 | Level: Intermediate Martin Streicher (martin.streicher@linux-mag.com), Editor in Chief, Linux Magazine
18 Jul 2006 Because Linux® is an open operating system, you can configure and assemble it to suit specialized purposes. However, while variety and choice are beneficial for users, heterogeneity can vex software developers who must build and support packages on a multitude of similar but subtly different platforms. Fortunately, if an application conforms to the Linux Standard Base (LSB), and a flavor of Linux is LSB compliant, the application is guaranteed to run. Discover the LSB, and learn how to port your code to the standard. In this tutorial
- Install and use the LSB Build Environment, Sample Implementation, and accompanying tools to verify that your application code is LSB conformant.
- Use VMware's VMware Workstation to create a virtual operating system instance to enable and simplify compliance testing.
Objectives - By the end of this tutorial, you will understand the LSB and know how to vet your application code to conform with it.
Prerequisites
- To benefit from this tutorial, you should have experience with the
C
or C++ programming language as well as the typical Linux software development environment and its cadre of tools, including the compiler, linker, system libraries,
configuration and build utilities, and packaging tools.
- You should also have experience installing software from the command line and have at least
a modicum of experience with administering and maintaining a Linux system, such as configuring
a file system, starting and stopping network services, and adding system services.
- If you're running Debian Linux, you should also have some experience with the APT package
manager. To run VMware Workstation on Debian Linux, you must install the kernel source associated
with your kernel version. (You must typically have superuser access to install VMware Workstation.)
- Before you start the tutorial, you must install several software packages on your Linux system.
Here's everything you need:
- The VMware Workstation product
suitable for your Linux distribution
Note: Alternatively, you can easily install VMware Workstation on any computer
running Microsoft® Windows® XP and run a virtualized Linux
instance on the Windows XP platform. Download a trial version of VMware Workstation at
no cost and use it to create one or more virtual machines (VMs). After you've created a VM,
you can save it and switch to the free VMware
Player to replay it.
- The LSB Sample Implementation
- The LSB Build Environment
- The LSB application test
suites
- You may also find it useful to download and read the
LSB V3.0.0 specification
appropriate for your target hardware platform. Hardware-specific LSB specifications are available
for seven popular architectures: the IA32, IA64, PPC32, PPC64, S390, S390X, and AMD64 processors.
- If you want to certify your application, download and read the
Application
Product Standard associated with your target hardware platform.
System requirements
- To run the examples in this tutorial, you must have a computer running either the Linux or Windows
XP operating system. VMware Workstation running on either of those platforms provides a Linux
environment for you to do the rest of your work.
- If your application depends on software libraries other than those ratified as part of the LSB
specification for your processor, you must install those libraries on the virtual system, as well.
To avoid confusion, it's ideal to install application-specific libraries separately from the standard
libraries.
Duration
More than 2 hours
Formats html, pdf
Learn more
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