Linux kernel development using Eclipse/CDT and QEMU

Steps to build, install and run Linux kernel using QEMU.

• Download Linux kernel tree

$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git linux-2.6.git

• Update Linux kernel tree

$ cd linux-2.6.git
$ git pull

• Prepare to build Linux kernel by reusing old Linux kernel config

$ cp /boot/config-`uname -r` .config
$ make oldconfig

• View Linux kernel config

$ make menuconfig

• Build Linux kernel

$ make

• Install Linux kernel modules

$ make modules_install

• Install Linux kernel

$ make install

• Build initial ramdisk

$ update-initramfs -k 2.6 -c

• Update GRUB

$ update-grub

• Browse source code

$ cscope -Rk

• Run new Linux kernel in QEMU

$ qemu -kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6 -initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6 -hda /dev/zero -m 1024

• In QEMU, enter Ctrl+Alt+2 to get into QEMU monitor

• To check everything is ok
  

(qemu) info status

Steps to build and run Linux kernel using Eclipse/CDT and QEMU

• Install Eclipse/CDT and disable indexer
  

• Create new C Makefile project with default location pointing to linux-2.6

• Build Linux kernel in Eclipse

• Configure Eclipse debugger to use C/C++ application as vmlinuz, stop on startup at start_kernel(), use gdbserver with connection type tcp/1234
  

• Run QEMU with GDB-stub

$ qemu -S -s -kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6 -hda /dev/zero -m 1024

• Run Linux kernel in Eclipse

• Debug in Eclipse will stop at start_kernel