return + a "0" but it returned a "1" instead. Here is the transcript: + $ /bin/true ; echo $? + 1 + With GNU /bin/true, I get the following output: + $ /bin/true ; echo $? + 0 + I am using Debian 2.2r2, kernel version 2.2.18, and the latest + uClibc from CVS. Thanks for the wonderful program! + -Diligent + +Note the careful description and use of examples showing not only what BusyBox +does, but also a counter example showing what an equivalent GNU app does. Bug +reports lacking such detail may take a _long_ time to be fixed... Thanks for +understanding. + +---------------- + +FTP: + +Source for the latest released version, as well as daily snapshots, can always +be downloaded from + http://busybox.net/downloads/ + +---------------- + +CVS: + +BusyBox now has its own publicly browsable CVS tree at: + http://busybox.net/cgi-bin/cvsweb/busybox/ + +Anonymous CVS access is available. For instructions, check out: + http://busybox.net/cvs_anon.html + +For those that are actively contributing there is even CVS write access: + http://busybox.net/cvs_write.html + +---------------- + +Please feed suggestions, bug reports, insults, and bribes back to: + Erik Andersen + + -Please feed patches back to: - Dave Cinege -and: - Enrique Zanardi