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ATTENTION: This page is still a WIP. Usual disclaimers about not taking responsibility for your system disruption applies.
{{DISPLAYTITLE:macOS Quick Start}}
This page explains how to install the precompiled Miosix Toolchain, which since January 2023 is also available for macOS. The building instructions previously found on this page have been updated and moved to [[Building GCC from sources]].


=== Before you begin ===
Both macOS and Linux are POSIX-conformant Unix-like systems, therefore the steps required to get started with Miosix are very similar. This guide only covers the differences between the steps outlined in [[Linux Quick Start]] and the steps needed for macOS. Therefore reading the [[Linux Quick Start]] page is recommended first.


This procedure has been tested on OS X El Capitain 10.11. The Miosix toolchain has been successfully compiled using GCC 4.9.3, which can be installed using the Homebrew package manager.
== Before you begin ==


=== Installing the Command Line Tools ===


'''Install Xcode'''
macOS provides essentials tools for developing software ([https://clang.llvm.org clang]-based C and C++ compilers, [https://git-scm.com git], and more) in a separate package called the ''Command Line Tools for Xcode''. Despite the name, these tools do not require Xcode to be also installed, and since Xcode is a multi-gigabyte application which eats up quite the amount of disk space, you should '''not''' install Xcode, unless you are sure you need it for some other non-Miosix-related reason.


Install Xcode by downloading it from the Mac App Store [https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/xcode/id497799835?mt=12 here]. This is needed for installing the XCode command line tools which in turn is needed by Homebrew.
To install the Command Line Tools open Terminal.app and then run the following command:


 
<syntaxhighlight>
'''Install Xcode command line tools'''
 
Install Command Line tools by running the following command in terminal.
 
<source lang="bash">
xcode-select --install
xcode-select --install
</source>
</syntaxhighlight>


Then follow the instructions on screen to complete the installation.


It is recommended to run the command even if Xcode and the Command Line tools were already installed on your system, since the Command Line tools installation may have been messed up by upgrading to 10.11 from a previous release.
=== Installing STM32-specific tools ===


STM32 microcontrollers are the most important target for Miosix, and programming them requires specialized tools which on Linux are often installed through a package manager.


'''Install Homebrew'''
In contrast to Linux but similarly to Windows, macOS does not provide a system package manager. However, thanks to community efforts, there are two third-party package managers for macOS that provide a similar experience to Linux for easily installing tools and programs on the command line: [https://brew.sh Homebrew] and [https://www.macports.org MacPorts]. Both of them provide all packages you need to get started with development on STM32 MCUs.


Grab a copy of Homebrew and run the install script in one step using this command in terminal:
In the following discussion we will assume you have Homebrew available and installed on your system. If you prefer MacPorts, you can search the same packages (or 'ports') on the [https://ports.macports.org MacPorts port index].


<source lang="bash">
With Homebrew, installing st-flash and stm32flash can be performed through the following commands:
ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
</source>


<syntaxhighlight>
brew install stlink
brew install stm32flash
</syntaxhighlight>


If it complains about permission issues, then you have to fix it before you can continue. In Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11, Apple introduced a new feature called System Integrity Protector (SIP), which prevents from writing to many system directories such as /usr, /System, /bin, regardless of whether or not you are root. Apple is leaving /usr/local open for developers to use, so Homebrew can still be used as expected; however, performing a few steps may be required depending on you system, as outlined in the official Homebrew documentation [https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew/blob/master/share/doc/homebrew/El_Capitan_and_Homebrew.md here].
QSTLink2 is not supported on macOS.
 
 
=== System dependencies installation ===
 
'''Install GNU tar'''
 
Running the Miosix toolchain compilation script may give you an error related to extracting a file. Therefore, using GNU tar instead of Apple tar is suggested.
 
 
Run this command in terminal to add the repository containing GNU tar to Homebrew:
 
<source lang="bash">
brew tap homebrew/dupes
</source>
 
 
Run this command in terminal to grab the most recent packages list from Homebrew:
 
<source lang="bash">
brew update
</source>
 
 
Run this command to install GNU tar:
 
<source lang="bash">
brew install gnu-tar
</source>
 
 
'''Install GCC 4.9.3'''
 
Running the Miosix toolchain compilation script using Apple GCC has proven unsuccessful. That's why we need to install GCC 4.9.3 from Homebrew. Perform the steps below:
 
 
Run this command in terminal to add the repository containing GCC 4.9.3 to Homebrew:
 
