Cross-compiling Python for MIPS and ARM Platforms

Python programming language is used in several open source projects such as Sugar OS and Xibo. Let’s see if we can cross-compile it in Ubuntu 10.10 using a mips compiler.

I’ll use the instructions given at http://randomsplat.com/id5-cross-compiling-python-for-embedded-linux.html.

Let’s download Python 2.7.1 first and extract the source code:

tar xjvf Python-2.7.1.tar.bz2

1	tar xjvf Python-2.7.1.tar.bz2

Then run the following command in Python-2.7.1 in order to build some tools for the host:

./configure
 make python Parser/pgen
 mv python hostpython
 mv Parser/pgen Parser/hostpgen
 make distclean

./configure

make python Parser/pgen

mv python hostpython

mv Parser/pgen Parser/hostpgen

make distclean

There is no patch for Python 2.7.1 cross-compilation in the link above, so let’s just try to configure and build it:

CC=mipsel-linux-gcc CXX=mipsel-linux-g++ AR=mipsel-linux-ar RANLIB=mipsel-linux-ranlib ./configure --host=mipsel-linux --target=mipsel-linux --prefix=/python
make HOSTPYTHON=./hostpython HOSTPGEN=./Parser/hostpgen BLDSHARED="mipsel-linux-gcc -shared" CROSS_COMPILE=mipsel-linux- CROSS_COMPILE_TARGET=yes

CC=mipsel-linux-gcc CXX=mipsel-linux-g++ AR=mipsel-linux-ar RANLIB=mipsel-linux-ranlib ./configure --host=mipsel-linux --target=mipsel-linux --prefix=/python

make HOSTPYTHON=./hostpython HOSTPGEN=./Parser/hostpgen BLDSHARED="mipsel-linux-gcc -shared" CROSS_COMPILE=mipsel-linux- CROSS_COMPILE_TARGET=yes

If we don’t use a patch the first error is:

Include/pyport.h:243:13: error: #error "This platform's pyconfig.h needs to define PY_FORMAT_LONG_LONG"

1	Include/pyport.h:243:13: error: #error "This platform's pyconfig.h needs to define PY_FORMAT_LONG_LONG"

So I used some older patch to create a new patch: http://www.cnx-software.com/patch/python-2.7.1-cross-compile.patch. You can download it an apply it as follows:

patch -p1 < python-2.7.1-cross-compile.patch

1	patch -p1 < python-2.7.1-cross-compile.patch

And repeat the step above to configure and cross-compile Python for mips.

Finally install Python in ~/Python-2.7.1/install for example:

make install HOSTPYTHON=./hostpython BLDSHARED="mipsel-linux-gcc -shared" CROSS_COMPILE=mipsel-linux- CROSS_COMPILE_TARGET=yes prefix=~/Python-2.7.1/install

1	make install HOSTPYTHON=./hostpython BLDSHARED="mipsel-linux-gcc -shared" CROSS_COMPILE=mipsel-linux- CROSS_COMPILE_TARGET=yes prefix=~/Python-2.7.1/install

After that copy all necessary files in ~/Python-2.7.1/install to your target board and run the python test:

python lib/Python2.7/test/test___all___.py

1	python lib/Python2.7/test/test___all___.py

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.