DMAKE(1)

NAME
dmake - DistributedMake

SYNOPSIS
dmake [-c dmake_rcfile] [-g dmake_group] [-j dmake_max_jobs]
[-o dmake_odir]

DESCRIPTION
Note: This man page supplements the make utility man page.

DMake is part of the Sun WorkShop TeamWare product. DMake (DistributedMake) parses your makefiles and determines which target can be built concurrently, and distributes the build of those targets over a number of hosts set by you.

If you use the standard make utility, the transition to DMake requires little if any alteration to your makefiles. DMake is a superset of the make utility. With nested makes, if a top-level makefile calls "make", you need to use $(MAKE).

You execute dmake on a "DMake host" and distribute "jobs" to "build servers." You can also distribute jobs to the DMake host, in which case the DMake host also becomes a build server. DMake distributes jobs based on makefile targets that DMake determines (based on your makefiles) can be built concurrently.

You can use any machine as a build server as long as it meets the following requirements:

    -From the DMake host (the machine you are using) you must be able to use rsh, without being prompted for a password, to remotely execute commands on the build server. For example:

         demo% rsh <machine_name> which dmake
         /opt/SUNWspro/bin/dmake
    The rsh must be "clean", with no additional output.

    -The bin directory in which the DMake software is installed must be accessible from the build server.

    -The bin directory in which the DMake software is installed must be in your execution path when logged in on the build server. Be sure this directory is added to the PATH variable in your .cshrc file (or equivalent), not in your .login file. You can verify this using the command described above. -The source hierarchy you are building must be accessible from the build server, (see below).

From the DMake host you can control which build servers are used and how many DMake jobs are allotted to each build server. The number of DMake jobs that can run on a given build server can also be limited on that server.

OPTIONS

-c dmake_rcfile
    Specifies an alternate runtime configuration file. The default runtime configuration file is $(HOME)/.dmakerc.

-g dmake_group
    Specifies the name of the build server group to which jobs are distributed. You define server groups in the runtime configuration file. The default server group is the first group in the runtime configuration file.

-j dmake_max_jobs
    Specifies the maximum total number of jobs that are distributed to the specified group of build servers in the runtime configuration file. The default maximum number of jobs is the sum of all the specified jobs in a build server group. The jobs are subtracted from, or added to, hosts by 1 in the order they appear in the runtime configuration file. For example, if all jobs specified in the runtime configuration file total 8:

         host earth { jobs = 3 }
         host mars  { jobs = 5 }

    and dmake_max_jobs is specified as 11, DMake adds three more jobs to the current total maximum number of jobs (which is eight) as follows:

         host earth { jobs = 5 }
         host mars  { jobs = 6 }

    Also, if dmake_max_jobs is specified as 4, DMake subtracts 4 jobs (from the original eight) as follows:

         host earth { jobs = 1 }
         host mars  { jobs = 3 }

-m {serial | parallel | distributed}
    Specify one of the following key words:

    serial
        Causes DMake to behave like the standard serial version of make.

    parallel
        Causes DMake to execute jobs to only the DMake host. This behavior is identical to the ParallelMake program distributed with TeamWare 1.x.

    distributed
        Causes DMake to behave in fully distributed mode. This is the DMake default.

-o dmake_odir
    Specifies a common physical directory that DMake can write temporary output files to and read temporary output files from. The directory used is $(HOME)/.dmake and this or whichever directory is specified, must be visible to all build servers. Use this option only if the $(HOME) directory on your local host and the $(HOME) directory on all of your remote hosts are NOT the same physical $(HOME) directory. For example, a root user would use this option.

Note:
    These options and the environment variables and makefile macros described later in this man page modify the same behavior. Their order of precedence is defined as:

    1.  Command-line options

    2.  Makefile macros

    3.  Environment variables

    4.  DMake default

USE

  Special-purpose Targets
DMake allows targets to be built concurrently on a number of build servers. Concurrent processing can greatly reduce the time required to build a large system or project. DMake supplies the special makefile targets .PARALLEL, .NO_PARALLEL, and .WAIT for controlling concurrency and timing.

.NO_PARALLEL:
    Use this target to indicate which targets are to be processed serially.

.PARALLEL:
    Use this target to indicate which targets are to be processed in parallel.

.WAIT
    When you specify this target in a dependency list, DMake waits until the dependencies that precede it are finished before processing those that follow, even when processing is parallel.

Makefiles that you write using these targets remain compatible with the standard version of make distributed with Solaris 1.x and Solaris 2.x. Standard make accepts these targets without error (and without action).

See the Sun WorkShop TeamWare User's Guide for more information about modifications you can make to makefiles for use with DMake.

  Controlling DMake Jobs
The distribution of DMake jobs is controlled in two ways:

    1. A DMake user on a DMake host can specify the machines they want to use as build servers and the number of jobs they want to distribute to each build server.

    2. The owner (a user that can alter the /etc/opt/SPROdmake/dmake.conf file ) on a build server can control the maximum total number of DMake jobs that can be distributed to that build server.