<source lang="bash">
brew tap homebrew/versions
</source>
 
 
Run this command in terminal to grab the most recent packages list from Homebrew:
 
<source lang="bash">
brew update
</source>
 
 
Run this command to install GCC 4.9.3:
 
<source lang="bash">
brew install gcc49
</source>
 
 
'''Symlink GCC 4.9.3 executables'''
 
First, you need to create appropriate symlinks within /usr/local/bin from the versioned name of gcc executables to generic ones. Run these commands from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
ln -s /usr/local/bin/gcc-4.9 /usr/local/bin/gcc
ln -s /usr/local/bin/gcc-4.9 /usr/local/bin/cc
ln -s /usr/local/bin/g++-4.9 /usr/local/bin/g++
ln -s /usr/local/bin/cpp-4.9 /usr/local/bin/cpp
ln -s /usr/local/bin/c++-4.9 /usr/local/bin/c++
</source>
 
Please notice that gcc-4.9 has not been symlinked to ld has someone may expect, since it has proven prone to errors during the Miosix toolchain compilation. Instead, we are gonna use Apple own Clang ld as a linker.
 
 
'''Edit PATH variable'''
 
Now you need to make sure that /usr/local/bin gets inspected before /usr/bin when looking for gcc, so that Homebrew GCC 4.9.3 will be called instead of Apple GCC. In order to do so, we are gonna modify the $PATH terminal variable. Run from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
cd
</source>
 
To get into your home folder.
 
 
Run from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
edit .bash_profile
</source>
 
To edit the bash profile script.
 
 
You need to add the following lines as they are:
 
<source lang="bash">
#homebrew gcc
export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH
#gnu-tar
export PATH=/usr/local/opt/gnu-tar/libexec/gnubin:$PATH
</source>
 
Save and close the file.
 
 
Then run from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
source .bash_profile
</source>
 
in order to reload the bash profile script.
 
 
'''Check the installed packages'''
 
If everything went as supposed, running from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
gcc -v
</source>
 
should return some text including:
 
<source lang="bash">
gcc version 4.9.3 (Homebrew gcc49 4.9.3)
</source>
 
 
While running from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
ld -v
</source>
 
should return some text including:
 
<source lang="bash">
LTO support using: Apple LLVM 7.0.0
</source>
 


And finally running from terminal:
==== Homebrew, macOS, and filesystem permissions ====


<source lang="bash">
Homebrew specifically forbids being run with elevated privileges using <code>sudo</code> when installing packages. This is different than what all other package managers (on Linux and macOS) do.
tar --version
</source>


should return some text including:
[https://docs.brew.sh/FAQ#why-does-homebrew-say-sudo-is-bad According to Homebrew's developers], this approach purportedly has the advantage of reducing the attack surface of a hypothetic malware that modifies Homebrew's executables for malicious purposes, but it makes it possible for malware to modify all of the files installed by Homebrew easily (as executable distributed by Homebrew are often not signed).


<source lang="bash">
Other package managers such as MacPorts (or all Linux-based package managers for the various distributions) run as root (or as a specialized user with reduced privileges) in order to make it more difficult for malware to tamper any file in the package manager's prefix, and to prevent un-authorized users from modifying the set of packages installed.
tar (GNU tar)
</source>


However tampering files installed by a package manager on macOS does not appear to be a popular attack vector for malware, thanks to the additional restrictions imposed on top of the standard Unix user permission system by the TCC subsystem in macOS ([https://eclecticlight.co/2023/02/11/permissions-sip-and-tcc-whos-controlling-access/ read this article] if you don't know what we are talking about). As a result the field importance of the security implications of Homebrew's choice about the ownership of all installed packages is not entirely clear.


=== Toolchain compilation and installation ===
However, being aware of the tradeoff being made is something to be aware of before you choose to install Homebrew or MacPorts, depending on your security-related preferences.


'''Toolchain sources download'''
=== Serial port setup ===


In order to download the kernel and toolchains sources, you need git. If you don't have it already, you can install it using Homebrew:
Serial port devices are available in <code>/dev</code> just like in Linux, however macOS sets the permissions of the device files such that read and write access are available for all groups and users. There is no need to add you user to the <code>dialup</code> group like on Linux.


