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+<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
+"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd">
+
+<chapter id="bitbake-user-manual-execution">
+    <title>Execution</title>
+
+    <para>
+        The primary purpose for running BitBake is to produce some kind
+        of output such as a single installable package, a kernel, a software
+        development kit, or even a full, board-specific bootable Linux image,
+        complete with bootloader, kernel, and root filesystem.
+        Of course, you can execute the <filename>bitbake</filename>
+        command with options that cause it to execute single tasks,
+        compile single recipe files, capture or clear data, or simply
+        return information about the execution environment.
+    </para>
+
+    <para>
+        This chapter describes BitBake's execution process from start
+        to finish when you use it to create an image.
+        The execution process is launched using the following command
+        form:
+        <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     $ bitbake &lt;target&gt;
+        </literallayout>
+        For information on the BitBake command and its options,
+        see
+        "<link linkend='bitbake-user-manual-command'>The BitBake Command</link>"
+        section.
+        <note>
+            <para>
+                Prior to executing BitBake, you should take advantage of available
+                parallel thread execution on your build host by setting the
+                <link linkend='var-BB_NUMBER_THREADS'><filename>BB_NUMBER_THREADS</filename></link>
+                variable in your project's <filename>local.conf</filename>
+                configuration file.
+            </para>
+
+            <para>
+                A common way to determine this value for your build host is to run:
+                <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     $ grep processor /proc/cpuinfo
+                </literallayout>
+                and count the number of processors displayed. Note that the number of
+                processors will take into account hyper-threading, so that a quad-core
+                build host with hyper-threading will most likely show eight processors,
+                which is the value you would then assign to that variable.
+            </para>
+
+            <para>
+                A possibly simpler solution is that some Linux distributions
+                (e.g. Debian and Ubuntu) provide the <filename>ncpus</filename> command.
+            </para>
+        </note>
+    </para>
+
+    <section id='parsing-the-base-configuration-metadata'>
+        <title>Parsing the Base Configuration Metadata</title>
+
+        <para>
+            The first thing BitBake does is parse base configuration
+            metadata.
+            Base configuration metadata consists of your project's
+            <filename>bblayers.conf</filename> file to determine what
+            layers BitBake needs to recognize, all necessary
+            <filename>layer.conf</filename> files (one from each layer),
+            and <filename>bitbake.conf</filename>.
+            The data itself is of various types:
+            <itemizedlist>
+                <listitem><para><emphasis>Recipes:</emphasis>
+                    Details about particular pieces of software.
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para><emphasis>Class Data:</emphasis>
+                    An abstraction of common build information
+                    (e.g. how to build a Linux kernel).
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para><emphasis>Configuration Data:</emphasis>
+                    Machine-specific settings, policy decisions,
+                    and so forth.
+                    Configuration data acts as the glue to bind everything
+                    together.</para></listitem>
+            </itemizedlist>
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            The <filename>layer.conf</filename> files are used to
+            construct key variables such as
+            <link linkend='var-BBPATH'><filename>BBPATH</filename></link>
+            and
+            <link linkend='var-BBFILES'><filename>BBFILES</filename></link>.
+            <filename>BBPATH</filename> is used to search for
+            configuration and class files under the
+            <filename>conf</filename> and <filename>classes</filename>
+            directories, respectively.
+            <filename>BBFILES</filename> is used to locate both recipe
+            and recipe append files
+            (<filename>.bb</filename> and <filename>.bbappend</filename>).
+            If there is no <filename>bblayers.conf</filename> file,
+            it is assumed the user has set the <filename>BBPATH</filename>
+            and <filename>BBFILES</filename> directly in the environment.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Next, the <filename>bitbake.conf</filename> file is located
+            using the <filename>BBPATH</filename> variable that was
+            just constructed.
