SDK/Docs/1.0/MeeGo SDK with Xephyr

Revision as of 20:58, 2 August 2010

The MeeGo SDK with Xephyr provides a development environment on Linux workstations for Netbook and Handheld applications.

Setup the MeeGo SDK with Xephyr

1. Check for Intel graphics chipset

$ lspci | grep VGA

Desired output: 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation ...

If your system does not have Intel graphics, see the other SDK options.

2. Download the MeeGo SDK Image for your target as described on the Getting Started page.
3. Install the meego-sdk-chroot script

The meego-sdk-chroot script sets up mountpoints for the chroot environment, then starts the chroot proper; it also attempts to unmount everything when it exits and clear up any processes started in the chroot. Get it with:

$ wget http://download3.meego.com/meego-sdk-chroot

Make the chroot script executable:

$ chmod +x ./meego-sdk-chroot

4. Configure X on the host to allow Xephyr to access the display

$ xhost +SI:localuser:<user name>

Example for user named "bob":

$ xhost +SI:localuser:bob

(You need to do this once before running Xephyr or Qt Creator after each reboot)

5. Mount and "Change root" into the MeeGo image

Create a directory for the MeeGo image contents:

$ mkdir <image destination directory>

Mount the image into the directory:

$ sudo mount -o loop,offset=512 <image file> <image destination directory>

Change the root of the terminal to the MeeGo OS root:

$ sudo ./meego-sdk-chroot <image destination directory>

Example:

$ sudo mkdir /opt/meego-handset
$ sudo mount -o loop,offset=512 ./meego-handset-ia32-1.0.80.9.20100706.1-sdk-pre0721.raw /opt/meego-handset
$ sudo ./meego-sdk-chroot /opt/meego-handset

The output from running meego-sdk-chroot should look like this:

mount --bind /proc /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/proc
mount --bind /sys /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/sys
mount --bind /dev /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/dev
mount --bind /dev/pts /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/dev/pts
mount --bind /tmp /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/tmp
mount --bind /var/lib/dbus /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/var/lib/dbus
mount --bind /var/run/dbus /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/var/run/dbus
cp /etc/resolv.conf /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/etc/resolv.conf
root@meego-handset-sdk:/#

This is now a MeeGo chroot terminal. It behaves just like a terminal running in the MeeGo OS: paths, programs, libraries, and environment are all the same as those on a MeeGo OS netbook or handset.

Note: meego-sdk-chroot uses the chroot command. Be sure it is in your path or create an alias:

$ alias chroot='/usr/sbin/chroot'

Start the MeeGo UI with Xephyr

1. Set the DISPLAY environment variable

Xephyr does not see DISPLAY env variable from host system since Xephyr is running from the MeeGo chroot terminal. In the MeeGo chroot terminal, set the DISPLAY variable before running the startmeego script below.

# export DISPLAY=:0

2. Launch Xephyr

From inside the MeeGo chroot terminal:

# startmeego &

This starts the Xephyr server and runs a script to start the MeeGo UI.

MeeGo Handset UI in Xephyr

MeeGo Netbook UI in Xephyr

3. Exit the Simulator

You can stop Xephyr by closing the Xephyr window (click X in the upper corner). You can exit the MeeGo chroot terminal with:

# exit

This closes down any processes started inside the chroot and unmounts directories used by the chroot environment. The output should look something like this:

umount /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/proc
umount /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/sys
umount /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/dev/pts
umount /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/dev
umount /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/tmp
umount /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/var/lib/dbus
umount /home/ell/meego-sdk-0524/var/run/dbus

Debugging the Simulator

If you are having issues running Xephyr, use the debug script to see what's happening:

startmeego-debug

This shows the console output from the script, which may give you some clues if it's not working correctly.

Application Development

Your MeeGo application can be built and run from the MeeGo chroot terminal. By default, your application UI will display in a new window on your desktop. To configure your application to show up inside the MeeGo UI in Xephyr, start your application as follows in the MeeGo chroot terminal:

# DISPLAY=:2 <your application>

Installing other software

You can install additional software into the MeeGo chroot environment. From the MeeGo chroot terminal:

# zypper install <package>

You can also upgrade the whole MeeGo image using:

# zypper dist-upgrade

Known issues

• Panels which rely on DBus (like the battery, networking) don't report devices properly.