Toolchain overview

The toolchain actually consists of a number of components. The main one is the compiler itself gcc, which can be native to the host or a cross-compiler. This is supported by binutils, a set of tools for manipulating binaries. These components are all you need for compiling the kernel, but almost anything else you compile also needs the C-library glibc. As you will realise if you think about it for a moment, compiling the compiler poses a bootstrapping problem, which is the main reason why generating a toolset is not a simple exercise.

This chapter contains information on how the toolchain fits together and how to build it. However, for most developers it is not necessary to actually do this. Building the toolchain is not a trivial exercise and for most common situations pre-built toolchains already exist. Unless you need to build your own because you have an unusual situation not catered for by the pre-built ones, or you want to do it anyway to gain a deeper understanding, then we strongly recommend simply installing and using a suitable ready-made toolchain.