INSTALL.txt

Build Options
=============

For Unix platforms, instead of using this source repository, consider
getting source for the current Racket release from

  http://download.racket-lang.org/

or get a source snapshot (updated daily) from

  http://pre.racket-lang.org/installers/

The "Source + built packages" options from those sites will build and
install especially quickly, because platform-independent bytecode and
documentation are pre-built.

In contrast to this repository, release and snapshot source
distributions will work in the
  configure --prefix=... && make && make install
way that you probably expect.


If you stick with this repository, then you have several options:

 * In-place build --- the default, creates a build in the "racket"
   subdirectory that references the packages that reside in the "pkgs"
   subdirectory. This is the most natural mode for developing Racket
   itself or staying on the bleeding edge. See "Quick Instructions:
   In-place Build" below.

 * Unix-style install --- installs to a given destination directory
   (Unix and Mac OS X, only), leaving no reference to the source
   directory. This is the most natural mode for installing once from
   the source repository. See "Quick Instructions: Unix-style Install"
   below.

 * Minimal --- as described in the "src" subdirectory of "racket"
   (i.e., ignore this directory and "pkgs"). You can build a minimal
   Racket using the usual `configure && make && make install' steps
   (or similar for Windows), and then you can install packages from
   the catalog server with `raco pkg'.

 * Installers --- create installers for a variety of platforms by
   farming out work to machines that run those platforms. This is the
   way that Racket snapshots and releases are created, and you can
   create your own. See "Building Installers" below.


Quick Instructions: In-place Build
==================================

On Unix, `make' (or `make in-place') creates a build in the "racket"
directory.

On Mac OS X, see the notes below on git submodules, and then `make'
(or `make in-place') creates a build in the "racket" directory.

On Windows with Microsoft Visual Studio (any version between 2008/9.0
and 2013/12.0), see the notes below on git submodules, and then `nmake
win32-in-place' creates a build in the "racket" directory.  For
information on configuring your command-line environment for Visual
Studio, see "racket/src/worksp/README".

In all cases, an in-place build includes (via links) packages that are
in the "pkgs" directory.

See "More Instructions: Building Racket" below for more information.


Quick Instructions: Unix-style Install
======================================

On Unix, `make unix-style PREFIX=<dir>' builds and installs into <dir>
with binaries in "<dir>/bin", packages in "<dir>/share/racket/pkgs",
documentation in "<dir>/share/racket/doc", etc.

On Mac OS X, see the notes below on git submodules, and then `make
unix-style PREFIX=<dir>' builds and installs into "<dir>" with
binaries in "<dir>/bin", packges in "<dir>/share/pkgs", documentation
in "<dir>/doc", etc.

On Windows, Unix-style install is not supported.

A Unix-style install leaves no reference to this source directory.

To split the build and install steps of a Unix-style installation,
supply `DESTDIR=<dest-dir>` with `make unix-style PREFIX=<dir>`, which
assembles the installation in "<dest-dir>". Then, copy the content of
"<dest-dir>" to the target root.

See "More Instructions: Building Racket" below for more information.


git Submodules (Mac OS X and Windows)
=====================================

On Mac OS X and Windows, you'll need native-library packages in the
"native-pkgs" directory for either an in-place build or a Unix-style
install. The "native-pkgs" directory is treated in the same way as
"pkgs"; for example, in-place build uses links into the "native-pkgs"
directory.

The "native-pkgs" directory is a git submodule, so you'll need

   git submodule init
   git submodule update

before you do anything else.


More Instructions: Building Racket
==================================

The "racket" directory contains minimal Racket, which is just enough
to run `raco pkg' to install everything else. The first step of `make
in-place' or `make unix-style' is to build minimal Racket, and you can
read "racket/src/README" for more information.

If you would like to provide arguments to `configure' for the minimal
Racket build, then you can supply them with by adding
`CONFIGURE_ARGS_qq="..."' to `make in-place' or `make
unix-style'. (The `_qq' suffix on the variable name is a convention
that indicates that single- and double-quote marks are allowed in the
value.)

