[Playerstage-developers] Player-2.1.0rc2: QNX Neutrino 6.2.0 compatibility bigpatch

[Paul O. <new...@ki...>]

Hi developers!

I've tried to compile Player on some old embedded computer running QNX 
Neutrino 6.2.0 (POSIX-compatible real time UNIX system). Before I've 
compiled Player I had to install some additional software from QNXPUB CD 
(things like bash, autotools and all other popular GNU utils).
I thing this patch is REALLY WORTH TO APPLY since troubles I've met are 
common for people trying to compile Player on unfamiliar platforms.
My problems were:
1.
# gcc --version
2.95.3
This old compiler does not accept C99 coding style, so all variables 
should be defined before actual code. Only libplayerc, tests and examples 
are affected by this issue.
2. Although g++ command is present and working well, no C++ headers 
(<iostream>, <fstream> and so on) nor STL headers (<map>, <vector>, 
<queue>, <deque> ad so on) are provided. It's not a big problem since 
majority of Player is C-style code wrapped by C++ classes, only few 
drivers had to be easily rewritten (for example, cout's and cerr's had to 
be replaced with Player's preffered macros: PLAYER_MSG's, PLAYER_WARN's 
and PLAYER_ERROR's). However, drivers that use STL internally must be 
disabled. Some parts of code includes STL headers not using STL at all. 
I've cleaned up that mess and these parts of code compiles fine now.
3. QNX's compiler is very strict about including headers. For example, 
strncasecmp manual page on every UNIX (including Linux) says this function 
is defined in strings.h so to use that on QNX C code, strings.h must be 
included. The same goes to bzero (also from strings.h), however manual 
says it's deprecated, so I've wiped out bzero's and replaced it with 
preffered memset()'s from regular string.h header.
4. Some things are missing in QNX. The hardest problem is with 
xdr_longlong_t() function: sunrpc on QNX does not provide that, however 
C/C++ compiler allows to use 64-bit long long type. The only solution was 
to port it from Linux. I guess whole 'replace' infractructure was designed 
for such cases, although I have no ideas how to add new things, so I've 
put it into dummy.c file. I know it is not the best place for such 
function SO I DIDN'T PUT IT INTO THE PATCH! Also configure scripts should 
detect if xdr_longlong_t() replacement should occur (and my patch does not 
fix that). Ported code looks like that:

#include <rpc/types.h>
#include <rpc/xdr.h>

typedef long long int __quad_t;
typedef __quad_t quad_t;

/*
  * XDR hyper integers
  * same as xdr_u_hyper - open coded to save a proc call!
  */
bool_t xdr_hyper (XDR *xdrs, quad_t *llp)
{
   long int t1, t2;

   if (xdrs->x_op == XDR_ENCODE)
     {
       t1 = (long) ((*llp) >> 32);
       t2 = (long) (*llp);
       return (XDR_PUTLONG(xdrs, &t1) && XDR_PUTLONG(xdrs, &t2));
     }

   if (xdrs->x_op == XDR_DECODE)
     {
       if (!XDR_GETLONG(xdrs, &t1) || !XDR_GETLONG(xdrs, &t2))
         return FALSE;
       *llp = ((quad_t) t1) << 32;
       *llp |= (uint32_t) t2;
       return TRUE;
     }

   if (xdrs->x_op == XDR_FREE)
     return TRUE;

   return FALSE;
}

bool_t xdr_longlong_t (XDR *xdrs, quad_t *llp)
{
   return xdr_hyper(xdrs, llp);
}

Other missing things (B230400, NDFBITS, CRTSCTS, roundup(), howmany()) 
were easily fixed with great help from googles. There's no SA_RESTART 
define in QNX (and as I realised, no workaround will ever exist). 
SA_RESTART is used in libplayerc. Noting wrong happens (at least on QNX) 
if it is not in use, so #ifdef directive solves the problem.
Don't be scared by roundup()/howmany() defines in poll() replacement 
(replace/poll.c), these are preprocessor macros really (of course, missing 
in QNX) and for my patch were backported from Linux - they really looks 
like that.
5. libplayerc's client.c should use HAVE_POLL define to corectly choose 
which header to include!
6. Some "unused variables" warnings fixed in examples.

Other problems:
1. QNX does not need -lpthread linker flag for POSIX pthreads, and does 
not provide separate libpthread.a/.so library, POSIX threads are part of 
system library.
2. The same goes for -ldl, There's no libdl.a/.so, aldhough libltdl.a is 
present. I was able to build support for plugins, however I wasn't able to 
load any later compiled plugin driver!
3. playerc.pc pkg-config's helper should be generated more carefully (I 
had the same problem on Solaris): On some systems libplayerc-using 
programs should link agains some more libraries. On QNX corresponding 
linker flags are: -lsocket -lrpc -ljpeg -lz -lplayerutils
Strangely, -lplayerutils was also required during crosscompilig code for 
CRIS/ETRAX computer runnign Linux.
4. configure flags:
--disable-sicklms400 --disable-vfh --disable-erratic --disable-kartowriter 
--disable-festival --disable-mica2 --disable-accel_calib 
--disable-rcore_xbridge --disable-localbb --disable-cameracompress 
--without-playercc
jpeglib on QNX 6.2.0 is too old to compile fine 
cameracompress/camerauncompress drivers, strangely, I was able to compile 
support for jpeg decompression inside of libplayerc (that's why playerc.pc 
should have -ljpeg flag now)
5. I've read somewhere there's OpenCV port for QNX. I didn't install it so 
I don't know if OpenCV-requiring drivers (there are few of them) compile 
fine.


The patch itself is on the tracker.

I was also able to compile cmake-2.6.0 on QNX, so I guess later Player 
version will be also usable there.

Cheers,
Paul