Build and Toolchain - CKCHDX/PROJECT-AION GitHub Wiki

This Build & Toolchain page outlines prerequisites, environment setup, and build instructions for AION.

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1. Prerequisites

• Host OS: Linux or macOS (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, or macOS Catalina+)

• Build Tools:

  • GNU Make (v4.3+)
  • NASM (v2.15+)
  • GCC cross-compiler targeting i686-elf (e.g., gcc-10-i686-elf)
  • QEMU (v5.0+ for emulation)

• Optional:

  • GDB for debugging in QEMU
  • xxd, hexdump for inspecting binaries

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2. Setting Up the Environment

1. Install Dependencies on Ubuntu

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install build-essential nasm gcc-10-i686-elf qemu-system-x86 gdb xxd
   

2. macOS via Homebrew

   brew install nasm x86_64-elf-gcc qemu gdb
   

3. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/your-org/AION.git
   cd AION
   

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3. Build Instructions

• Full Build

  make all
  

• Clean Build

  make clean && make all
  

• Individual Targets

  make boot        # builds bootloader
  make kernel      # builds kernel binary
  make qemu        # launches with QEMU
  

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4. Running AION

• In QEMU

  make qemu
  

  Launches QEMU with a 16MB RAM stick and VGA output to the terminal.

• On Real Hardware

  1. Write aion.iso to USB using dd:

     dd if=build/aion.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
     

  2. Boot from USB and watch the VGA text panel.

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5. Debugging Tips

• QEMU GDB Stub

  qemu-system-i386 -cdrom build/aion.iso -S -s
  

  Then in another terminal:

  i686-elf-gdb build/kernel.bin
  (gdb) target remote :1234
  

• Inspecting Binaries

  xxd build/boot.o | head
  readelf -h build/kernel.bin