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Revision 1.2 by root, Mon Dec 6 20:53:44 2010 UTC vs.
Revision 1.35 by root, Thu Feb 10 22:44:29 2011 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3staticperl - perl, libc, 50 modules all in one 500kb file 3staticperl - perl, libc, 100 modules, all in one 500kb file
4 4
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 5=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 6
7 staticperl help # print the embedded documentation 7 staticperl help # print the embedded documentation
8 staticperl fetch # fetch and unpack perl sources 8 staticperl fetch # fetch and unpack perl sources
14 staticperl cpan # invoke CPAN shell 14 staticperl cpan # invoke CPAN shell
15 staticperl instmod path... # install unpacked modules 15 staticperl instmod path... # install unpacked modules
16 staticperl instcpan modulename... # install modules from CPAN 16 staticperl instcpan modulename... # install modules from CPAN
17 staticperl mkbundle <bundle-args...> # see documentation 17 staticperl mkbundle <bundle-args...> # see documentation
18 staticperl mkperl <bundle-args...> # see documentation 18 staticperl mkperl <bundle-args...> # see documentation
19 staticperl mkapp appname <bundle-args...> # see documentation
19 20
20Typical Examples: 21Typical Examples:
21 22
22 staticperl install # fetch, configure, build and install perl 23 staticperl install # fetch, configure, build and install perl
23 staticperl cpan # run interactive cpan shell 24 staticperl cpan # run interactive cpan shell
24 staticperl mkperl -M '"Config_heavy.pl"' # build a perl that supports -V 25 staticperl mkperl -M '"Config_heavy.pl"' # build a perl that supports -V
25 staticperl mkperl -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI -MURI::http 26 staticperl mkperl -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI -MURI::http
26 # build a perl with the above modules linked in 27 # build a perl with the above modules linked in
28 staticperl mkapp myapp --boot mainprog mymodules
29 # build a binary "myapp" from mainprog and mymodules
27 30
28=head1 DESCRIPTION 31=head1 DESCRIPTION
29 32
30This script helps you creating single-file perl interpreters, or embedding 33This script helps you to create single-file perl interpreters
31a pelr interpreter in your apps. Single-file means that it is fully 34or applications, or embedding a perl interpreter in your
32self-contained - no separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, no .pm 35applications. Single-file means that it is fully self-contained - no
36separate shared objects, no autoload fragments, no .pm or .pl files are
33or .pl files are needed. And when linking statically, you can create (or 37needed. And when linking statically, you can create (or embed) a single
34embed) a single file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all the modules 38file that contains perl interpreter, libc, all the modules you need, all
35you need and all the libraries you need. 39the libraries you need and of course your actual program.
36 40
37With uclibc and upx on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary that 41With F<uClibc> and F<upx> on x86, you can create a single 500kb binary
38contains perl and 50 modules such as AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO, Coro and so 42that contains perl and 100 modules such as POSIX, AnyEvent, EV, IO::AIO,
39on. Or any other choice of modules. 43Coro and so on. Or any other choice of modules.
40 44
45To see how this turns out, you can try out smallperl and bigperl, two
46pre-built static and compressed perl binaries with many and even more
47modules: just follow the links at L<http://staticperl.schmorp.de/>.
48
41The created files do not need write access to the filesystem (like PAR 49The created files do not need write access to the file system (like PAR
42does). In fact, since this script is in many ways similar to PAR::Packer, 50does). In fact, since this script is in many ways similar to PAR::Packer,
43here are the differences: 51here are the differences:
44 52
45=over 4 53=over 4
46 54
63=item * The generated executables don't need a writable filesystem. 71=item * The generated executables don't need a writable filesystem.
64 72
65F<staticperl> loads all required files directly from memory. There is no 73F<staticperl> loads all required files directly from memory. There is no
66need to unpack files into a temporary directory. 74need to unpack files into a temporary directory.
67 75
68=item * More control over included files. 76=item * More control over included files, more burden.
69 77
70PAR tries to be maintainance and hassle-free - it tries to include more files 78PAR tries to be maintenance and hassle-free - it tries to include more
71than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. The extra files 79files than necessary to make sure everything works out of the box. It
80mostly succeeds at this, but he extra files (such as the unicode database)
72(such as the unicode database) can take substantial amounts of memory and filesize. 81can take substantial amounts of memory and file size.
73 82
74With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct 83With F<staticperl>, the burden is mostly with the developer - only direct
75compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically. 84compile-time dependencies and L<AutoLoader> are handled automatically.
76This means the modules to include often need to be tweaked manually. 85This means the modules to include often need to be tweaked manually.
86
87All this does not preclude more permissive modes to be implemented in
88the future, but right now, you have to resolve state hidden dependencies
89manually.
77 90
78=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not. 91=item * PAR works out of the box, F<staticperl> does not.
79 92
80Maintaining your own custom perl build can be a pain in the ass, and while 93Maintaining your own custom perl build can be a pain in the ass, and while
81F<staticperl> tries to make this easy, it still requires a custom perl 94F<staticperl> tries to make this easy, it still requires a custom perl
82build and possibly fiddling with some modules. PAR is likely to produce 95build and possibly fiddling with some modules. PAR is likely to produce
83results faster. 96results faster.
84 97
98Ok, PAR never has worked for me out of the box, and for some people,
99F<staticperl> does work out of the box, as they don't count "fiddling with
100module use lists" against it, but nevertheless, F<staticperl> is certainly
101a bit more difficult to use.
102
85=back 103=back
86 104
87=head1 HOW DOES IT WORK? 105=head1 HOW DOES IT WORK?
88 106
89Simple: F<staticperl> downloads, compile and installs a perl version of 107Simple: F<staticperl> downloads, compile and installs a perl version of
90your choice in F<~/.staticperl>. You can add extra modules either by 108your choice in F<~/.staticperl>. You can add extra modules either by
91letting F<staticperl> install them for you automatically, or by using CPAN 109letting F<staticperl> install them for you automatically, or by using CPAN
92and doing it interactively. This usually takes 5-10 minutes, depending on 110and doing it interactively. This usually takes 5-10 minutes, depending on
93the speed of your computer and your internet conenction. 111the speed of your computer and your internet connection.
94 112
95It is possible to do program development at this stage, too. 113It is possible to do program development at this stage, too.
96 114
97Afterwards, you create a list of files and modules you want to include, 115Afterwards, you create a list of files and modules you want to include,
98and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normla perl 116and then either build a new perl binary (that acts just like a normal perl
99except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C 117except everything is compiled in), or you create bundle files (basically C
100sources you can use to embed all files into your project). 118sources you can use to embed all files into your project).
