Windows WSL

Building under Windows is generally slower than in Linux. This is because the current build system requires a Posix emulation layer (MinGW). However, it does offer the simplest way to use Sming on a Windows PC and does not affect the quality or functionality of your applications.

However, there are situations where it is highly desirable to build Sming in a Linux environment, such as:

• Making use of linux-only development tools, such as valgrind (dynamic bug detection system)

• Integration building/testing prior to submitting a PR to the Sming repository

• Need/want faster builds

Whilst a Windows computer can be configured to dual-boot with Linux, this is generally inconvenient for day-to-day use. A better solution is to run Linux inside a virtual machine environment such as VirtualBox, VmWare or Hyper-V.

Note that Docker is not a virtual environment but can in fact be run inside a virtual machine to take advantage of the process isolation and security benefits.

Windows Subsystem for Linux

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/

“The Windows Subsystem for Linux lets developers run a GNU/Linux environment – including most command-line tools, utilities, and applications – directly on Windows, unmodified, without the overhead of a traditional virtual machine or dual-boot setup.”

There are currently two versions of WSL, dubbed WSL1 and WSL2. Either is fine, and you can switch between versions but WSL2 is recommended.

Note

WSL2 uses Hyper-V so may conflict with other virtual machines you may be using.

Installing WSL

See instructions here https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10#manual-installation-steps.

Note

You may encounter an error message similar to this during installation:

WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x80370102
Error: 0x80370102 The virtual machine could not be started because a required feature is not installed.

One thing not mentioned in the instructions is to check that the hypervisor is set to auto-start at system boot. This is the default but for various reasons it can get disabled.

To check, type:

bcdedit

At an administrative command prompt. Under the Windows Boot Loader entry you should see an entry like this:

hypervisorlaunchtype    Auto

If it’s missing or set to another value (e.g. off) then change it as follows:

bcdedit /set {current} hypervisorlaunchtype auto

After a system reboot you should be able to continue with the installation.

Installing Sming

Open a WSL command prompt and follow the Linux installation instructions.

Flashing devices

WSL2 does not currently support access to USB serial devices, so the Sming build system incorporates a workaround which runs the appropriate application (esptool) directly under Windows (via powershell).

Therefore, use the normal Windows COM port name rather than the linux ones (such as /dev/ttyUSB0).

For example:

make flash COM_PORT=COM4

Valgrind

You may get an error running make valgrind advising that libc6-dbg:i386 be installed. Here’s how:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install libc6-dbg:i386