FlexBuild Overview

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.

Build Environment

• 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

Host system requirement

• 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.

Supported distro for target arm64

• Debian-based userland (base, desktop, server)
• Yocto-based userland (tiny, devel)
• Buildroot-based userland (tiny, devel)

Supported platforms

• 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

FlexBuild Usage

$ 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

More info

Please refer to flexbuild_usage, build_and_deploy_distro, nxp_linux_sdk for detailed information.