101 119
102This step is very fast (a few seconds if PPI is not used for stripping, 120This step is very fast (a few seconds if PPI is not used for stripping, or
103more seconds otherwise, as PPI is very slow), and can be tweaked and 121the stripped files are in the cache), and can be tweaked and repeated as
104repeated as often as necessary. 122often as necessary.
105 123
106=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT 124=head1 THE F<STATICPERL> SCRIPT
107 125
108This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl 126This module installs a script called F<staticperl> into your perl
109binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be used 127binary directory. The script is fully self-contained, and can be
110without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In fact, 128used without perl (for example, in an uClibc chroot environment). In
111it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution tarball as 129fact, it can be extracted from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution
112F<bin/staticperl>, without any installation. 130tarball as F<bin/staticperl>, without any installation. The
131newest (possibly alpha) version can also be downloaded from
132L<http://staticperl.schmorp.de/staticperl>.
113 133
114F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute, 134F<staticperl> interprets the first argument as a command to execute,
115optionally followed by any parameters. 135optionally followed by any parameters.
116 136
117There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with 137There are two command categories: the "phase 1" commands which deal with
127 147
128The command 148The command
129 149
130 staticperl install 150 staticperl install
131 151
132Is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in 152is normally all you need: It installs the perl interpreter in
133F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the 153F<~/.staticperl/perl>. It downloads, configures, builds and installs the
134perl interpreter if required. 154perl interpreter if required.
135 155
136Most of the following commands simply run one or more steps of this 156Most of the following F<staticperl> subcommands simply run one or more
137sequence. 157steps of this sequence.
138 158
159If it fails, then most commonly because the compiler options I selected
160are not supported by your compiler - either edit the F<staticperl> script
161yourself or create F<~/.staticperl> shell script where your set working
162C<PERL_CCFLAGS> etc. variables.
163
139To force recompilation or reinstalaltion, you need to run F<staticperl 164To force recompilation or reinstallation, you need to run F<staticperl
140distclean> first. 165distclean> first.
141 166
142=over 4 167=over 4
168
169=item F<staticperl version>
170
171Prints some info about the version of the F<staticperl> script you are using.
143 172
144=item F<staticperl fetch> 173=item F<staticperl fetch>
145 174
146Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened. 175Runs only the download and unpack phase, unless this has already happened.
147 176
154Builds the configured perl sources, potentially after automatically 183Builds the configured perl sources, potentially after automatically
155configuring them. 184configuring them.
156 185
157=item F<staticperl install> 186=item F<staticperl install>
158 187
159Wipes the perl installation directory (usually F<~/.staticperl/perl>) and installs 188Wipes the perl installation directory (usually F<~/.staticperl/perl>) and
160the perl distribution, potentially aftering building it first. 189installs the perl distribution, potentially after building it first.
161 190
162=item F<staticperl cpan> [args...] 191=item F<staticperl cpan> [args...]
163 192
164Starts an interactive CPAN shell that you cna use to install further 193Starts an interactive CPAN shell that you can use to install further
165modules. Installs the perl first if neccessary, but apart from that, 194modules. Installs the perl first if necessary, but apart from that,
166no magic is involved: you could just as well run it manually via 195no magic is involved: you could just as well run it manually via
167F<~/.staticperl/perl/bin/cpan>. 196F<~/.staticperl/perl/bin/cpan>.
168 197
169Any additional arguments are simply passed to the F<cpan> command. 198Any additional arguments are simply passed to the F<cpan> command.
170 199
177 staticperl instcpan EV AnyEvent::HTTPD Coro 206 staticperl instcpan EV AnyEvent::HTTPD Coro
178 207
179=item F<staticperl instsrc> directory... 208=item F<staticperl instsrc> directory...
180 209
181In the unlikely case that you have unpacked perl modules around and want 210In the unlikely case that you have unpacked perl modules around and want
182to install from these instead of from CPAN, you cna do this using this 211to install from these instead of from CPAN, you can do this using this
183command by specifying all the directories with modules in them that you 212command by specifying all the directories with modules in them that you
184want to have built. 213want to have built.
185 214
186=item F<staticperl clean> 215=item F<staticperl clean>
187 216
188Runs F<make distclean> in the perl source directory (and potentially 217Deletes the perl source directory (and potentially cleans up other
189cleans up other intermediate files). This can be used to clean up 218intermediate files). This can be used to clean up files only needed for
190intermediate files without removing the installed perl interpreter. 219building perl, without removing the installed perl interpreter.
220
221At the moment, it doesn't delete downloaded tarballs.
222
223The exact semantics of this command will probably change.
191 224
192=item F<staticperl distclean> 225=item F<staticperl distclean>
193 226
194This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this, 227This wipes your complete F<~/.staticperl> directory. Be careful with this,
195it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any 228it nukes your perl download, perl sources, perl distribution and any
210In the oh so unlikely case of something not working here, you 243In the oh so unlikely case of something not working here, you
211can run the script manually as well (by default it is written to 244can run the script manually as well (by default it is written to
212F<~/.staticperl/mkbundle>). 245F<~/.staticperl/mkbundle>).
213 246
214F<mkbundle> is a more conventional command and expect the argument 247F<mkbundle> is a more conventional command and expect the argument
215syntax commonly used on unix clones. For example, this command builds 248syntax commonly used on UNIX clones. For example, this command builds
216a new F<perl> binary and includes F<Config.pm> (for F<perl -V>), 249a new F<perl> binary and includes F<Config.pm> (for F<perl -V>),
217F<AnyEvent::HTTPD>, F<URI> and a custom F<httpd> script (from F<eg/httpd> 250F<AnyEvent::HTTPD>, F<URI> and a custom F<httpd> script (from F<eg/httpd>
218in this distribution): 251in this distribution):
219 252
220 # first make sure we have perl and the required modules 253 # first make sure we have perl and the required modules
229 ./perl -Mhttpd 262 ./perl -Mhttpd
230 263
231As you can see, things are not quite as trivial: the L<Config> module has 264As you can see, things are not quite as trivial: the L<Config> module has
232a hidden dependency which is not even a perl module (F<Config_heavy.pl>), 265a hidden dependency which is not even a perl module (F<Config_heavy.pl>),
233L<AnyEvent> needs at least one event loop backend that we have to 266L<AnyEvent> needs at least one event loop backend that we have to
234specifymanually (here L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>), and the F<URI> module 267specify manually (here L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>), and the F<URI> module
235(required by L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>) implements various URI schemes as extra 268(required by L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>) implements various URI schemes as extra
236modules - since L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> only needs C<http> URIs, we only need 269modules - since L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> only needs C<http> URIs, we only need
237to include that module. 270to include that module. I found out about these dependencies by carefully
271watching any error messages about missing modules...
