diff --git a/common/chapters/installation.adoc b/common/chapters/installation.adoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a3193fa --- /dev/null +++ b/common/chapters/installation.adoc @@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ +== Installation + +This section is a general section providing a high-level overview how to +install Osmocom software on your GNU/Linux system. + +It is important that you choose one of the options outlined below. +Trying to mix some packages from a distribution with some packages from +osmocom.org while building some other parts from source is likely asking +for troubles that could be avoided if you stick to all osmocom software +from either one of those sources, without mixing + matching. + +=== Official Osmocom Binary Packages + +The Osmocom project packages most of its software as binary packages for +a variety of GNU/Linux distributions, both in `rpm` and `dpkg` package +formats. + +For the most up-to-date information, please check out the related wiki +page at https://osmocom.org/projects/cellular-infrastructure/wiki/Binary_Packages + +At the time of this writing there are two main flavours: + +* the `latest` feed (containing the latest tagged version of each + program). See https://osmocom.org/projects/cellular-infrastructure/wiki/Latest_Builds +* the `nightly` feed (containing automatic nightly builds of each + program). See https://osmocom.org/projects/cellular-infrastructure/wiki/Nightly_Builds + +=== Distribution Binary Packages + +Your GNU/Linux distribution may contain packages of Osmocom software. If you use those +packages, please look for any distributions-specific information on how those packages +might deviate from upstream, such as for example on Debian GNU/Linux the files located in +`/usr/share/doc/osmo-*/README.Debian`. + +Please note that Distribution packages usually lag behind the official +_upstream_ packages the Osmocom project releases. It is a matter of +personal preference or policy which packages you use. + + +=== Building from source code + +All of Osmocom is Open Source software, so of course the full source +code of the related software is released, and you are free to download, +build, explore it and hack on it. + +The official location for all osmocom source code is at https://gitea.osmocom.org/ + +However, if you are just a normal user and not a developer familiar with +classic C development on GNU/Linux, we *strongly recommend* you to use +some of the binary package options indicated above. + +If you know your way around git, make, autotools, pkg-config, etc. by all +means, go ahead, don't be discouraged. We just want to avoid normal +users from having to work with unfamiliar tools and wasting time on +getting software to build, rather than actually using it. + +Some general (possibly outdated) instructions on how to build Osmocom +software from source can be found at +https://osmocom.org/projects/cellular-infrastructure/wiki/Build_from_Source + +In general, the usual approach is to + +* start with `libosmocore` and all the required librarires and build + them in order until you have the full chain of dependencies in place. + As a final step, build the actual application you want to use. +* perform `autoreconf -fi`, `./confiugre` and `make install` for each of + the projects. Check the `./configure --help` output to see which + optional compile-time features you might want to enable or disable.