+            The <filename>bitbake.conf</filename> file may also include other
+            configuration files using the
+            <filename>include</filename> or
+            <filename>require</filename> directives.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Prior to parsing configuration files, Bitbake looks
+            at certain variables, including:
+            <itemizedlist>
+                <listitem><para><link linkend='var-BB_ENV_WHITELIST'><filename>BB_ENV_WHITELIST</filename></link></para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para><link linkend='var-BB_PRESERVE_ENV'><filename>BB_PRESERVE_ENV</filename></link></para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para><link linkend='var-BB_ENV_EXTRAWHITE'><filename>BB_ENV_EXTRAWHITE</filename></link></para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para>
+                    <link linkend='var-BITBAKE_UI'><filename>BITBAKE_UI</filename></link>
+                    </para></listitem>
+            </itemizedlist>
+            You can find information on how to pass environment variables into the BitBake
+            execution environment in the
+            "<link linkend='passing-information-into-the-build-task-environment'>Passing Information Into the Build Task Environment</link>" section.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            The base configuration metadata is global
+            and therefore affects all recipes and tasks that are executed.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            BitBake first searches the current working directory for an
+            optional <filename>conf/bblayers.conf</filename> configuration file.
+            This file is expected to contain a
+            <link linkend='var-BBLAYERS'><filename>BBLAYERS</filename></link>
+            variable that is a space-delimited list of 'layer' directories.
+            Recall that if BitBake cannot find a <filename>bblayers.conf</filename>
+            file, then it is assumed the user has set the <filename>BBPATH</filename>
+            and <filename>BBFILES</filename> variables directly in the environment.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            For each directory (layer) in this list, a <filename>conf/layer.conf</filename>
+            file is located and parsed with the
+            <link linkend='var-LAYERDIR'><filename>LAYERDIR</filename></link>
+            variable being set to the directory where the layer was found.
+            The idea is these files automatically set up
+            <link linkend='var-BBPATH'><filename>BBPATH</filename></link>
+            and other variables correctly for a given build directory.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            BitBake then expects to find the <filename>conf/bitbake.conf</filename>
+            file somewhere in the user-specified <filename>BBPATH</filename>.
+            That configuration file generally has include directives to pull
+            in any other metadata such as files specific to the architecture,
+            the machine, the local environment, and so forth.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Only variable definitions and include directives are allowed
+            in BitBake <filename>.conf</filename> files.
+            Some variables directly influence BitBake's behavior.
+            These variables might have been set from the environment
+            depending on the environment variables previously
+            mentioned or set in the configuration files.
+            The
+            "<link linkend='ref-variables-glos'>Variables Glossary</link>"
+            chapter presents a full list of variables.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            After parsing configuration files, BitBake uses its rudimentary
+            inheritance mechanism, which is through class files, to inherit
+            some standard classes.
+            BitBake parses a class when the inherit directive responsible
+            for getting that class is encountered.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            The <filename>base.bbclass</filename> file is always included.
+            Other classes that are specified in the configuration using the
+            <link linkend='var-INHERIT'><filename>INHERIT</filename></link>
+            variable are also included.
+            BitBake searches for class files in a
+            <filename>classes</filename> subdirectory under
+            the paths in <filename>BBPATH</filename> in the same way as
+            configuration files.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            A good way to get an idea of the configuration files and
+            the class files used in your execution environment is to
+            run the following BitBake command:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     $ bitbake -e > mybb.log
+            </literallayout>
+            Examining the top of the <filename>mybb.log</filename>
+            shows you the many configuration files and class files
+            used in your execution environment.
+        </para>
+
+        <note>
+            <para>
+                You need to be aware of how BitBake parses curly braces.
+                If a recipe uses a closing curly brace within the function and
+                the character has no leading spaces, BitBake produces a parsing
+                error.
+                If you use a pair of curly braces in a shell function, the
+                closing curly brace must not be located at the start of the line
+                without leading spaces.