272
273Instead of building a new perl binary, you can also build a standalone
274application:
275
276 # build the app
277 staticperl mkapp app --boot eg/httpd \
278 -MAnyEvent::Impl::Perl -MAnyEvent::HTTPD -MURI::http
279
280 # run it
281 ./app
282
283Here are the three phase 2 commands:
284
285=over 4
286
287=item F<staticperl mkbundle> args...
288
289The "default" bundle command - it interprets the given bundle options and
290writes out F<bundle.h>, F<bundle.c>, F<bundle.ccopts> and F<bundle.ldopts>
291files, useful for embedding.
292
293=item F<staticperl mkperl> args...
294
295Creates a bundle just like F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same
296as invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --perl> args...), but then compiles and
297links a new perl interpreter that embeds the created bundle, then deletes
298all intermediate files.
299
300=item F<staticperl mkapp> filename args...
301
302Does the same as F<staticperl mkbundle> (in fact, it's the same as
303invoking F<staticperl mkbundle --app> filename args...), but then compiles
304and links a new standalone application that simply initialises the perl
305interpreter.
306
307The difference to F<staticperl mkperl> is that the standalone application
308does not act like a perl interpreter would - in fact, by default it would
309just do nothing and exit immediately, so you should specify some code to
310be executed via the F<--boot> option.
311
312=back
238 313
239=head3 OPTION PROCESSING 314=head3 OPTION PROCESSING
240 315
241All options can be given as arguments on the commandline (typically using 316All options can be given as arguments on the command line (typically
242long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since 317using long (e.g. C<--verbose>) or short option (e.g. C<-v>) style). Since
243specifying a lot of modules can make the commandlien very cumbersome, 318specifying a lot of options can make the command line very long and
244you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file" (with or 319unwieldy, you can put all long options into a "bundle specification file"
245without C<--> prefix) and specify this bundle file instead. 320(one option per line, with or without C<--> prefix) and specify this
321bundle file instead.
246 322
247For example, the command given earlier could also look like this: 323For example, the command given earlier to link a new F<perl> could also
324look like this:
248 325
249 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle 326 staticperl mkperl httpd.bundle
250 327
251And all options could be in F<httpd.bundle>: 328With all options stored in the F<httpd.bundle> file (one option per line,
252 329everything after the option is an argument):
330
253 use "Config_heavy.pl" 331 use "Config_heavy.pl"
254 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl 332 use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
255 use AnyEvent::HTTPD 333 use AnyEvent::HTTPD
256 use URI::http 334 use URI::http
257 add eg/httpd httpd.pm 335 add eg/httpd httpd.pm
258 336
259All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the 337All options that specify modules or files to be added are processed in the
260order given on the commandline (that affects the C<--use> and C<--eval> 338order given on the command line.
261options at the moment).
262 339
263=head3 MKBUNDLE OPTIONS 340=head3 BUNDLE CREATION WORKFLOW / STATICPELR MKBUNDLE OPTIONS
264 341
265=over 4 342F<staticperl mkbundle> works by first assembling a list of candidate
343files and modules to include, then filtering them by include/exclude
344patterns. The remaining modules (together with their direct dependencies,
345such as link libraries and L<AutoLoader> files) are then converted into
346bundle files suitable for embedding. F<staticperl mkbundle> can then
347optionally build a new perl interpreter or a standalone application.
266 348
349=over 4
350
351=item Step 0: Generic argument processing.
352
353The following options influence F<staticperl mkbundle> itself.
354
355=over 4
356
267=item --verbose | -v 357=item C<--verbose> | C<-v>
268 358
269Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>). 359Increases the verbosity level by one (the default is C<1>).
270 360
271=item --quiet | -q 361=item C<--quiet> | C<-q>
272 362
273Decreases the verbosity level by one. 363Decreases the verbosity level by one.
274 364
365=item any other argument
366
367Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which
368supports all options (without extra quoting), one option per line, in the
369format C<option> or C<option argument>. They will effectively be expanded
370and processed as if they were directly written on the command line, in
371place of the file name.
372
373=back
374
375=item Step 1: gather candidate files and modules
376
377In this step, modules, perl libraries (F<.pl> files) and other files are
378selected for inclusion in the bundle. The relevant options are executed
379in order (this makes a difference mostly for C<--eval>, which can rely on
380earlier C<--use> options to have been executed).
381
382=over 4
383
384=item C<--use> F<module> | C<-M>F<module>
385
386Include the named module and trace direct dependencies. This is done by
387C<use>'ing the module from a fresh package in a subprocess and tracing
388which other modules and files it actually loads.
389
390Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl.
391
392 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl
393
394Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files),
395or maybe other weirdly named files. To do that, you need to quote
396the name in single or double quotes (this is because F<staticperl>
397I<literally> just adds the string after the C<require> - which acts
398different when confronted with quoted vs. unquoted strings). When given on
399the command line, you probably need to quote once more to avoid your shell
400interpreting it. Common cases that need this are F<Config_heavy.pl> and
401F<utf8_heavy.pl>.
402
403Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its
404glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by this).
405
406 # bourne shell
407 staticperl mkbundle --use '"Config_heavy.pl"'
408
409 # bundle specification file
410 use "Config_heavy.pl"
411
412The C<-M>module syntax is included as a convenience that might be easier
413to remember than C<--use> - it's the same switch as perl itself uses
414to load modules. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or maybe
415not. Sigh.
416
417=item C<--eval> "perl code" | C<-e> "perl code"
418
419Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl
420code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In
421that case, you can use C<--eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some
422variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d while
423executing the snippet are included in the final bundle.
424
425Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will not import any symbols from the modules
426named by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules
427you C<--use>'d earlier on the command line to be available.
428
429Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it
430in the final bundle.
431
432 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
433
434 # or like this
435 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'AnyEvent::detect'
436
437Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
438and also include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically
439when the interpreter is initialised.
440
441 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
442
443=item C<--boot> F<filename>
444
445Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be
446executed (using C<require>) before the main program when the new perl
447is initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or do similar
448modifications before the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the
449command line (or via C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter -
450the file will be executed during interpreter initialisation in that case.
451
452=item C<--incglob> pattern
453
454This goes through all standard library directories and tries to match any
455F<.pm> and F<.pl> files against the extended glob pattern (see below). If
456a file matches, it is added. The pattern is matched against the full path
457of the file (sans the library directory prefix), e.g. F<Sys/Syslog.pm>.
458
459This is very useful to include "everything":
460
461 --incglob '*'
462
463It is also useful for including perl libraries, or trees of those, such as
464the unicode database files needed by some perl built-ins, the regex engine
465and other modules.
466
467 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
468
469=item C<--add> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
470
471Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
472"alias"). The F<file> is either an absolute path or a path relative to the
473current directory. If an alias is specified, then this is the name it will
474use for C<@INC> searches, otherwise the path F<file> will be used as the
475internal name.
