configure.info: Configuration Name Definition
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Configuration Name Definition
This is a string of the form CPU-MANUFACTURER-OPERATING_SYSTEM. In
some cases, this is extended to a four part form:
CPU-MANUFACTURER-KERNEL-OPERATING_SYSTEM.
When using a configuration name in a configure option, it is normally
not necessary to specify an entire name. In particular, the
MANUFACTURER field is often omitted, leading to strings such as
`i386-linux' or `sparc-sunos'. The shell script `config.sub' will
translate these shortened strings into the canonical form. autoconf
will arrange for `config.sub' to be run automatically when it is needed.
The fields of a configuration name are as follows:
CPU
The type of processor. This is typically something like `i386' or
`sparc'. More specific variants are used as well, such as
`mipsel' to indicate a little endian MIPS processor.
MANUFACTURER
A somewhat freeform field which indicates the manufacturer of the
system. This is often simply `unknown'. Other common strings are
`pc' for an IBM PC compatible system, or the name of a workstation
vendor, such as `sun'.
OPERATING_SYSTEM
The name of the operating system which is run on the system. This
will be something like `solaris2.5' or `irix6.3'. There is no
particular restriction on the version number, and strings like
`aix4.1.4.0' are seen. For an embedded system, which has no
operating system, this field normally indicates the type of object
file format, such as `elf' or `coff'.
KERNEL
This is used mainly for GNU/Linux. A typical GNU/Linux
configuration name is `i586-pc-linux-gnulibc1'. In this case the
kernel, `linux', is separated from the operating system,
`gnulibc1'.
The shell script `config.guess' will normally print the correct
configuration name for the system on which it is run. It does by
running `uname' and by examining other characteristics of the system.
Because `config.guess' can normally determine the configuration name
for a machine, it is normally only necessary to specify a configuration
name when building a cross-compiler or when building using a
cross-compiler.
Created Wed Sep 1 16:41:59 2004 on bee with info_to_html version 0.9.6.