+            </para>
+
+            <para>
+                Here is an example that causes BitBake to produce a parsing
+                error:
+                <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     fakeroot create_shar() {
+         cat &lt;&lt; "EOF" &gt; ${SDK_DEPLOY}/${TOOLCHAIN_OUTPUTNAME}.sh
+     usage()
+     {
+       echo "test"
+       ###### The following "}" at the start of the line causes a parsing error ######
+     }
+     EOF
+     }
+                </literallayout>
+                Writing the recipe this way avoids the error:
+                <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     fakeroot create_shar() {
+         cat &lt;&lt; "EOF" &gt; ${SDK_DEPLOY}/${TOOLCHAIN_OUTPUTNAME}.sh
+     usage()
+     {
+       echo "test"
+       ######The following "}" with a leading space at the start of the line avoids the error ######
+      }
+     EOF
+     }
+                </literallayout>
+            </para>
+        </note>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='locating-and-parsing-recipes'>
+        <title>Locating and Parsing Recipes</title>
+
+        <para>
+            During the configuration phase, BitBake will have set
+            <link linkend='var-BBFILES'><filename>BBFILES</filename></link>.
+            BitBake now uses it to construct a list of recipes to parse,
+            along with any append files (<filename>.bbappend</filename>)
+            to apply.
+            <filename>BBFILES</filename> is a space-separated list of
+            available files and supports wildcards.
+            An example would be:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     BBFILES = "/path/to/bbfiles/*.bb /path/to/appends/*.bbappend"
+            </literallayout>
+            BitBake parses each recipe and append file located
+            with <filename>BBFILES</filename> and stores the values of
+            various variables into the datastore.
+            <note>
+                Append files are applied in the order they are encountered in
+                <filename>BBFILES</filename>.
+            </note>
+            For each file, a fresh copy of the base configuration is
+            made, then the recipe is parsed line by line.
+            Any inherit statements cause BitBake to find and
+            then parse class files (<filename>.bbclass</filename>)
+            using
+            <link linkend='var-BBPATH'><filename>BBPATH</filename></link>
+            as the search path.
+            Finally, BitBake parses in order any append files found in
+            <filename>BBFILES</filename>.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            One common convention is to use the recipe filename to define
+            pieces of metadata.
+            For example, in <filename>bitbake.conf</filename> the recipe
+            name and version are used to set the variables
+            <link linkend='var-PN'><filename>PN</filename></link> and
+            <link linkend='var-PV'><filename>PV</filename></link>:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     PN = "${@bb.parse.BBHandler.vars_from_file(d.getVar('FILE'),d)[0] or 'defaultpkgname'}"
+     PV = "${@bb.parse.BBHandler.vars_from_file(d.getVar('FILE'),d)[1] or '1.0'}"
+            </literallayout>
+            In this example, a recipe called "something_1.2.3.bb" would set
+            <filename>PN</filename> to "something" and
+            <filename>PV</filename> to "1.2.3".
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            By the time parsing is complete for a recipe, BitBake
+            has a list of tasks that the recipe defines and a set of
+            data consisting of keys and values as well as
+            dependency information about the tasks.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            BitBake does not need all of this information.
+            It only needs a small subset of the information to make
+            decisions about the recipe.
+            Consequently, BitBake caches the values in which it is
+            interested and does not store the rest of the information.
+            Experience has shown it is faster to re-parse the metadata than to
+            try and write it out to the disk and then reload it.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Where possible, subsequent BitBake commands reuse this cache of
+            recipe information.
+            The validity of this cache is determined by first computing a
+            checksum of the base configuration data (see
+            <link linkend='var-BB_HASHCONFIG_WHITELIST'><filename>BB_HASHCONFIG_WHITELIST</filename></link>)
+            and then checking if the checksum matches.
+            If that checksum matches what is in the cache and the recipe
+            and class files have not changed, Bitbake is able to use
+            the cache.
+            BitBake then reloads the cached information about the recipe
+            instead of reparsing it from scratch.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Recipe file collections exist to allow the user to
+            have multiple repositories of
+            <filename>.bb</filename> files that contain the same
+            exact package.
+            For example, one could easily use them to make one's
+            own local copy of an upstream repository, but with
+            custom modifications that one does not want upstream.