476
477This switch is used to include extra files into the bundle.
478
479Example: embed the file F<httpd> in the current directory as F<httpd.pm>
480when creating the bundle.
481
482 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
483
484 # can be accessed via "use httpd"
485
486Example: add a file F<initcode> from the current directory.
487
488 staticperl mkperl --add 'initcode &initcode'
489
490 # can be accessed via "do '&initcode'"
491
492Example: add local files as extra modules in the bundle.
493
494 # specification file
495 add file1 myfiles/file1.pm
496 add file2 myfiles/file2.pm
497 add file3 myfiles/file3.pl
498
499 # then later, in perl, use
500 use myfiles::file1;
501 require myfiles::file2;
502 my $res = do "myfiles/file3.pl";
503
504=item C<--binadd> F<file> | C<--add> "F<file> alias"
505
506Just like C<--add>, except that it treats the file as binary and adds it
507without any postprocessing (perl files might get stripped to reduce their
508size).
509
510If you specify an alias you should probably add a C<&> prefix to avoid
511clashing with embedded perl files (whose paths never start with C<&>),
512and/or use a special directory prefix, such as C<&res/name>.
513
514You can later get a copy of these files by calling C<staticperl::find
515"alias">.
516
517An alternative way to embed binary files is to convert them to perl and
518use C<do> to get the contents - this method is a bit cumbersome, but works
519both inside and outside of a staticperl bundle:
520
521 # a "binary" file, call it "bindata.pl"
522 <<'SOME_MARKER'
523 binary data NOT containing SOME_MARKER
524 SOME_MARKER
525
526 # load the binary
527 chomp (my $data = do "bindata.pl");
528
529=back
530
531=item Step 2: filter all files using C<--include> and C<--exclude> options.
532
533After all candidate files and modules are added, they are I<filtered>
534by a combination of C<--include> and C<--exclude> patterns (there is an
535implicit C<--include *> at the end, so if no filters are specified, all
536files are included).
537
538All that this step does is potentially reduce the number of files that are
539to be included - no new files are added during this step.
540
541=over 4
542
543=item C<--include> pattern | C<-i> pattern | C<--exclude> pattern | C<-x> pattern
544
545These specify an include or exclude pattern to be applied to the candidate
546file list. An include makes sure that the given files will be part of the
547resulting file set, an exclude will exclude remaining files. The patterns
548are "extended glob patterns" (see below).
549
550The patterns are applied "in order" - files included via earlier
551C<--include> specifications cannot be removed by any following
552C<--exclude>, and likewise, and file excluded by an earlier C<--exclude>
553cannot be added by any following C<--include>.
554
555For example, to include everything except C<Devel> modules, but still
556include F<Devel::PPPort>, you could use this:
557
558 --incglob '*' -i '/Devel/PPPort.pm' -x '/Devel/**'
559
560=back
561
562=item Step 3: add any extra or "hidden" dependencies.
563
564F<staticperl> currently knows about three extra types of depdendencies
565that are added automatically. Only one (F<.packlist> files) is currently
566optional and can be influenced, the others are always included:
567
568=over 4
569
570=item C<--usepacklists>
571
572Read F<.packlist> files for each distribution that happens to match a
573module name you specified. Sounds weird, and it is, so expect semantics to
574change somehow in the future.
575
576The idea is that most CPAN distributions have a F<.pm> file that matches
577the name of the distribution (which is rather reasonable after all).
578
579If this switch is enabled, then if any of the F<.pm> files that have been
580selected match an install distribution, then all F<.pm>, F<.pl>, F<.al>
581and F<.ix> files installed by this distribution are also included.
582
583For example, using this switch, when the L<URI> module is specified, then
584all L<URI> submodules that have been installed via the CPAN distribution
585are included as well, so you don't have to manually specify them.
586
587=item L<AutoLoader> splitfiles
588
589Some modules use L<AutoLoader> - less commonly (hopefully) used functions
590are split into separate F<.al> files, and an index (F<.ix>) file contains
591the prototypes.
592
593Both F<.ix> and F<.al> files will be detected automatically and added to
594the bundle.
595
596=item link libraries (F<.a> files)
597
598Modules using XS (or any other non-perl language extension compiled at
599installation time) will have a static archive (typically F<.a>). These
600will automatically be added to the linker options in F<bundle.ldopts>.
601
602Should F<staticperl> find a dynamic link library (typically F<.so>) it
603will warn about it - obviously this shouldn't happen unless you use
604F<staticperl> on the wrong perl, or one (probably wrongly) configured to
605use dynamic loading.
606
607=item extra libraries (F<extralibs.ld>)
608
609Some modules need linking against external libraries - these are found in
610F<extralibs.ld> and added to F<bundle.ldopts>.
611
612=back
613
614=item Step 4: write bundle files and optionally link a program
615
616At this point, the select files will be read, processed (stripped) and
617finally the bundle files get written to disk, and F<staticperl mkbundle>
618is normally finished. Optionally, it can go a step further and either link
619a new F<perl> binary with all selected modules and files inside, or build
620a standalone application.
621
622Both the contents of the bundle files and any extra linking is controlled
623by these options:
624
625=over 4
626
275=item --strip none|pod|ppi 627=item C<--strip> C<none>|C<pod>|C<ppi>
276 628
277Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl 629Specify the stripping method applied to reduce the file of the perl
278sources included. 630sources included.
279 631
280The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all 632The default is C<pod>, which uses the L<Pod::Strip> module to remove all
281pod documenatiton, which is very fast and reduces filesize a lot. 633pod documentation, which is very fast and reduces file size a lot.
282 634
283The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This 635The C<ppi> method uses L<PPI> to parse and condense the perl sources. This
284saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer, but is 636saves a lot more than just L<Pod::Strip>, and is generally safer,
285also a lot slower, so is best used for production builds. 637but is also a lot slower (some files take almost a minute to strip -
638F<staticperl> maintains a cache of stripped files to speed up subsequent
639runs for this reason). Note that this method doesn't optimise for raw file
640size, but for best compression (that means that the uncompressed file size
641is a bit larger, but the files compress better, e.g. with F<upx>).
286 642
643Last not least, if you need accurate line numbers in error messages,
287Last not least, in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some 644or in the unlikely case where C<pod> is too slow, or some module gets
288module gets mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included 645mistreated, you can specify C<none> to not mangle included perl sources in
289perl sources in any way. 646any way.
290 647
291=item --perl 648=item C<--perl>
292 649
293After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It 650After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new perl interpreter. It
294will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working 651will be called F<perl> and will be left in the current working
295directory. The bundle files will be removed. 652directory. The bundle files will be removed.