  The DMake Host

When DMake begins execution it searches for a runtime configuration file to know where to distribute jobs. Generally, this file is located in your home directory on the DMake host and is named .dmakerc. DMake searches for the runtime configuration file in the following locations and in the following order:

1.  The path name you specify on the command line using the -c option

2.  The path name you specify using the DMAKE_RCFILE makefile macro

3.  The path name you specify using the DMAKE_RCFILE environment variable

4.  $(HOME)/.dmakerc

If a runtime configuration file is not found, DMake switches to parallel mode and distributes two jobs (the default) to the DMake host. You can change this using the -j option, or DMAKE_MAX_JOBS.

The runtime configuration file may contain a list of build servers and the number of jobs you want distributed to each build server. The following is a sample of a simple runtime configuration file:

     # My machine. This entry causes DMake to distribute to it
     falcon { jobs = 1 }
     hawk
     eagle { jobs = 3 }
     # Manager's machine. She's usually at meetings
     heron { jobs = 4 }
     avocet

The entries: falcon, hawk, eagle, heron, and avocet are listed as build servers.

You can specify the number of jobs you want distributed to each build server. The default number of jobs is two.

Any line that begins with the "#" character is interpreted as a comment.

Note:
    This list of build servers includes falcon which is also the DMake host. The DMake host can also be specified as a build server. If you do not include it in the runtime configuration file, no DMake jobs are distributed to it.

You can also construct groups of build servers in the runtime configuration file. This provides you with the flexibility of easily switching between different groups of build servers as circumstances warrant. For instance you may define a different group of build servers for builds under different operating systems, or on groups of build servers that have special software installed on them. The build servers must be all the same architecture and have the same SunOS installed.

The following runtime configuration file contains groups:

earth                   { jobs = 2 }
mars                    { jobs = 3 }
group lab1 {
			host falcon	{ jobs = 3 }
			host hawk
			host eagle	{ jobs = 3 }
}

group lab2 {
			host heron
			host avocet	{ jobs = 3 }
			host stilt	{ jobs = 2 }

group labs {
			group lab1
			group lab2
}
group sunos5.x {
			group labs
			host jupiter
			host venus	{ jobs = 2 }
			host pluto 	{ jobs = 3 }
}

Formal groups are specified by the "group" directive and lists of their constituents are delimited by braces ({}).

Build servers that are constituents of groups are specified by the optional "host" directive.

Groups can be constituents of other groups.

Individual build servers can be listed in runtime configuration files that also contain groups of build servers. In this case DMake treats these build servers as constituents of the unnamed group.

DMake distributes jobs to a single group of hosts specified by the following list and in precedence from 1 to 4.

1.  The group specified on the command-line as an argument to the -g option

2.  The group specified by the DMAKE_GROUP makefile macro

3.  The group specified by the DMAKE_GROUP environment variable

4.  The first formal group listed in the runtime configuration file

  The Build Server
The /etc/opt/SPROdmake/dmake.conf file is located in the file system of build servers. Use this file to specify the following:

Required
-The maximum total number of DMake jobs (from all users) that can
 run concurrently on that build server.
Optional
-The /usr/bin/ priority under which all DMake jobs are to be run.

The following is a sample of a dmake.conf file:
     max_jobs: 8
     _prio: 5

This file sets the maximum number of DMake jobs permitted to run on that build server (from all DMake users) to be eight. You can change the priority of the jobs to be run by using the nice_prio command. See nice(1).

Note: If the /etc/opt/SPROdmake/dmake.conf file does not exist on a build server, no DMake jobs will be allowed to run on that server.

ENVIRONMENT/MACROS

The following can be defined as either environment variables or makefile macros:

DMAKE_RCFILE
    Defines an alternate runtime configuration file. The default runtime configuration file is $(HOME)/.dmakerc .

DMAKE_GROUP
    Defines the name of the build server group to which jobs are distributed. Server groups are defined in the runtime configuration file. The default server group is the first group in the runtime configuration file.

DMAKE_MAX_JOBS
    Defines the maximum total number of jobs that are distributed to the specified group of build servers in the runtime configuration file. The default maximum number of jobs is the sum of all the specified jobs in a build server group. The jobs are subtracted from, or added to, hosts by 1 in the order they appear in the runtime configuration file. See the -j option in this man page for an example.

DMAKE_MODE
    May contain one of the following key words:

    serial
        Causes DMake to behave like the standard serial version of make.

    parallel
        Causes DMake to distribute jobs to only the DMake host. This behavior is identical to the ParallelMake program distributed with TeamWare 1.x.

    distributed
        Causes DMake to behave in fully distributed mode. This is the DMake default.

DMAKE_ODIR
    Defines a common physical directory that DMake can write temporary output files to and read temporary output files from. Use this environment variable, or macro, only if the $(HOME) directory on your local host and the $(HOME) directory on all of your remote hosts are NOT the same physical $(HOME) directory. For example, a root user would use this option.

FILES

$(HOME)/.dmakerc
    The default runtime configuration file. Contains the names of build servers and groups of build servers.

/etc/opt/SPROdmake/dmake.conf
    Located on build servers, this file is used to specify the maximum total number of jobs that can be distributed to it by all DMake users. It is also used to specify the /usr/bin/nice priority all DMake jobs are to be run under.

SEE ALSO

Sun WorkShop TeamWare User's Guide.

DIAGNOSTICS

See the Sun WorkShop TeamWare User's Guide for a complete list of error and warning messages and possible remedies.