+            Here is an example:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+    BBFILES = "/stuff/openembedded/*/*.bb /stuff/openembedded.modified/*/*.bb"
+    BBFILE_COLLECTIONS = "upstream local"
+    BBFILE_PATTERN_upstream = "^/stuff/openembedded/"
+    BBFILE_PATTERN_local = "^/stuff/openembedded.modified/"
+    BBFILE_PRIORITY_upstream = "5"
+    BBFILE_PRIORITY_local = "10"
+            </literallayout>
+            <note>
+                The layers mechanism is now the preferred method of collecting
+                code.
+                While the collections code remains, its main use is to set layer
+                priorities and to deal with overlap (conflicts) between layers.
+            </note>
+        </para>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='bb-bitbake-providers'>
+        <title>Providers</title>
+
+        <para>
+            Assuming BitBake has been instructed to execute a target
+            and that all the recipe files have been parsed, BitBake
+            starts to figure out how to build the target.
+            BitBake looks through the <filename>PROVIDES</filename> list
+            for each of the recipes.
+            A <filename>PROVIDES</filename> list is the list of names by which
+            the recipe can be known.
+            Each recipe's <filename>PROVIDES</filename> list is created
+            implicitly through the recipe's
+            <link linkend='var-PN'><filename>PN</filename></link> variable
+            and explicitly through the recipe's
+            <link linkend='var-PROVIDES'><filename>PROVIDES</filename></link>
+            variable, which is optional.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            When a recipe uses <filename>PROVIDES</filename>, that recipe's
+            functionality can be found under an alternative name or names other
+            than the implicit <filename>PN</filename> name.
+            As an example, suppose a recipe named <filename>keyboard_1.0.bb</filename>
+            contained the following:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     PROVIDES += "fullkeyboard"
+            </literallayout>
+            The <filename>PROVIDES</filename> list for this recipe becomes
+            "keyboard", which is implicit, and "fullkeyboard", which is explicit.
+            Consequently, the functionality found in
+            <filename>keyboard_1.0.bb</filename> can be found under two
+            different names.
+        </para>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='bb-bitbake-preferences'>
+        <title>Preferences</title>
+
+        <para>
+            The <filename>PROVIDES</filename> list is only part of the solution
+            for figuring out a target's recipes.
+            Because targets might have multiple providers, BitBake needs
+            to prioritize providers by determining provider preferences.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            A common example in which a target has multiple providers
+            is "virtual/kernel", which is on the
+            <filename>PROVIDES</filename> list for each kernel recipe.
+            Each machine often selects the best kernel provider by using a
+            line similar to the following in the machine configuration file:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     PREFERRED_PROVIDER_virtual/kernel = "linux-yocto"
+            </literallayout>
+            The default
+            <link linkend='var-PREFERRED_PROVIDER'><filename>PREFERRED_PROVIDER</filename></link>
+            is the provider with the same name as the target.
+            Bitbake iterates through each target it needs to build and
+            resolves them and their dependencies using this process.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Understanding how providers are chosen is made complicated by the fact
+            that multiple versions might exist for a given provider.
+            BitBake defaults to the highest version of a provider.
+            Version comparisons are made using the same method as Debian.
+            You can use the
+            <link linkend='var-PREFERRED_VERSION'><filename>PREFERRED_VERSION</filename></link>
+            variable to specify a particular version.
+            You can influence the order by using the
+            <link linkend='var-DEFAULT_PREFERENCE'><filename>DEFAULT_PREFERENCE</filename></link>
+            variable.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            By default, files have a preference of "0".
+            Setting <filename>DEFAULT_PREFERENCE</filename> to "-1" makes the
+            recipe unlikely to be used unless it is explicitly referenced.
+            Setting <filename>DEFAULT_PREFERENCE</filename> to "1" makes it
+            likely the recipe is used.
+            <filename>PREFERRED_VERSION</filename> overrides any
+            <filename>DEFAULT_PREFERENCE</filename> setting.
+            <filename>DEFAULT_PREFERENCE</filename> is often used to mark newer
+            and more experimental recipe versions until they have undergone
+            sufficient testing to be considered stable.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            When there are multiple “versions” of a given recipe,
+            BitBake defaults to selecting the most recent
+            version, unless otherwise specified.