296 653
297This switch is automatically ued when F<staticperl> is invoked with the 654This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
298C<mkperl> command (instead of C<mkbundle>): 655C<mkperl> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
299 656
300 # build a new ./perl with only common::sense in it - very small :) 657Example: build a new F<./perl> binary with only L<common::sense> inside -
658it will be even smaller than the standard perl interpreter as none of the
659modules of the base distribution (such as L<Fcntl>) will be included.
660
301 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense 661 staticperl mkperl -Mcommon::sense
302 662
303=item --use module | -Mmodule 663=item C<--app> F<name>
304 664
305Include the named module and all direct dependencies. This is done by 665After writing out the bundle files, try to link a new standalone
306C<require>'ing the module in a subprocess and tracing which other modules 666program. It will be called C<name>, and the bundle files get removed after
307and files it actually loads. If the module uses L<AutoLoader>, then all 667linking it.
308splitfiles will be included as well.
309 668
310Example: include AnyEvent and AnyEvent::Impl::Perl. 669This switch is automatically used when F<staticperl> is invoked with the
670C<mkapp> command instead of C<mkbundle>.
311 671
312 staticperl mkbundle --use AnyEvent --use AnyEvent::Impl::Perl 672The difference to the (mutually exclusive) C<--perl> option is that the
673binary created by this option will not try to act as a perl interpreter -
674instead it will simply initialise the perl interpreter, clean it up and
675exit.
313 676
314Sometimes you want to load old-style "perl libraries" (F<.pl> files), or 677This means that, by default, it will do nothing but burn a few CPU cycles
315maybe other weirdly named files. To do that, you need to quote the name in 678- for it to do something useful you I<must> add some boot code, e.g. with
316single or double quoutes. When given on the commandline, you probably need 679the C<--boot> option.
317to quote once more to avoid your shell interpreting it. Common cases that
318need this are F<Config_heavy.pl> and F<utf8_heavy.pl>.
319 680
320Example: include the required files for F<perl -V> to work in all its 681Example: create a standalone perl binary called F<./myexe> that will
321glory (F<Config.pm> is included automatically by this). 682execute F<appfile> when it is started.
322 683
323 # bourne shell 684 staticperl mkbundle --app myexe --boot appfile
324 staticperl mkbundle --use '"Config_heavy.pl"'
325 685
326 # bundle specification file
327 use "Config_heavy.pl"
328
329The C<-Mmodule> syntax is included as an alias that might be easier to
330remember than C<use>. Or maybe it confuses people. Time will tell. Or
331maybe not. Argh.
332
333=item --eval "perl code" | -e "perl code"
334
335Sometimes it is easier (or necessary) to specify dependencies using perl
336code, or maybe one of the modules you use need a special use statement. In
337that case, you can use C<eval> to execute some perl snippet or set some
338variables or whatever you need. All files C<require>'d or C<use>'d in the
339script are included in the final bundle.
340
341Keep in mind that F<mkbundle> will only C<require> the modules named
342by the C<--use> option, so do not expect the symbols from modules you
343C<--use>'d earlier on the commandlien to be available.
344
345Example: force L<AnyEvent> to detect a backend and therefore include it
346in the final bundle.
347
348 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
349
350 # or like this
351 staticperl mkbundle -MAnyEvent --eval 'use AnyEvent; AnyEvent::detect'
352
353Example: use a separate "bootstrap" script that C<use>'s lots of modules
354and include this in the final bundle, to be executed automatically.
355
356 staticperl mkbundle --eval 'do "bootstrap"' --boot bootstrap
357
358=item --boot filename
359
360Include the given file in the bundle and arrange for it to be executed
361(using a C<require>) before anything else when the new perl is
362initialised. This can be used to modify C<@INC> or anything else before
363the perl interpreter executes scripts given on the commandline (or via
364C<-e>). This works even in an embedded interpreter.
365
366=item --add "file" | --add "file alias"
367
368Adds the given (perl) file into the bundle (and optionally call it
369"alias"). This is useful to include any custom files into the bundle.
370
371Example: embed the file F<httpd> as F<httpd.pm> when creating the bundle.
372
373 staticperl mkperl --add "httpd httpd.pm"
374
375It is also a great way to add any custom modules:
376
377 # specification file
378 add file1 myfiles/file1
379 add file2 myfiles/file2
380 add file3 myfiles/file3
381
382=item --static 686=item C<--static>
383 687
384When C<--perl> is also given, link statically instead of dynamically. The 688Add C<-static> to F<bundle.ldopts>, which means a fully static (if
689supported by the OS) executable will be created. This is not immensely
690useful when just creating the bundle files, but is most useful when
691linking a binary with the C<--perl> or C<--app> options.
692
385default is to link the new perl interpreter fully dynamic (that means all 693The default is to link the new binary dynamically (that means all perl
386perl modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still 694modules are linked statically, but all external libraries are still
387referenced dynamically). 695referenced dynamically).
388 696
389Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and 697Keep in mind that Solaris doesn't support static linking at all, and
390systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a usable fashion 698systems based on GNU libc don't really support it in a very usable
391either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked 699fashion either. Try uClibc if you want to create fully statically linked
392executables, or try the C<--staticlibs> option to link only some libraries 700executables, or try the C<--staticlib> option to link only some libraries
393statically. 701statically.
394 702
395=item any other argument 703=item C<--staticlib> libname
396 704
397Any other argument is interpreted as a bundle specification file, which 705When not linking fully statically, this option allows you to link specific
398supports most long options (without extra quoting), one option per line. 706libraries statically. What it does is simply replace all occurrences of
707C<-llibname> with the GCC-specific C<-Wl,-Bstatic -llibname -Wl,-Bdynamic>
708option.
399 709
400=back 710This will have no effect unless the library is actually linked against,
711specifically, C<--staticlib> will not link against the named library
712unless it would be linked against anyway.
401 713
714Example: link libcrypt statically into the final binary.
715
716 staticperl mkperl -MIO::AIO --staticlib crypt
717
718 # ldopts might now contain:
719 # -lm -Wl,-Bstatic -lcrypt -Wl,-Bdynamic -lpthread
720
721=back
722
723=back
724
725=head3 EXTENDED GLOB PATTERNS
726
727Some options of F<staticperl mkbundle> expect an I<extended glob
728pattern>. This is neither a normal shell glob nor a regex, but something
729in between. The idea has been copied from rsync, and there are the current
730matching rules:
731
732=over 4
733
734=item Patterns starting with F</> will be a anchored at the root of the library tree.
735
736That is, F</unicore> will match the F<unicore> directory in C<@INC>, but
737nothing inside, and neither any other file or directory called F<unicore>
738anywhere else in the hierarchy.
739
740=item Patterns not starting with F</> will be anchored at the end of the path.
741
742That is, F<idna.pl> will match any file called F<idna.pl> anywhere in the
743hierarchy, but not any directories of the same name.
