Building Abanu

Abanu can be build platform independent. However, we support primary an unix build environment. For Windows Users, we offer a Step by Step guide.

Building on Linux

You need some packages:

  • git version control system
  • build-essential Build tools
  • wget for downloading additional ressorces
  • nasm Assembler
  • mtools Creating FAT disk images
  • grub-* for creating boot images with bootloader. It will not affect your current system. We need the binaries for the disk creation.
  • xorriso Disk creation

You can install them all via:

sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends git get nasm qemu-system-x86 mtools xorriso grub-common grub-pc-bin grub-efi-amd64-bin grub-efi-ia32-bin

If you want to debug Abanu, you also need gdb.

Download and build:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/abanu-org/abanu.git
cd abanu
make

To run the kernel, just execute ./abctl run qemu x86-grub-vbe. To debug the kernel, run ./abctl debug qemu-kernel

Building on Windows

The Quick way

If you want only start run Abanu, just get the sources, open Abanu.sln in Visual Studio, compile whole solution launch the default project (Abanu.Tools.Build). However, this is only a shortcut. If you want debug Abanu, you may need the following steps.

Install the Windows Subsystem for Linux

Before installing any Linux distros for WSL, you must ensure that the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” optional feature is enabled:

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux
  1. Restart your computer when prompted.

Visit Microsoft App Store, and Download the App Debian

Populate the Debian System with Packages:

# run as root
apt-get update && apt-get install -y wget
wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/abanu-org/abanu/master/build/debian/install | bash -s

This will take a while. After that, you have a fully featured build environment.

Enabling Graphical Unix Applications

To launch graphical applications like Geany or Qalculate, you need XLaunch / VcXsrv Windows X Server. We can do this all via command line:

In Windows, install the packet manager chocolatey. Open a PowerShell with Administrator rights and run:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Install the package VcXsrv:

choco install -y vcxsrv

You can launch now XLaunch from Start menu. Simply follow the wizard without making changes.

Open the Debian app and finish the install instructions. When command prompt is ready, start a dedicated Terminal:

export DISPLAY=:0 && xfce4-terminal &

Now you can run unix applications even with graphical user interface.

Additional Tools for Windows:

choco install -y git

Share project directory

Because Visual Studio cannot open projects via \\$wsl, you have to place the files on the windows drive and link that folder to the WSL home folder. Run this commands in a WSL/Debian bash shell:

# specify root folder for projects.
WINPROJDIR=$(cmd.exe /C "echo|set /p=%USERPROFILE%")/Documents/abanu-org
# normalize windows path
WINPROJDIR=$(wslpath -w $(wslpath -u $WINPROJDIR))
# create the windows project root
cmd.exe /C mkdir $WINPROJDIR
# create symbolic link
ln -s $(wslpath -u $WINPROJDIR) ~/
# Switch to new directory
cd ~/abanu-org

Now /home/<user>/abanu-org and C:\Users\<user>\Documents\abanu-org points to the same directory.

Download and build Abanu

git clone --recursive https://github.com/abanu-org/abanu.git
cd abanu
./abctl configure packages
./abctl build all

Now you can run abanu in qemu:

./abctl debug qemu-kernel