<source lang="bash">
macOS ships with <code>screen</code> built-in, there is no need to install it separately. If you find <code>screen</code> uncomfortable to use for accessing serial ports, we recommend you use [https://github.com/tio/tio tio], which can be installed via Homebrew with this command:
brew install git
</source>


<syntaxhighlight>
brew install tio
</syntaxhighlight>


From terminal, cd to a folder of your choice, making sure that the path from root to it doesn't contain spaces or special characters). Then run:
== Install the Miosix Toolchain ==


<source lang="bash">
Download the latest version of the toolchain from the link provided in the [[Miosix Toolchain]] page. Make sure to install the macOS installable package, and not the Linux or Windows ones. Then you can install the toolchain by double-clicking the downloaded .pkg file.
git clone https://miosix.org/git-public/miosix-kernel.git
cd miosix-kernel
git fetch origin
</source>


If the installer does not open and the following dialog box shows up:


'''Toolchain dependencies download'''
[[File:MacOS unidentified developer.png|The dialog box shown when Gatekeeper prevents opening an installer package.]]


You need to fix a link in the Miosix toolchain dependencies download script, located at:
click with the right mouse button on the installer package (or click while pressing the ''control'' key on the keyboard) and select Open from the contextual menu. The dialog box will now let you open the package.


<source lang="bash">
Follow the steps presented by the assistant to install the Miosix toolchain on your system. If you are using an Apple Silicon (ARM) Mac, the installer will automatically propose to install Rosetta for you in case it is not already installed.
miosix-kernel/miosix/_tools/compiler/download.sh
</source>


== Get, configure, and compile the Miosix kernel sources ==


Replace the following line:
At this point you can start following the steps outlined in [[Linux Quick Start#Configuring and compiling the kernel]] without modifications.


<source lang="bash">
Remember that there is no need to install ''git'' as it has been already installed as part of the Command Line Tools (if you have been following this guide to the letter).
wget http://www.mpfr.org/mpfr-current/mpfr-3.1.2.tar.xz
</source>
 
with:
 
<source lang="bash">
wget http://www.mpfr.org/mpfr-3.1.2/mpfr-3.1.2.tar.xz
</source>
 
 
Now you need to run the dependencies download script. From terminal, run:
 
<source lang="bash">
sh miosix-kernel/miosix/_tools/compiler/download.sh
</source>
 
from the folder where you performed the git clone command.
 
 
'''Toolchain compilation and installation'''
 
System-wide installation of the toolchain is currently untested. It is then suggested to install it locally and then add its location the the $PATH.
First, edit the install script located at:
 
<source lang="bash">
miosix-kernel/miosix/_tools/compiler/install-script.sh
</source>
 
 
such that at the end the first few lines looks as follow:
 
<source lang="bash">
# Uncomment if installing globally on the system
#INSTALL_DIR=/opt
#SUDO=sudo
# Uncomment if installing locally, sudo isn't necessary
INSTALL_DIR=`pwd`/gcc
SUDO=
</source>
 
 
We can now finally run the compilation script. From terminal, run:
 
<source lang="bash">
sh miosix-kernel/miosix/_tools/compiler/install-script.sh
</source>
 
 
At the end, if everything worked correctly, you'll find the toolchain at:
 
<source lang="bash">
miosix-kernel/miosix/_tools/compiler/gcc/arm-miosix-eabi/bin
</source>
 
 
Now you need to add it to your path. Edit the bash profile script and add the following lines:
 
<source lang="bash">
#arm-miosix-eabi
export PATH={my-folder-of-choice-path}/miosix-kernel/miosix/_tools/compiler/gcc/arm-miosix-eabi/bin:$PATH
</source>
 
where you have to replace {my-folder-of-choice-path} with the path of the folder where you run the git clone command.
 
 
Then run from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
source .bash_profile
</source>
 
in order to reload the bash profile script.
 
 
'''Cleanup'''
 
You are now free to go back to Apple tar and GCC. In order to do so, edit the bash profile script and remove the following lines:
 
<source lang="bash">
#homebrew gcc
export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH
#gnu-tar
export PATH=/usr/local/opt/gnu-tar/libexec/gnubin:$PATH
</source>
 
 
Then run from terminal:
 
<source lang="bash">
source .bash_profile
</source>
 
in order to reload the bash profile script.
 
=== Kernel compilation ===
 
In order to configure and compile the kernel, please follow the steps outlined in the [[Linux Quick Start|Linux Quick Start]].
 