+            If the recipe in question has a
+            <link linkend='var-DEFAULT_PREFERENCE'><filename>DEFAULT_PREFERENCE</filename></link>
+            set lower than the other recipes (default is 0), then
+            it will not be selected.
+            This allows the person or persons maintaining
+            the repository of recipe files to specify
+            their preference for the default selected version.
+            Additionally, the user can specify their preferred version.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            If the first recipe is named <filename>a_1.1.bb</filename>, then the
+            <link linkend='var-PN'><filename>PN</filename></link> variable
+            will be set to “a”, and the
+            <link linkend='var-PV'><filename>PV</filename></link>
+            variable will be set to 1.1.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Thus, if a recipe named <filename>a_1.2.bb</filename> exists, BitBake
+            will choose 1.2 by default.
+            However, if you define the following variable in a
+            <filename>.conf</filename> file that BitBake parses, you
+            can change that preference:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     PREFERRED_VERSION_a = "1.1"
+            </literallayout>
+        </para>
+
+        <note>
+            <para>
+                It is common for a recipe to provide two versions -- a stable,
+                numbered (and preferred) version, and a version that is
+                automatically checked out from a source code repository that
+                is considered more "bleeding edge" but can be selected only
+                explicitly.
+            </para>
+
+            <para>
+                For example, in the OpenEmbedded codebase, there is a standard,
+                versioned recipe file for BusyBox,
+                <filename>busybox_1.22.1.bb</filename>,
+                but there is also a Git-based version,
+                <filename>busybox_git.bb</filename>, which explicitly contains the line
+                <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+    DEFAULT_PREFERENCE = "-1"
+                </literallayout>
+                to ensure that the numbered, stable version is always preferred
+                unless the developer selects otherwise.
+            </para>
+        </note>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='bb-bitbake-dependencies'>
+        <title>Dependencies</title>
+
+        <para>
+            Each target BitBake builds consists of multiple tasks such as
+            <filename>fetch</filename>, <filename>unpack</filename>,
+            <filename>patch</filename>, <filename>configure</filename>,
+            and <filename>compile</filename>.
+            For best performance on multi-core systems, BitBake considers each
+            task as an independent
+            entity with its own set of dependencies.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Dependencies are defined through several variables.
+            You can find information about variables BitBake uses in
+            the <link linkend='ref-variables-glos'>Variables Glossary</link>
+            near the end of this manual.
+            At a basic level, it is sufficient to know that BitBake uses the
+            <link linkend='var-DEPENDS'><filename>DEPENDS</filename></link> and
+            <link linkend='var-RDEPENDS'><filename>RDEPENDS</filename></link> variables when
+            calculating dependencies.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            For more information on how BitBake handles dependencies, see the
+            "<link linkend='dependencies'>Dependencies</link>" section.
+        </para>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='ref-bitbake-tasklist'>
+        <title>The Task List</title>
+
+        <para>
+            Based on the generated list of providers and the dependency information,
+            BitBake can now calculate exactly what tasks it needs to run and in what
+            order it needs to run them.
+            The
+            "<link linkend='executing-tasks'>Executing Tasks</link>" section has more
+            information on how BitBake chooses which task to execute next.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            The build now starts with BitBake forking off threads up to the limit set in the
+            <link linkend='var-BB_NUMBER_THREADS'><filename>BB_NUMBER_THREADS</filename></link>
+            variable.
+            BitBake continues to fork threads as long as there are tasks ready to run,
+            those tasks have all their dependencies met, and the thread threshold has not been
+            exceeded.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            It is worth noting that you can greatly speed up the build time by properly setting
+            the <filename>BB_NUMBER_THREADS</filename> variable.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            As each task completes, a timestamp is written to the directory specified by the
+            <link linkend='var-STAMP'><filename>STAMP</filename></link> variable.
+            On subsequent runs, BitBake looks in the build directory within
+            <filename>tmp/stamps</filename> and does not rerun
+            tasks that are already completed unless a timestamp is found to be invalid.