744
745=item A F<*> matches anything within a single path component.
746
747That is, F</unicore/*.pl> would match all F<.pl> files directly inside
748C</unicore>, not any deeper level F<.pl> files. Or in other words, F<*>
749will not match slashes.
750
751=item A F<**> matches anything.
752
753That is, F</unicore/**.pl> would match all F<.pl> files under F</unicore>,
754no matter how deeply nested they are inside subdirectories.
755
756=item A F<?> matches a single character within a component.
757
758That is, F</Encode/??.pm> matches F</Encode/JP.pm>, but not the
759hypothetical F</Encode/J/.pm>, as F<?> does not match F</>.
760
761=back
762
402=head2 F<STATCPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS 763=head2 F<STATICPERL> CONFIGURATION AND HOOKS
403 764
404During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source the following shell 765During (each) startup, F<staticperl> tries to source some shell files to
766allow you to fine-tune/override configuration settings.
767
768In them you can override shell variables, or define shell functions
769("hooks") to be called at specific phases during installation. For
770example, you could define a C<postinstall> hook to install additional
771modules from CPAN each time you start from scratch.
772
773If the env variable C<$STATICPERLRC> is set, then F<staticperl> will try
774to source the file named with it only. Otherwise, it tries the following
405files in order: 775shell files in order:
406 776
407 /etc/staticperlrc 777 /etc/staticperlrc
408 ~/.staticperlrc 778 ~/.staticperlrc
409 $STATICPERL/rc 779 $STATICPERL/rc
410 780
411They can be used to override shell variables, or define functions to be
412called at specific phases.
413
414Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so 781Note that the last file is erased during F<staticperl distclean>, so
415generally should not be used. 782generally should not be used.
416 783
417=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES 784=head3 CONFIGURATION VARIABLES
418 785
423=item C<EMAIL> 790=item C<EMAIL>
424 791
425The e-mail address of the person who built this binary. Has no good 792The e-mail address of the person who built this binary. Has no good
426default, so should be specified by you. 793default, so should be specified by you.
427 794
428=back 795=item C<CPAN>
429 796
797The URL of the CPAN mirror to use (e.g. L<http://mirror.netcologne.de/cpan/>).
798
799=item C<EXTRA_MODULES>
800
801Additional modules installed during F<staticperl install>. Here you can
802set which modules you want have to installed from CPAN.
803
804Example: I really really need EV, AnyEvent, Coro and AnyEvent::AIO.
805
806 EXTRA_MODULES="EV AnyEvent Coro AnyEvent::AIO"
807
808Note that you can also use a C<postinstall> hook to achieve this, and
809more.
810
811=back
812
430=head4 Variables you I<might want> to override 813=head4 Variables you might I<want> to override
431 814
432=over 4 815=over 4
433 816
817=item C<STATICPERL>
818
819The directory where staticperl stores all its files
820(default: F<~/.staticperl>).
821
822=item C<PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT>, C<EV_EXTRA_DEFS>, ...
823
824Usually set to C<1> to make modules "less inquisitive" during their
825installation, you can set any environment variable you want - some modules
826(such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for further tweaking.
827
434=item C<PERLVER> 828=item C<PERL_VERSION>
435 829
436The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.2>, but C<5.8.9> 830The perl version to install - default is currently C<5.12.2>, but C<5.8.9>
437is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.2, while 5.10.1 is 831is also a good choice (5.8.9 is much smaller than 5.12.2, while 5.10.1 is
438about as big as 5.12.2). 832about as big as 5.12.2).
439 833
440=item C<CPAN> 834=item C<PERL_PREFIX>
441 835
442The URL of the CPAN mirror to use (e.g. L<http://mirror.netcologne.de/cpan/>). 836The prefix where perl gets installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>),
837i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up.
443 838
839=item C<PERL_CONFIGURE>
840
841Additional Configure options - these are simply passed to the perl
842Configure script. For example, if you wanted to enable dynamic loading,
843you could pass C<-Dusedl>. To enable ithreads (Why would you want that
844insanity? Don't! Use L<forks> instead!) you would pass C<-Duseithreads>
845and so on.
846
847More commonly, you would either activate 64 bit integer support
848(C<-Duse64bitint>), or disable large files support (-Uuselargefiles), to
849reduce filesize further.
850
444=item C<PERL_CPPFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS> 851=item C<PERL_CC>, C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, C<PERL_OPTIMIZE>, C<PERL_LDFLAGS>, C<PERL_LIBS>
445 852
446These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally 853These flags are passed to perl's F<Configure> script, and are generally
447optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also 854optimised for small size (at the cost of performance). Since they also
448contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these 855contain subtle workarounds around various build issues, changing these
449usually requires understanding their default values - best look at the top 856usually requires understanding their default values - best look at
450of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these. 857the top of the F<staticperl> script for more info on these, and use a
858F<~/.staticperlrc> to override them.
451 859
452=item C<STATICPERL> 860Most of the variables override (or modify) the corresponding F<Configure>
861variable, except C<PERL_CCFLAGS>, which gets appended.
453 862
454The directory where staticperl stores all its files
455(default: F<~/.staticperl>).
456
457=item C<PREFIX>
458
459The prefix where perl get's installed (default: F<$STATICPERL/perl>),
460i.e. where the F<bin> and F<lib> subdirectories will end up.
461
462=item C<PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT>, C<EV_EXTRA_DEFS>, others
463
464Usually set to C<1> to make modules "less inquisitive" during their
465installation, you can set any environment variable you want - some modules
466(such as L<Coro> or L<EV>) use environment variables for further tweaking.
467
468=item C<EXTRA_MODULES>
469
470Additional modules installed during F<staticperl install>. Here you can
471set which modules you want have to installed from CPAN.
472
473Example: I really really need EV, AnyEvent, Coro and IO::AIO.
474
475 EXTRA_MODULES="EV AnyEvent Coro IO::AIO"
476
477Note that you cna also use a C<postinstall> hook to achieve this, and
478more.
479
480=back 863=back
481 864
482=head4 Variables you I<probably do not want> to override 865=head4 Variables you probably I<do not want> to override
483 866
484=over 4 867=over 4
868
869=item C<MAKE>
870
871The make command to use - default is C<make>.
485 872
486=item C<MKBUNDLE> 873=item C<MKBUNDLE>
487 874
488Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to 875Where F<staticperl> writes the C<mkbundle> command to
489(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>). 876(default: F<$STATICPERL/mkbundle>).
497 884
498=head3 OVERRIDABLE HOOKS 885=head3 OVERRIDABLE HOOKS
499 886
500In addition to environment variables, it is possible to provide some 887In addition to environment variables, it is possible to provide some
501shell functions that are called at specific times. To provide your own 888shell functions that are called at specific times. To provide your own
502commands, justd efine the corresponding function. 889commands, just define the corresponding function.
