Release Notes for SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 Service Pack 2 Software Development Kit

Version 11.2.6 (2012-02-03)

Abstract

These release notes are generic for all SDK 11 based products.


1. General
2. Miscellaneous
2.1. YaST module documentation for ISVs
3. SDK Features
3.1. Package from SDK Does Not Install on All Products
3.2. Update SDK compiler to GCC 4.6
3.3. 32-Bit oprofile-devel Package Now Available
3.4. Building Images with Kiwi
3.5. Building Kernel Module Packages across Enterprise Linux Distributions
3.6. 32bit devel-packages missing from the SDK (x86_64)
4. New Features
4.1. Desktop
4.1.1. Banshee with iPhone and iPod Sync Support
5. Deprecated Functionality
5.1. PHP 5.2 Is Deprecated
6. Infrastructure, Package and Architecture Specific Information
6.1. POWER (ppc64) Specific Information
6.1.1. Valgrind Now Supports POWER6 and POWER7 Instructions
6.2. System z (s390x) Specific Information
6.2.1. Hardware
6.2.2. RAS
6.2.3. Performance
7. Providing Feedback to Our Products
8. Legal Notices

Chapter 1. General

The SUSE Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit (SDK) can be used for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED).

Several packages that are either only on SLES or only on SLED, but needed for the SDK, have been added to the SDK for convenience. The presence of those packages on the SDK does not indicate any support or maintenance entitlement. If you only have a support contract for SLED you are not automatically entitled to support for SLES packages on the SDK and vice versa.

You should be able to re-build any package on SLES or SLED with the SDK DVDs. If you are still using the deprecated CDs, please download the DVDs from http://developer.novell.com/wiki/index.php?title=SLES_SDK.

If you are missing packages on the DVD, please file a bug in the Novell Bugzilla system (http://bugzilla.novell.com). You may also find additional unsupported packages on openSUSE (http://www.opensuse.org).

Note: For various technical reasons not all SDK packages are available on all SLES hardware architectures.

The SDK does not come with a maintenance or support entitlement. From time to time SUSE may release package updates and security fixes online.

If you add the SDK during installation, online update sources for the SDK are added when you register your product.

If you have added the SDK later, please run the Novell Customer Center Configuration in YaST2. This will add the SDK update sources to your configuration. You will not have to re-enter your registration data for this.

Chapter 2. Miscellaneous

2.1. YaST module documentation for ISVs

A primer to creating modules for YaST is here: http://doc.opensuse.org/projects/YaST/SLES11/tdg/Book-YCPModules.html

Chapter 3. SDK Features

3.1. Package from SDK Does Not Install on All Products

The SDK contains the development packages for more than one product. Therefore it is not possible to install every development package on every product. In other words: Not all SDK packages are installable on all products because of the differences in the package lists of the base products.

3.2. Update SDK compiler to GCC 4.6

The system compiler (based on GCC 4.3) does not support, or only suboptimally so, several newer architectures amongst them new processors for the zEnterprise platform.

For the sake of stability and maximum compatibility the system compiler based on GCC 4.3 remains in place, and we update the alternate compiler as part of the SDK to GCC 4.6, the newest upstream release.

3.3. 32-Bit oprofile-devel Package Now Available

Need to build a 32-bit JIT agent library using OProfile's JIT support.

A 32-bit JIT support library from OProfile is provided with this release in the oprofile-devel-32bit package.

3.4. Building Images with Kiwi

The kiwi main package itself does not contain all software components, which could be necessary to build the specified image. For building such an image, some of the packages listed below are required.

To build an image using kiwi, make sure to have either the online SDK repository or the media available so that kiwi can download the required packages.

  • kiwi-tools

  • memtest86+

  • busybox

  • atftp

  • gfxboot

  • gfxboot-devel

Note: Depending on the type of image you are building, only some of these packages may be required. All packages listed above are included either on SLES or SDK media and their repsective online repositories.

While not bundling the package may involve additional steps when building an image, it brings the benefit of kiwi always using the most recent version of the packages. Additionally, it improves the size of the kiwi package significantly.

3.5. Building Kernel Module Packages across Enterprise Linux Distributions

In the past, building kernel module packages for different RPM-based Enterprise Linux distributions has been a challenge: There has been no way to use a single .spec file to build distro-specific kernel module RPMs.

Now, through the Linux Foundation Driver Backport Workgroup, key RPM-based distribution vendors have collaborated to support a standard .spec file format and RPM macros for building kernel module packages. Packagers will now be able to use a single .spec file to create distro-specific binary kernel module RPMs. An example kernel module package build structure, complete with the new standard .spec file and sampledriver source code, is available on the SUSE Linux Enteprise SDK 11 SP 1 in the package "samplekmp-source".

3.6. 32bit devel-packages missing from the SDK (x86_64)

Example: libpcap0-devel-32bit package was available in SDK 10, but is missing from SDK 11

Background

SUSE supports running 32bit applications on 64bit architectures; respective runtime libraries are provided with SLES 11 and fully supported. With SLE 10 we also provided 32bit devel packages on the 64bit SDK. Having 32bit devel packages and 64bit devel packages installed in parallel may lead to side-effects during the build process. Thus with SLE 11 we startet to remove some of (but not yet all) the 32bit devel packages from the 64bit SDK.

Solution

With the development tools provided in the SDK 11, customers and partners have two options to build 32bit packages in a 64bit environment (see below). Beyond that, SUSE's appliance offerings provide powerful environments for software building, packaging and delivery.

  • Use the "build" tool, which creates a chroot environment for building packages.

  • The SDK contains the software used for the openSUSE buildservice. Here the abstraction is provided by virtualization.

Chapter 4. New Features

4.1. Desktop

4.1.1. Banshee with iPhone and iPod Sync Support

Banshee can now be synchronized with iPhone and iPod.

Chapter 5. Deprecated Functionality

The following packages were removed with the release of Software Development Kit 11 Service Pack 2:

5.1. PHP 5.2 Is Deprecated

Based on significant customer demand, we ship PHP 5.3 parallel to PHP 5.2 with SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 SP1 and SP2.

PHP 5.2 is deprecated though, and will be removed with SLES 11 SP3.

Chapter 6. Infrastructure, Package and Architecture Specific Information

6.1. POWER (ppc64) Specific Information

6.1.1. Valgrind Now Supports POWER6 and POWER7 Instructions

Using valgrind on applications built on POWER6- or POWER7-based systems may encounter "unhandled instruction" errors.

Valgrind has been updated to include support for POWER6 and POWER7 processors.

6.2. System z (s390x) Specific Information

6.2.1. Hardware

6.2.1.1. z196 and z114 exploitation in toolchain

6.2.2. RAS

6.2.2.1. Valgrind - complete System z support

6.2.3. Performance

6.2.3.1. 64-bit register support in 31-bit emulation (add on gcc 4.6, SDK)

6.2.3.2. System z optimizations for gcc 2010 (add on gcc 4.6, SDK)

Chapter 7. Providing Feedback to Our Products

On the top level of the first CD you will find a very detailed ChangeLog file. Please, also read the READMEs on the CD.

In case of encountering a bug, please report it through your support contact.

Your SUSE Linux Enterprise Team

Chapter 8. Legal Notices

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