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diff --git a/docs/nspr/platforms.rst b/docs/nspr/platforms.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..6e251a4d71 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/nspr/platforms.rst @@ -0,0 +1,145 @@ +NSPR platforms +============== + +Build System and Supported Platforms +------------------------------------ + +NSPR has been implemented on over 20 platforms. A platform may have +more than one implementation strategy of its multi threading and I/O +facilities. This article explains the NSPR build system and how to +specify a particular implementation strategy, compiler or compiler +switches, or the target OS for your build on each platform. + +Implementation Strategies +------------------------- + +Threads are at the core of NSPR, and the I/O functions are tied to the +multi threading facilities because many I/O functions may block the +calling threads. NSPR has multiple implementation strategies of its +multi threading and I/O functions. The various implementation strategies +can be organized into the hierarchy below: + +- **Classic NSPR** (This is our first code base, hence the term + "classic NSPR"): + +**Local threads only**: All threads are user-level threads implemented +by NSPR. +**Global threads only**: All threads are native threads supplied by the +OS vendor. For example, Solaris UI (Unix International) threads and +Win32 threads. +**Combined**: NSPR multiplexes user-level threads on top of native, +kernel-level threads. This is also called the MxN model. At present, +there are three implementations of the combined model. + +- IRIX: sprocs + NSPR user-level threads +- Windows NT: Win32 threads + NT fibers +- **Pthreads-user**: kernel-level pthreads + NSPR user-level threads + +**Pthreads**: All threads are pthreads. The relevant code is in +``mozilla/nsprpub/pr/src/pthreads`` (threads and I/O). +Classic NSPR and pthreads have relatively disjoint code bases in the +threads and I/O areas: + +- Classic NSPR: ``mozilla/nsprpub/pr/src/threads/combined`` (threads), + ``mozilla/nsprpub/pr/src/io`` (I/O) +- Pthreads: ``mozilla/nsprpub/pr/src/pthreads`` (threads and I/O) + +Note that some files under ``mozilla/nsprpub/pr/src/io`` are shared by +both classic NSPR and pthreads. Consult +``mozilla/nsprpub/pr/src/Makefile`` for the definitive list of files +used by each implementation strategy (see the definition of the makefile +variable ``OBJS``). + +Compilers +--------- + +For ease of integration with third-party libraries, which may use native +threads, NSPR uses the native threads whenever possible. As a result, +native compilers are used to build NSPR on most platforms because they +have better debugging support for native threads. The only exception is +Solaris, where both cc and gcc are used. + +NSPR Build System +----------------- + +NSPR build system is based on GNU make. +We use GNU make 3.74 on Unix, but our makefiles should +work fine under newer versions of GNU make. + +Every directory in NSPR has a makefile named ``Makefile``, which +includes the makefile fragments in ``mozilla/nsprpub/config``. NSPR +makefiles implement the common Makefile targets such as +``export``, ``libs``, and ``install``. However, some makefiles targets +are no-op in NSPR because they are not necessary for NSPR. + +To build NSPR, change directory to the root of our source tree +``cd mozilla/nsprpub`` +and then issue the command +``gmake`` +Make will recursively go into all the subdirectories and the right +things will happen. + +The table below lists the common NSPR makefile targets. + ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``all`` | The default target. Same as | +| | ``export`` ``libs`` ``install``. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``export`` | Do a complete build. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``libs`` | No-op. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``install`` | No-op. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``depend`` | No-op. **This means that NSPR | +| | makefiles do not have header file | +| | dependencies.** | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``clean`` | Remove ``.o`` files. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``clobber`` | Remove ``.o`` files, libraries, | +| | and executable programs. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``realclean`` | Remove all generated files and | +| | directories. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``clobber_all`` | Same as ``realclean``. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ + +The table below lists common makefile variables that one can specify +on the command line to customize a build.. + ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``BUILD_OPT`` | Optimized build (default: debug | +| | build). | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``OS_TARGET`` | Set to the target OS (``WIN95`` | +| | or ``WIN16``) when doing | +| | cross-compilation on NT (default: | +| | same as the host OS). | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``NS_USE_GCC`` | Use gcc and g++ (default: native | +| | compilers). | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``USE_PTHREADS`` | Build pthreads version. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``CLASSIC_NSPR`` | Build classic NSPR version | +| | (usually local threads only). | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``PTHREADS_USER`` | Build pthreads-user version. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``LOCAL_THREADS_ONLY`` | Build local threads only version. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``USE_DEBUG_RTL`` | On Win32, compile with ``/MDd`` | +| | in the debug build (default: | +| | ``/MD``). Optimized build always | +| | uses ``/MD``. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``USE_N32`` | On IRIX, compile with ``-n32`` | +| | (default: ``-32``). | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``USE_IPV6`` | Enable IPv6. | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ +| ``MOZILLA_CLIENT`` | Adjust NSPR build system for | +| | Netscape Client (mozilla). | ++-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ |