[LEDE-DEV] [PATCH 04/11] build: image.mk: don't install-images for devices not selected

[Yousong Zhou]

On 2 January 2017 at 03:27, Felix Fietkau <nbd at nbd.name> wrote:
> On 2017-01-01 19:07, Yousong Zhou wrote:
>> If the default device profile is meant to be used to make a single
>> image that can run on all device, then in the case of sunxi, it is not
>> possible at least with regard to uboot.
>>
>> Or if the default device profile is meant to be selected as the
>> default just to implicitly enable all other profiles of the same
>> target/subtarget, then again in the case of sunxi it has the
>> dependency problem as illustrated above.  Besides, the build system
>> can already select multiple devices and enable all profiles (devices)
>> with explicit config symbols.  Can this goal of the default profile be
>> dropped?
> There are targets that have multiple default profiles for all devices
> (with just different package selection). Because of that, I think for
> now it is better to have one default profile as well.

So these default profiles are intended more for defining packages set
or flavours, and along with that have the side effect of
install-images for all devices?

The other thing is that Device/Default of ar71xx has Minimal as member
of the PROFILES and it seems to be just missing in the code.  Just a
random finding and you may fix that later if that's the case

>
>> My current understanding is that the profiles/*.mk thing is part of
>> the old code and is to be replaced with the Device/xxx thing.  Correct
>> me if I am wrong ;)
>>
>> The conclusion is that for sunxi at least, I do not know how to make a
>> default profile or device to make it easier for users.  At the moment
>> we have the alphabetically first one selected as the default but that
>> is just a little bit not easy for all other devices' users ;)
> You can do this like on other targets as well. Make a profile called
> 'Default', select all packages needed to build images for all devices,
> set PROFILES:=Default and it should work.

This will be ugly because this default profile will need to select all
current and future uboot-sunxi variants.  I myself certainly do not
like that.  But if default profile is a must, you know I am all ears
to receive better plans ;)

The current menuconfig arrangement for sunxi target in my opinion is
not that difficult for users anyway.  For people building images on
their own, it is very likely that want build for a single or selected
set of devices.  I still remember the first time I played with ar71xx
target and selected default profile by chance, and viola the
bin/ar71xx directory had so many images for so many different
devices...

                yousong