The "pkgs" directory contains the packages that are included in a
Racket distribution, plus some additional packages (such as tests).  A
`make in-place' links to the package in-place, while `make unix-style'
copies packages out of "pkgs" to install them.

Either way, if you're building on Mac OS X or Windows, be sure to
start with "git Submodules", above.

To install a subset of the packages in "pkgs", supply `PKGS' value to
`make'. For example,

  make PKGS="gui-lib readline-lib"

links only the "gui-lib" and "readline-lib" packages and their
dependencies. The default value of `PKGS' reaches all packages in
"pkgs" among its dependencies. See "Linking Packages for In-place
Development Mode", below, for more information on package links and
using `again' or `LINK_MODE' to use remembered `PKGS' values from
previous `make in-place's. Setting `PKGS' also works for `make
unix-style'.

Using `make' (or `make in-place') sets the installation's name to
"development", unless the installation has been previously configured
(i.e., unless the "racket/etc/config.rktd" file exists). The
installation name affects, for example, the directory where
user-specific documentation is installed. Using `make' also sets the
default package scope is set to `installation', which means that
package are installed by default into the installation's space instead
of user-specific space. The name and/or default-scope configuration
can be changed through `raco pkg config'.

Note that `make -j <n>' controls parallelism for the makefile part of
a build, but not for the `raco setup' part. To control both the
makefile and the `raco setup' part, use

 make CPUS=<n>

which recurs with `make -j <n> JOB_OPTIONS="-j <n>"'. Setting `CPUS'
also works with `make unix-style'.

If you need even more control over the build, carry on to "Even More
Instructions: Building Racket Pieces".


Even More Instructions: Building Racket Pieces
==============================================

Instead of just using `make in-place' or `make unix-style', you can
take more control over the build by understand how the pieces fit
together.

Building Minimal Racket
-----------------------

Instead of using the top-level makefile, you can go into "racket/src"
and follow the "README" there, which gives you more configuration
options.

If you don't want any special configuration and you just want the base
build, you can use `make base' (or `nmake win32-base') with the
top-level makefile.

Minimal Racket does not require additional native libraries to run,
but under Windows, encoding-conversion, extflonum, and SSL
functionality is hobbled until native libraries from the
`racket-win32-i386' or `racket-win32-x86_64' package are installed.

On all platforms, `JOB_OPTIONS' as a makefile variable and
`PLT_SETUP_OPTIONS' as an environment variable are passed on to the
`raco setup' that is used to build minimal-Racket libraries. See the
documentation for `raco setup' for information on the options.

Installing Packages
-------------------

After you've built and installed minimal Racket, you could install
packages via the package-catalog server --- ignoring the content of
"pkgs" and "native-pkgs".

If you want to install packages manually out of the "pkgs" and
"native-pkgs" directories, the `local-catalog' target creates a
catalog as "build/local/catalog" that points to the sources in "pkgs"
and "native-pkgs". A Unix-style build works that way: it builds and
installs minimal Racket, and then it installs packags out of a catalog
that is created by `make local-catalog'.

Linking Packages for In-place Development Mode
----------------------------------------------

Using the "main-distribution" package corresponds to a build that is
like the main Racket distribution. Furthermore, if you install all of
those packages with `raco pkg install -i --link ...', then you can
edit libraries or update via `git pull' plus `raco setup' (as opposed
to updating or reinstalling packages). That's how the in-place build
works.

The `pkg-links' target of the makefile links (or re-links) packages
from "pkgs" and "native-pkgs" into the "racket" build. By default,
`pkg-links' starts with the "main-distribution" and "plt-services"
packages and links all of their dependencies, which includes all of
the packages in "pkgs". Specify a subset of the packages with
`PKGS="...."' as an argument to `make pkg-links'. Make the `pkg-links'
target whenever the set of dependencies can change.

Packages are linked in a database (at "racket/lib/devel-pkgs") that is
added to the installation's search paths. As a result, the links
affect only the build in the "racket" directory, and they are not
mixed with any links that you specifically install in installation
scope. Packages are linked with the `--no-setup' flag (effectively),
which means that a `raco setup' is needed after installing links.

Native-library packages provide (on Mac OS X and Windows) pre-built
native libraries, such as Cairo. They are available through a git
submodule "native-pkgs", so use `git submodule init' and `git
submodule update' as needed.

