NetBSD Developer Documentation:

Adding a new port

The following is intended to be a brief list of items that need to be addressed when adding a new port to the NetBSD tree.

Note the new files should be added with "cvs add", not "cvs import". Importing is for vendor branches, whereas this code is to intergrated as part of NetBSD, and it's also one more needless tag on each file.

Steps for those just starting out

Things to try at first

Items that need to be addressed when adding new port

CVS setting
htdocs changes
GNATS configration
Mail changes (requires special privileges)
Create FTP directory for snapshots of new port
Other changes

Important tasks once port is imported into the tree

You mean there's more?

Steps for those just starting out

Things to try at first (top)

Try to find as much documentation as you can. Then try some more. Contact the original vendor, and the vendors of major chips used on the boards. Frequently the source for another vendor's OS (even linux) can prove a useful resource.
Copy the sys tree of a similar port.
Setup a cross compiler on another NetBSD machine (something with the same CPU would be ideal, but usually an i386 should be fine).
Work out how to generate a binary understood by the boot loader. If there is an existing OS on the target, you might be better taking advantage of it.
Try to build a standalone binary which can output to the console, possibly using PROM drivers, or serial console. No need for VM.
Build a kernel with memorydisk root.
Add disk and network device support. It may be easier to start with external cards for which MI drivers already exist in the NetBSD tree.

Items that need to be addressed when adding new port

CVS setting (top)

Setting up cvs checkout-update-commit environment.

Read NetBSD CVS HOWTO.and setup CVS commitable environment.
cvs checkout {htdocs,htutils,doc}.

htdocs changes (top)

Edit and commit information about your new port on www.NetBSD.org. The .list format is useful for FAQ-style information (see the htdocs documentation).

Add details to htdocs/Changes/index.list and regenerate the .html file with make. Add link from htdocs/index.html .
Create htdocs/Ports/${MACHINE}/, add link from htdocs/index.html, htdocs/Ports/history.html and htdocs/Ports/index.html . You may want to include a copy of this checklist and mark off items as completed.
Add to tables in
- htutils/changes/changes2html
- htutils/changes/code-changes2xml
- htutils/changes/cvschanges2html
Add to htdocs/developers/features/table and regenerate.
Add your entry to htdocs/People/port-maintainers.html.

GNATS configration (top)

Add new port to the GNATS database. Update the pr-summary building machinery (if necessary).

See GNATS Database Administration. Commit step by step.
Web pages for query-pr
send-pr configuration
Back-end database configuration (requires special privileges, see below)
Create category in GNATS. Add new category gnu/usr.bin/send-pr/categories and send mail to admins and gnats@NetBSD.org .

Mail changes (requires special privileges) (top)

Create port-${MACHINE} mailing list. Send a request to admins over it.
Add new port-${MACHINE} list to htdocs/MailingLists/index.m4. Regenerate with make.
Create port-${MACHINE}-maintainer alias for the portmaster.
Add portmaster to the port-masters mailing list.
Add port-${MACHINE}-maintainer to bug-managers mailing list. e.g. add port-hpcmips-maintainer to bug-managers.
If the port uses a shared MACHINE_ARCH, add port-${MACHINE}-maintainer to the port-${MACHINE_ARCH}-maintainer mailing list, e.g. add port-hpcmips-maintainer to port-mips-maintainer.

Create FTP directory for snapshots of new port (top)

Update port machinery in distrib/ to build snapshots and releases. Have you /usr/src/distrib/${MACHINE}?
Make snapshot. See NetBSD Developer Documentation: Release Engineering
Make source tarballs. The /usr/src/distrib/sets/makesrctars script will help you.
Create ftp.NetBSD.org:/pub/NetBSD/arch/${MACHINE}/snapshot/YYYYMMDD/ and put the snapshot there.

Other changes (top)

Add entry to doc/CHANGES.
Add entry to build.sh.
Add entry to share/tmac/doc-common and src/distrib/notes/common/main.
Add entry to src/share/man/man7/hier.7
Add entry to src/sys/arch/README
Add entry to src/usr.bin/calendar/calendars/calendar.netbsd
Create sup set for new port (current and release collection for src/sys/arch/${MACHINE}/, and mirror collection for ftp.NetBSD.org:/pub/NetBSD/arch/${MACHINE}/). Consult other developers. Make sure doc/README.sup is also updated.
Update tarball-building scripts to build tarball for new ${MACHINE}. Consult other developers.
Send email to <announce@NetBSD.org> and note the announcement on the WWW news page.

Important tasks once port is imported into the tree

You mean there's more? (top)

Keep adding hardware support
Get sysinst running
Produce formal releases
Write a compat_<original_os>

NetBSD Developer Documentation:

Adding a new port

Steps for those just starting out

Items that need to be addressed when adding new port

Important tasks once port is imported into the tree

Other related documents

Steps for those just starting out

Things to try at first (top)

Items that need to be addressed when adding new port

CVS setting (top)

htdocs changes (top)

GNATS configration (top)

Mail changes (requires special privileges) (top)

Create FTP directory for snapshots of new port (top)

Other changes (top)

Important tasks once port is imported into the tree

You mean there's more? (top)

Other related documents

Valeriy E. Ushakov's papers (top)