503 890
504Example: install extra modules from CPAN and from some directories 891Example: install extra modules from CPAN and from some directories
505at F<staticperl install> time. 892at F<staticperl install> time.
506 893
507 postinstall() { 894 postinstall() {
508 rm -rf lib/threads.* # weg mit Schaden 895 rm -rf lib/threads* # weg mit Schaden
509 instcpan IO::AIO EV 896 instcpan IO::AIO EV
510 instsrc ~/src/AnyEvent 897 instsrc ~/src/AnyEvent
511 instsrc ~/src/XML-Sablotron-1.0100001 898 instsrc ~/src/XML-Sablotron-1.0100001
512 instcpan AnyEvent::HTTPD 899 instcpan Anyevent::AIO AnyEvent::HTTPD
513 } 900 }
514 901
515=over 4 902=over 4
903
904=item preconfigure
905
906Called just before running F<./Configur> in the perl source
907directory. Current working directory is the perl source directory.
908
909This can be used to set any C<PERL_xxx> variables, which might be costly
910to compute.
516 911
517=item postconfigure 912=item postconfigure
518 913
519Called after configuring, but before building perl. Current working 914Called after configuring, but before building perl. Current working
520directory is the perl source directory. 915directory is the perl source directory.
521 916
522Could be used to tailor/patch config.sh (followed by F<./Configure -S>) or 917Could be used to tailor/patch config.sh (followed by F<sh Configure -S>)
523do any other modifications. 918or do any other modifications.
524 919
525=item postbuild 920=item postbuild
526 921
527Called after building, but before installing perl. Current working 922Called after building, but before installing perl. Current working
528directory is the perl source directory. 923directory is the perl source directory.
543The script must return with a zero exit status, or the installation will 938The script must return with a zero exit status, or the installation will
544fail. 939fail.
545 940
546=back 941=back
547 942
943=head1 ANATOMY OF A BUNDLE
944
945When not building a new perl binary, C<mkbundle> will leave a number of
946files in the current working directory, which can be used to embed a perl
947interpreter in your program.
948
949Intimate knowledge of L<perlembed> and preferably some experience with
950embedding perl is highly recommended.
951
952C<mkperl> (or the C<--perl> option) basically does this to link the new
953interpreter (it also adds a main program to F<bundle.>):
954
955 $Config{cc} $(cat bundle.ccopts) -o perl bundle.c $(cat bundle.ldopts)
956
957=over 4
958
959=item bundle.h
960
961A header file that contains the prototypes of the few symbols "exported"
962by bundle.c, and also exposes the perl headers to the application.
963
964=over 4
965
966=item staticperl_init (xs_init = 0)
967
968Initialises the perl interpreter. You can use the normal perl functions
969after calling this function, for example, to define extra functions or
970to load a .pm file that contains some initialisation code, or the main
971program function:
972
973 XS (xsfunction)
974 {
975 dXSARGS;
976
977 // now we have items, ST(i) etc.
978 }
979
980 static void
981 run_myapp(void)
982 {
983 staticperl_init (0);
984 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
985 eval_pv ("require myapp::main", 1); // executes "myapp/main.pm"
986 }
987
988When your bootcode already wants to access some XS functions at
989compiletime, then you need to supply an C<xs_init> function pointer that
990is called as soon as perl is initialised enough to define XS functions,
991but before the preamble code is executed:
992
993 static void
994 xs_init (pTHX)
995 {
996 newXSproto ("myapp::xsfunction", xsfunction, __FILE__, "$$;$");
997 }
998
999 static void
1000 run_myapp(void)
1001 {
1002 staticperl_init (xs_init);
1003 }
1004
1005=item staticperl_cleanup ()
1006
1007In the unlikely case that you want to destroy the perl interpreter, here
1008is the corresponding function.
1009
1010=item staticperl_xs_init (pTHX)
1011
1012Sometimes you need direct control over C<perl_parse> and C<perl_run>, in
1013which case you do not want to use C<staticperl_init> but call them on your
1014own.
1015
1016Then you need this function - either pass it directly as the C<xs_init>
1017function to C<perl_parse>, or call it as one of the first things from your
1018own C<xs_init> function.
1019
1020=item PerlInterpreter *staticperl
1021
1022The perl interpreter pointer used by staticperl. Not normally so useful,
1023but there it is.
1024
1025=back
1026
1027=item bundle.ccopts
1028
1029Contains the compiler options required to compile at least F<bundle.c> and
1030any file that includes F<bundle.h> - you should probably use it in your
1031C<CFLAGS>.
1032
1033=item bundle.ldopts
1034
1035The linker options needed to link the final program.
1036
1037=back
1038
1039=head1 RUNTIME FUNCTIONALITY
1040
1041Binaries created with C<mkbundle>/C<mkperl> contain extra functions, which
1042are required to access the bundled perl sources, but might be useful for
1043other purposes.
1044
1045In addition, for the embedded loading of perl files to work, F<staticperl>
1046overrides the C<@INC> array.
1047
1048=over 4
1049
1050=item $file = staticperl::find $path
1051
1052Returns the data associated with the given C<$path>
1053(e.g. C<Digest/MD5.pm>, C<auto/POSIX/autosplit.ix>), which is basically
1054the UNIX path relative to the perl library directory.
1055
1056Returns C<undef> if the file isn't embedded.
1057
1058=item @paths = staticperl::list
1059
1060Returns the list of all paths embedded in this binary.
1061
1062=back
1063
1064=head1 FULLY STATIC BINARIES - UCLIBC AND BUILDROOT
1065
1066To make truly static (Linux-) libraries, you might want to have a look at
1067buildroot (L<http://buildroot.uclibc.org/>).
1068
1069Buildroot is primarily meant to set up a cross-compile environment (which
1070is not so useful as perl doesn't quite like cross compiles), but it can also compile
1071a chroot environment where you can use F<staticperl>.
1072
1073To do so, download buildroot, and enable "Build options => development
1074files in target filesystem" and optionally "Build options => gcc
1075optimization level (optimize for size)". At the time of writing, I had
1076good experiences with GCC 4.4.x but not GCC 4.5.
1077
1078To minimise code size, I used C<-pipe -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections
1079-finline-limit=8 -fno-builtin-strlen -mtune=i386>. The C<-mtune=i386>
1080doesn't decrease codesize much, but it makes the file much more
1081compressible.
1082
1083If you don't need Coro or threads, you can go with "linuxthreads.old" (or
1084no thread support). For Coro, it is highly recommended to switch to a
1085uClibc newer than 0.9.31 (at the time of this writing, I used the 20101201
1086snapshot) and enable NPTL, otherwise Coro needs to be configured with the
1087ultra-slow pthreads backend to work around linuxthreads bugs (it also uses
1088twice the address space needed for stacks).
