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Build Environment

This directory contains the unified build environment for the Lidl/Silvercrest Gateway project. It provides all tools needed to build both:

  • Main SoC (RTL8196E) — Linux kernel, root filesystem, userdata
  • Zigbee Radio (Silabs EFR32) — NCP/RCP firmware

Choose Your Build Method

Docker Native Ubuntu
Setup time ~45 min (one-time) ~45 min (one-time)
Disk space ~8 GB (image) ~4 GB (tools)
Best for Any OS, reproducible builds Ubuntu 22.04, faster I/O
Windows Requires Docker Desktop Recommended: WSL2 + native

Windows users: WSL2 with Ubuntu 22.04 is the recommended approach. Native builds in WSL2 are simpler and faster than Docker Desktop.

Option 1: Docker (Any OS)

Build the Docker image once, then use it for all builds.

Build the Image

cd 1-Build-Environment
docker build -t lidl-gateway-builder .

This takes ~45 minutes (downloads and compiles toolchains).

Use the Image

From the 1-Build-Environment directory:

# Interactive shell
docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd)/..:/workspace lidl-gateway-builder

# Build Main SoC (bootloader + kernel + rootfs + userdata)
docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd)/..:/workspace lidl-gateway-builder \
    /workspace/3-Main-SoC-Realtek-RTL8196E/build_rtl8196e.sh

# Build all EFR32 firmware (bootloader + NCP + RCP + OT-RCP + Router)
docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd)/..:/workspace lidl-gateway-builder \
    /workspace/2-Zigbee-Radio-Silabs-EFR32/build_efr32.sh

Docker Options Explained

Option Description
-it Interactive mode with terminal
--rm Remove container after exit
-v $(pwd)/..:/workspace Mount project root to /workspace

The -v mount is bidirectional: built files appear in your local directories.

Option 2: Native Build (Ubuntu 22.04 / WSL2)

For native Ubuntu or WSL2 users. Recommended for Windows users.

Quick Start (One Command)

# Clone the repository (anywhere, rename if you want)
git clone https://github.com/jnilo1/hacking-lidl-silvercrest-gateway.git
cd hacking-lidl-silvercrest-gateway/1-Build-Environment

# Install everything — takes ~45 minutes
sudo ./install_deps.sh

This single command installs everything:

  1. Ubuntu packages (build tools, Java, etc.)
  2. Lexra MIPS toolchain (for Main SoC)
  3. Realtek tools (cvimg, lzma)
  4. Silabs tools (slc-cli, Gecko SDK, ARM GCC, Commander)

All tools are installed inside the project directory:

  • <project>/x-tools/ — Lexra toolchain
  • <project>/silabs-tools/ — Silabs toolchain

Build scripts auto-detect these locations — no PATH configuration needed.

Directory Structure

<project>/
├── x-tools/                    # Lexra toolchain (created by build)
│   └── mips-lexra-linux-musl/
│
├── silabs-tools/               # Silabs toolchain (created by install)
│   ├── slc_cli/
│   ├── gecko_sdk/
│   ├── arm-gnu-toolchain/
│   ├── commander/
│   ├── SimplicityStudio/       # slc workspace (kept here via JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS)
│   └── env.sh                  # Source to load Silabs environment
│
└── 1-Build-Environment/
    ├── README.md               # This file
    ├── CHANGELOG.md             # Build environment & toolchain changelog
    ├── Dockerfile               # Docker image definition
    ├── install_deps.sh          # Ubuntu package installation
    │
    ├── 10-lexra-toolchain/     # Lexra MIPS toolchain
    │   ├── build_toolchain.sh  # Build script
    │   ├── crosstool-ng.config # Crosstool-ng configuration
    │   ├── TOOLCHAIN_UPDATE.md # Toolchain modernization spec (Alpine rebase)
    │   └── patches/            # GCC / binutils / musl patches for Lexra
    │
    ├── 11-realtek-tools/       # Realtek image tools
    │   ├── build_tools.sh      # Build script (also downloads mtd-utils for flash_erase)
    │   ├── bin/                # Built binaries: cvimg, lzma, flash_erase (output)
    │   ├── cvimg/              # cvimg source
    │   ├── lzma-4.65/          # LZMA compressor source
    │   └── lzma-loader/        # LZMA decompression loader source
    │
    └── 12-silabs-toolchain/    # Silicon Labs tools
        └── install_silabs.sh   # Download and install slc-cli + SDK

Toolchains Reference

Lexra MIPS Toolchain

Item Value
Target mips-lexra-linux-musl
GCC 15.2.0
binutils 2.45.1
C library musl 1.2.6
Location <project>/x-tools/mips-lexra-linux-musl/

The Lexra architecture is a MIPS variant without unaligned access instructions (lwl, lwr, swl, swr). Standard MIPS toolchains won't work.

Silabs ARM Toolchain

Item Value
Target arm-none-eabi
GCC 12.2
SDK Gecko SDK 4.5.0
CLI slc-cli 5.11.1.0
Location <project>/silabs-tools/

Realtek Tools

Tool Description
cvimg Create Realtek flash images
lzma LZMA compressor
lzma-loader LZMA decompressor (legacy, replaced by zboot)

Troubleshooting

Docker build fails

If the toolchain build fails with network errors, retry:

docker build --no-cache -t lidl-gateway-builder .

slc-cli download fails

The Silabs download may require login. If wget fails, manually download from: https://www.silabs.com/developers/simplicity-studio

Toolchain not found

Both toolchains are auto-detected by build scripts when installed in the project directory:

  • Lexra: <project>/x-tools/mips-lexra-linux-musl/
  • Silabs: <project>/silabs-tools/

If you installed elsewhere, set the PATH manually or use the env.sh script generated during installation.

Next Steps

After setting up the build environment:

  1. Build Main SoC: ./3-Main-SoC-Realtek-RTL8196E/build_rtl8196e.sh — See 3-Main-SoC-Realtek-RTL8196E
  2. Build EFR32 firmware: ./2-Zigbee-Radio-Silabs-EFR32/build_efr32.sh — See 2-Zigbee-Radio-Silabs-EFR32

Both scripts accept individual targets (e.g., build_rtl8196e.sh kernel, build_efr32.sh ncp rcp). Run with --help for details.