By default, the `PKGS' value is remembered by `pkg-links', but a
previously remembered value is not used. Supply `LINK_MODE=--restore'
as an argument to to `make' to use the previously remembered `PKGS'
value, if any. The `again' (or `win32-again') makefile target is the
same as `in-place' (or `win32-in-place'), but with
`LINK_MODE=--restore'. To suppress remembering a `PKGS' value, supply
`LINK_MODE='; the `PKGS' value is saved by default because
`LINK_MODE=--save' is the default.

The `pkg-links' makefile target installs links to a specific
"devel-pkgs" directory and also sets the default package scope for the
build to "installation" mode. Both of those configuration adjustments
are made only if no configuration file "racket/etc/config.rktd" exists
already.


The Whole Enchilada: Building Installers
========================================

To build installers that can be distributed to other users, do not use
`make in-place' or `make unix-style', but instead start from a clean
repository.

Use one non-Windows machine as a server, where packages will be
pre-built. Then, as described below, create platform-specific
installers on N client machines, each of which contacts the server
machine to obtain pre-built packages. The server can act as a client,
naturally, to create an installer for the server's platform.

GNU `make' is required on the server machine, `nmake' is required on
Windows client machines, and any `make' should work on other client
machines.

Running Build Farms
-------------------

The `installers' target of the makefile will do everything to generate
installers: build a server on the current machine, run clients on
hosts specified via CONFIG, and start/stop VirtualBox virtual machines
that act as client machines.

See

 pkgs/distro-build-pkgs/distro-build-client/doc.txt

for a description of the site-configuration module and requirements on
client hosts.

If "my-site-config.rkt" is a configuration module, then

 make installers CONFIG=my-site-config.rkt

drives the build farm, and the resulting installers are in
"build/installers", with a hash table mapping descriptions to
installer filenames in "build/installer/table.rktd". A log file
for each client is written to "build/log".

The default CONFIG path is "build/site.rkt", so you could put your
configuration file there and omit the `CONFIG' argument to
`make'. Supply `CONFIG_MODE=...' to pass a configuration mode on to
your site-configuration module (accessible via the `current-mode'
parameter). Supply `CLEAN_MODE=--clean' to make the default `#:clean?'
configuration for a client #t instead of #f, supply
`RELEASE_MODE=--release' to make the default `#:release?'
configuration #t, supply `SOURCE_MODE=--source` to make the default
`#:source?' configuration #t, and supply `VERSIONLESS_MODE=--version`
to make the default `#:versionless?' configuration #t.

A configuration file can specify the packages to include, host address
of the server, distribution name, installer directory, and
documentation search URL, but defaults can be provided as `make'
arguments via `PKGS', `SERVER' plus `SERVER_PORT` plus `SERVER_HOSTS`,
`DIST_NAME', `DIST_BASE', and `DIST_DIR', `DOC_SEARCH',
respectively. The site configuration's top-level options for packages
and documentation search URL are used to configure the set of packages
that are available to client machines to include in installers.

For each installer written to "build/installers", the installer's name
is

 <dist-base>-<version>-<platform>-<dist-suffix>.<ext>

where <dist-base> defaults to "racket" (but can be set via
`DIST_BASE'), <platform> is from `(system-library-subpath #f)' but
normalizing the Windows results to "i386-win32" and "x86_63-win32",
-<dist-suffix> is omitted unless a `#:dist-suffix' string is specified
for the client in the site configuration, and <ext> is
platform-specific: ".sh" for Unix, ".dmg" or ".pkg" for Mac OS X, and
".exe" for Windows.

Generating Installer Web Sites
------------------------------

The `site' target of the makefile uses the `installers' target to
generate a set of installers, and then it combines the installers,
packages, a package catalog, and log files into a directory that is
suitable for access via a web server.

Supply the same `CONFIG=...' and `CONFIG_MODE=...' arguments for
`site' as for `installers'. The configuration file should have a
`#:dist-base-url' entry for the URL where installers and packages will
be made available; the `installers' target uses `#:dist-base-url' to
embed suitable configuration into the installers. Specifically,
installers are configured to access pre-built packages and
documentation from the site indicated by `#:dist-base-url'.