 
=== Flash and debug an STM32F4DISCOVERY board ===
 
'''Tools installation'''
 
In order to be able to flash and debug an STM32F4DISCOVERY board, you need the stlink tools suite. You can grab it from Homebrew running:
 
<source lang="bash">
brew install stlink
</source>

Latest revision as of 20:17, 11 June 2023

This page explains how to install the precompiled Miosix Toolchain, which since January 2023 is also available for macOS. The building instructions previously found on this page have been updated and moved to Building GCC from sources.

Both macOS and Linux are POSIX-conformant Unix-like systems, therefore the steps required to get started with Miosix are very similar. This guide only covers the differences between the steps outlined in Linux Quick Start and the steps needed for macOS. Therefore reading the Linux Quick Start page is recommended first.

Before you begin

Installing the Command Line Tools

macOS provides essentials tools for developing software (clang-based C and C++ compilers, git, and more) in a separate package called the Command Line Tools for Xcode. Despite the name, these tools do not require Xcode to be also installed, and since Xcode is a multi-gigabyte application which eats up quite the amount of disk space, you should not install Xcode, unless you are sure you need it for some other non-Miosix-related reason.

To install the Command Line Tools open Terminal.app and then run the following command: 

xcode-select --install

Then follow the instructions on screen to complete the installation.

Installing STM32-specific tools

STM32 microcontrollers are the most important target for Miosix, and programming them requires specialized tools which on Linux are often installed through a package manager.

In contrast to Linux but similarly to Windows, macOS does not provide a system package manager. However, thanks to community efforts, there are two third-party package managers for macOS that provide a similar experience to Linux for easily installing tools and programs on the command line: Homebrew and MacPorts. Both of them provide all packages you need to get started with development on STM32 MCUs.

In the following discussion we will assume you have Homebrew available and installed on your system. If you prefer MacPorts, you can search the same packages (or 'ports') on the MacPorts port index.

With Homebrew, installing st-flash and stm32flash can be performed through the following commands: 

brew install stlink
brew install stm32flash

QSTLink2 is not supported on macOS.

Homebrew, macOS, and filesystem permissions

Homebrew specifically forbids being run with elevated privileges using sudo when installing packages. This is different than what all other package managers (on Linux and macOS) do.

According to Homebrew's developers, this approach purportedly has the advantage of reducing the attack surface of a hypothetic malware that modifies Homebrew's executables for malicious purposes, but it makes it possible for malware to modify all of the files installed by Homebrew easily (as executable distributed by Homebrew are often not signed).

Other package managers such as MacPorts (or all Linux-based package managers for the various distributions) run as root (or as a specialized user with reduced privileges) in order to make it more difficult for malware to tamper any file in the package manager's prefix, and to prevent un-authorized users from modifying the set of packages installed.

However tampering files installed by a package manager on macOS does not appear to be a popular attack vector for malware, thanks to the additional restrictions imposed on top of the standard Unix user permission system by the TCC subsystem in macOS (read this article if you don't know what we are talking about). As a result the field importance of the security implications of Homebrew's choice about the ownership of all installed packages is not entirely clear.

However, being aware of the tradeoff being made is something to be aware of before you choose to install Homebrew or MacPorts, depending on your security-related preferences.

Serial port setup

Serial port devices are available in /dev just like in Linux, however macOS sets the permissions of the device files such that read and write access are available for all groups and users. There is no need to add you user to the dialup group like on Linux.

macOS ships with screen built-in, there is no need to install it separately. If you find screen uncomfortable to use for accessing serial ports, we recommend you use tio, which can be installed via Homebrew with this command: 

brew install tio

Install the Miosix Toolchain

Download the latest version of the toolchain from the link provided in the Miosix Toolchain page. Make sure to install the macOS installable package, and not the Linux or Windows ones. Then you can install the toolchain by double-clicking the downloaded .pkg file.

If the installer does not open and the following dialog box shows up:

The dialog box shown when Gatekeeper prevents opening an installer package.

click with the right mouse button on the installer package (or click while pressing the control key on the keyboard) and select Open from the contextual menu. The dialog box will now let you open the package.

Follow the steps presented by the assistant to install the Miosix toolchain on your system. If you are using an Apple Silicon (ARM) Mac, the installer will automatically propose to install Rosetta for you in case it is not already installed.

Get, configure, and compile the Miosix kernel sources

At this point you can start following the steps outlined in Linux Quick Start#Configuring and compiling the kernel without modifications.

Remember that there is no need to install git as it has been already installed as part of the Command Line Tools (if you have been following this guide to the letter).

Retrieved from "https://miosix.org/wiki/index.php?title=MacOS_Quick_Start&oldid=319"