1089
1090If you use C<linuxthreads.old>, then you should also be aware that
1091uClibc shares C<errno> between all threads when statically linking. See
1092L<http://lists.uclibc.org/pipermail/uclibc/2010-June/044157.html> for a
1093workaround (And L<https://bugs.uclibc.org/2089> for discussion).
1094
1095C<ccache> support is also recommended, especially if you want
1096to play around with buildroot options. Enabling the C<miniperl>
1097package will probably enable all options required for a successful
1098perl build. F<staticperl> itself additionally needs either C<wget>
1099(recommended, for CPAN) or C<curl>.
1100
1101As for shells, busybox should provide all that is needed, but the default
1102busybox configuration doesn't include F<comm> which is needed by perl -
1103either make a custom busybox config, or compile coreutils.
1104
1105For the latter route, you might find that bash has some bugs that keep
1106it from working properly in a chroot - either use dash (and link it to
1107F</bin/sh> inside the chroot) or link busybox to F</bin/sh>, using it's
1108built-in ash shell.
1109
1110Finally, you need F</dev/null> inside the chroot for many scripts to work
1111- F<cp /dev/null output/target/dev> or bind-mounting your F</dev> will
1112both provide this.
1113
1114After you have compiled and set up your buildroot target, you can copy
1115F<staticperl> from the C<App::Staticperl> distribution or from your
1116perl f<bin> directory (if you installed it) into the F<output/target>
1117filesystem, chroot inside and run it.
1118
1119=head1 RECIPES / SPECIFIC MODULES
1120
1121This section contains some common(?) recipes and information about
1122problems with some common modules or perl constructs that require extra
1123files to be included.
1124
1125=head2 MODULES
1126
1127=over 4
1128
1129=item utf8
1130
1131Some functionality in the utf8 module, such as swash handling (used
1132for unicode character ranges in regexes) is implemented in the
1133C<"utf8_heavy.pl"> library:
1134
1135 -M'"utf8_heavy.pl"'
1136
1137Many Unicode properties in turn are defined in separate modules,
1138such as C<"unicore/Heavy.pl"> and more specific data tables such as
1139C<"unicore/To/Digit.pl"> or C<"unicore/lib/Perl/Word.pl">. These tables
1140are big (7MB uncompressed, although F<staticperl> contains special
1141handling for those files), so including them on demand by your application
1142only might pay off.
1143
1144To simply include the whole unicode database, use:
1145
1146 --incglob '/unicore/**.pl'
1147
1148=item AnyEvent
1149
1150AnyEvent needs a backend implementation that it will load in a delayed
1151fashion. The L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> backend is the default choice
1152for AnyEvent if it can't find anything else, and is usually a safe
1153fallback. If you plan to use e.g. L<EV> (L<POE>...), then you need to
1154include the L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV> (L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>...) backend as
1155well.
1156
1157If you want to handle IRIs or IDNs (L<AnyEvent::Util> punycode and idn
1158functions), you also need to include C<"AnyEvent/Util/idna.pl"> and
1159C<"AnyEvent/Util/uts46data.pl">.
1160
1161Or you can use C<--usepacklists> and specify C<-MAnyEvent> to include
1162everything.
1163
1164=item Carp
1165
1166Carp had (in older versions of perl) a dependency on L<Carp::Heavy>. As of
1167perl 5.12.2 (maybe earlier), this dependency no longer exists.
1168
1169=item Config
1170
1171The F<perl -V> switch (as well as many modules) needs L<Config>, which in
1172turn might need L<"Config_heavy.pl">. Including the latter gives you
1173both.
1174
1175=item Term::ReadLine::Perl
1176
1177Also needs L<Term::ReadLine::readline>, or C<--usepacklists>.
1178
1179=item URI
1180
1181URI implements schemes as separate modules - the generic URL scheme is
1182implemented in L<URI::_generic>, HTTP is implemented in L<URI::http>. If
1183you need to use any of these schemes, you should include these manually,
1184or use C<--usepacklists>.
1185
1186=back
1187
1188=head2 RECIPES
1189
1190=over 4
1191
1192=item Just link everything in
1193
1194To link just about everything installed in the perl library into a new
1195perl, try this (the first time this runs it will take a long time, as a
1196lot of files need to be parsed):
1197
1198 staticperl mkperl -v --strip ppi --incglob '*'
1199
1200If you don't mind the extra megabytes, this can be a very effective way of
1201creating bundles without having to worry about forgetting any modules.
1202
1203You get even more useful variants of this method by first selecting
1204everything, and then excluding stuff you are reasonable sure not to need -
1205L<bigperl|http://staticperl.schmorp.de/bigperl.html> uses this approach.
1206
1207=item Getting rid of netdb functions
1208
1209The perl core has lots of netdb functions (C<getnetbyname>, C<getgrent>
1210and so on) that few applications use. You can avoid compiling them in by
1211putting the following fragment into a C<preconfigure> hook:
1212
1213 preconfigure() {
1214 for sym in \
1215 d_getgrnam_r d_endgrent d_endgrent_r d_endhent \
1216 d_endhostent_r d_endnent d_endnetent_r d_endpent \
1217 d_endprotoent_r d_endpwent d_endpwent_r d_endsent \
1218 d_endservent_r d_getgrent d_getgrent_r d_getgrgid_r \
1219 d_getgrnam_r d_gethbyaddr d_gethent d_getsbyport \
1220 d_gethostbyaddr_r d_gethostbyname_r d_gethostent_r \
1221 d_getlogin_r d_getnbyaddr d_getnbyname d_getnent \
1222 d_getnetbyaddr_r d_getnetbyname_r d_getnetent_r \
1223 d_getpent d_getpbyname d_getpbynumber d_getprotobyname_r \
1224 d_getprotobynumber_r d_getprotoent_r d_getpwent \
1225 d_getpwent_r d_getpwnam_r d_getpwuid_r d_getsent \
1226 d_getservbyname_r d_getservbyport_r d_getservent_r \
1227 d_getspnam_r d_getsbyname
1228 # d_gethbyname
1229 do
1230 PERL_CONFIGURE="$PERL_CONFIGURE -U$sym"
1231 done
1232 }
1233
1234This mostly gains space when linking statically, as the functions will
1235likely not be linked in. The gain for dynamically-linked binaries is
1236smaller.
1237
1238Also, this leaves C<gethostbyname> in - not only is it actually used
1239often, the L<Socket> module also exposes it, so leaving it out usually
1240gains little. Why Socket exposes a C function that is in the core already
1241is anybody's guess.
1242
1243=back
1244
548=head1 AUTHOR 1245=head1 AUTHOR
549 1246
550 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1247 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
551 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html 1248 http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/staticperl.html

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