Note that `#:dist-base-url' should almost always end with "/", since
others URLs will be constructed as relative to `#:dist-base-url'.

The site is generated as "build/site" by default. A `#:site-dest'
entry in the configuration file can select an alternate destination.

Use the `site-from-installers' makefile target to perform the part of
`site' that happens after `installers' (i.e., to generate a `site'
from an already-generated set of installers).

Managing Snapshot Web Sites
---------------------------

The `snapshot-site' makefile target uses `site' (so supply the same
`CONFIG=...' and `CONFIG_MODE=...' arguments), and then treats the
resulting site as a snapshot with additional snapshot-management
tasks.

For snapshot management, the destination of the files generated for
`site' (as specified by `#:site-dest') should be within a directory of
snapshots. The configuration file can use `(current-stamp)' to get a
string that represents the current build, and then use the string both
for `#:dist-base-url' and `#:site-dest'. Normally, the stamp string is
a combination of the date and git commit hash.

Snapshot management includes creating an "index.html" file in the
snapshots directory (essentially a copy of the snapshot's own
"index.html") and pruning snapshot subdirectories to keep the number
of snapshots at the amount specified by `#:max-snapshots'
configuration-file entry (with a default value of 5).

Use the `snapshot-at-site' makefile target to perform the part of
`snapshot-site that happens after `site (i.e., to manage snapshots
around an already-generated site).

Separate Server and Clients
---------------------------

Instead of using the `installers' makefile target and a site
configuration file, you can run server and client processes manually.

Roughly, the steps are

 1. On the server machine:
      make server PKGS="..."

    See 1b below for more information on variables other than `PKGS'
    that you can provide with `make'.

 2. On each client machine:
      make client SERVER=... PKGS="..."
    or
      nmake win32-client SERVER=... PKGS="..."

    See 2b below for more information on variables other than `SERVER'
    and `PKGS' that you can provide with `make'.

In more detail:

 1a. Build "racket" on a server.
    
     The `base' target of the makefile will do that, if you haven't
     done it already. (The server only works on non-Windows platforms,
     currently.)

 1b. On the server, build packages and start a catalog server.

     The `server-from-base' target of the makefile will do that.

     Alternatively, use the `server' target, which combines `base' and
     `server-from-base' (i.e., steps 1a and 1b).

     The `SERVER_PORT' variable of the makefile choose the port on
     which the server listens to clients. The default is port 9440.

     The `SERVER_HOSTS' variable of the makefile determines the
     interfaces at which the server listens. The default is
     "localhost" which listens only on the loopback device (for
     security). Supply the empty string to listen on all
     interfaces. Supply multiple addresses by separating them with a
     comma.

     The `PKGS' variable of the makefile determines which packages are
     built for potential inclusion in a distribution.

     The `DOC_SEARCH' variable of the makefile determine a URL that is
     embedded in rendered documentation for cases where a remote
     search is needed (because other documentation is not installed).

     The `SRC_CATALOG' variable determines the catalog that is used to
     get package sources and native-library packages, but a value of
     "local" triggers a bootstrap mode where packages are represented
     by directories in the makefile's directory. For now, "local" is
     the default.

     The server provides README files from the "build/readmes"
     directory. If "README.txt" does not exist when the sever is
     started, a default file is created (and clients download
     "README.txt" by default).

     If you stop the server and want to restart it, use the
     `built-package-server' makefile target instead of starting over
     with the `server' target.

 2a. On each client (one for each platform to bundle), build "racket".

     This is the same as step 1, but on each client. If the client and
     server are the same, there's nothing more to do for step 3.

 2b. On each client, create an installer.

     The `client' (or `win32-client') target of the makefile will do
     that.

     Provide `SERVER' as the hostname of the server machine, but a
     "localhost"-based tunnel back to the server is more secure and
     avoids the need to specify `SERVER_HOSTS' when starting the
     server in step 1b. Also, provide `SERVER_PORT' if an alternate
     port was specified in step 1b.

     Provide the same `PKGS' (or a subset) as in step 1b if you want a
     different set than the ones listed in the makefile. Similarly,
     `DOC_SEARCH' normally should be the same as in step 1b, but for a
     client, it affects future documentation builds in the
     installation.

     Alternatively, use the `client' target, which combines `base' and
     `client-from-base' (i.e., steps 2a and 2b).

     On Windows, you need NSIS installed, either in the usual location
     or with `makensis' in your command-line path.

     To create a release installer, provide `RELEASE_MODE' as
     "--release" to `make'. A release installer has slightly different
     defaults that are suitable for infrequently updated release
     installations, as opposed to frequently updated snapshot
     installations.

     To create a source archive, provide `SOURCE_MODE' as "--source"
     to `make'.

     To create an archive that omits the version number and also omit
     and version number in installer paths, provide `VERSIONLESS_MODE' as
     "--versionless" to `make'.

     To change the human-readable name of the distribution as embedded
     in the installer, provide `DIST_NAME' to `make'. The default
     distribution name is "Racket". Whatever name you pick, the Racket
     version number is automatically added for various contexts.

     To change the base name of the installer file, provide `DIST_BASE'
     to `make'. The default is "racket".

     To change the directory name for Unix installation, provide
     `DIST_DIR' to `make'. The default is "racket".

     To add an extra piece to the installer's name, such as an
     identifier for a variant of Linux, provide `DIST_SUFFIX' to
     `make'. The default is "", which omits the prefix and its
     preceding hyphen.

     To set the description string for the installer, provide
     `DIST_DESC' to `make'. The description string is recorded
     alongside the installer.

     To set the initial package catalogs URLs for an installation,
     provide `DIST_CATALOGS_q' to `make'. Separate multiple URLs with
     a space, and use an empty string in place of a URL to indicate
     that the default catalogs should be used. The "_q" in the
     variable name indicates that its value can include double quotes
     (but not single quotes) --- which are needed to specify an empty
     string, for example.

     To select a "README" file for the client, provide `README' to
     `make'. The `README' value is used as a file name to download
     from the server.

     For a Mac OS X installer, set `SIGN_IDENTITY' to sign the
     installer, where the value of `SIGN_IDENTITY' is the name to
     which the signing certificate is associated. Set `MAC_PKG_MODE'
     to "--mac-pkg" to create a ".pkg" installer instead of a ".dmg"
     image.

     The `SERVER_CATALOG_PATH' and `SERVER_COLLECTS_PATH' makefile
     variables specify paths at `SERVER' plus `SERVER_PORT' to access
     the package catalog and pre-built "collects" tree needed for a
     client, but those paths should be empty for a server started with
     `make server', and they are used mainly by `make
     client-from-site' (described below).

     The `UPLOAD' makefile variable specifies a URL to use as an
     upload destination for the created installed, where the
     installer's name is added to the end of the URL, or leave as
     empty for no upload.

On each client, step 2b produces a "bundle/installer.txt" file that
contains the path to the generated installer on one line, followed by
the description on a second line. The installer is also uploaded to
the server, which leaves the installer in a "build/installers"
directory and records a mapping from the installer's description to
its filename in "build/installers/table.rktd".

If you provide `JOB_OPTIONS=...' for either a client or server build,
the options are used both for `raco setup' and `raco pkg
install'. Normally, `JOB_OPTIONS' is used to control parallelism.

Creating a Client from an Installer Web Site
--------------------------------------------

If you (or someone else) previously created an installer site with
`make site', then `make client-from-site` in a clean repository
creates an installer for the current platform drawing packages
from the site.

At a minimum, provide `SERVER', `SERVER_PORT' (usually 80), and
`SITE_PATH' (if not empty, include a trailing "/") makefile variables
to access a site at

  http://$(SERVER):$(SERVER_PORT)/$(SITE_PATH)

The `client-from-site' makefile target chains to `make client' while
passing suitable values for `DIST_CATALOGS_q`, `DOC_SEARCH`,
`SERVER_CATALOG_PATH', and `SERVER_COLLECTS_PATH'. Supply any other
suitable variables, such as `DIST_NAME' or `RELEASE_MODE', the same as
for `make client'.