+            Currently, invalid timestamps are only considered on a per
+            recipe file basis.
+            So, for example, if the configure stamp has a timestamp greater than the
+            compile timestamp for a given target, then the compile task would rerun.
+            Running the compile task again, however, has no effect on other providers
+            that depend on that target.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            The exact format of the stamps is partly configurable.
+            In modern versions of BitBake, a hash is appended to the
+            stamp so that if the configuration changes, the stamp becomes
+            invalid and the task is automatically rerun.
+            This hash, or signature used, is governed by the signature policy
+            that is configured (see the
+            "<link linkend='checksums'>Checksums (Signatures)</link>"
+            section for information).
+            It is also possible to append extra metadata to the stamp using
+            the "stamp-extra-info" task flag.
+            For example, OpenEmbedded uses this flag to make some tasks machine-specific.
+        </para>
+
+        <note>
+            Some tasks are marked as "nostamp" tasks.
+            No timestamp file is created when these tasks are run.
+            Consequently, "nostamp" tasks are always rerun.
+        </note>
+
+        <para>
+            For more information on tasks, see the
+            "<link linkend='tasks'>Tasks</link>" section.
+        </para>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='executing-tasks'>
+        <title>Executing Tasks</title>
+
+        <para>
+            Tasks can be either a shell task or a Python task.
+            For shell tasks, BitBake writes a shell script to
+            <filename>${</filename><link linkend='var-T'><filename>T</filename></link><filename>}/run.do_taskname.pid</filename>
+            and then executes the script.
+            The generated shell script contains all the exported variables,
+            and the shell functions with all variables expanded.
+            Output from the shell script goes to the file
+            <filename>${T}/log.do_taskname.pid</filename>.
+            Looking at the expanded shell functions in the run file and
+            the output in the log files is a useful debugging technique.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            For Python tasks, BitBake executes the task internally and logs
+            information to the controlling terminal.
+            Future versions of BitBake will write the functions to files
+            similar to the way shell tasks are handled.
+            Logging will be handled in a way similar to shell tasks as well.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            The order in which BitBake runs the tasks is controlled by its
+            task scheduler.
+            It is possible to configure the scheduler and define custom
+            implementations for specific use cases.
+            For more information, see these variables that control the
+            behavior:
+            <itemizedlist>
+                <listitem><para>
+                    <link linkend='var-BB_SCHEDULER'><filename>BB_SCHEDULER</filename></link>
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para>
+                    <link linkend='var-BB_SCHEDULERS'><filename>BB_SCHEDULERS</filename></link>
+                    </para></listitem>
+            </itemizedlist>
+            It is possible to have functions run before and after a task's main
+            function.
+            This is done using the "prefuncs" and "postfuncs" flags of the task
+            that lists the functions to run.
+        </para>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='checksums'>
+        <title>Checksums (Signatures)</title>
+
+        <para>
+            A checksum is a unique signature of a task's inputs.
+            The signature of a task can be used to determine if a task
+            needs to be run.
+            Because it is a change in a task's inputs that triggers running
+            the task, BitBake needs to detect all the inputs to a given task.
+            For shell tasks, this turns out to be fairly easy because
+            BitBake generates a "run" shell script for each task and
+            it is possible to create a checksum that gives you a good idea of when
+            the task's data changes.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            To complicate the problem, some things should not be included in
+            the checksum.
+            First, there is the actual specific build path of a given task -
+            the working directory.
+            It does not matter if the working directory changes because it should not
+            affect the output for target packages.
+            The simplistic approach for excluding the working directory is to set
+            it to some fixed value and create the checksum for the "run" script.
+            BitBake goes one step better and uses the
+            <link linkend='var-BB_HASHBASE_WHITELIST'><filename>BB_HASHBASE_WHITELIST</filename></link>
+            variable to define a list of variables that should never be included
+            when generating the signatures.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Another problem results from the "run" scripts containing functions that
+            might or might not get called.
+            The incremental build solution contains code that figures out dependencies
+            between shell functions.
+            This code is used to prune the "run" scripts down to the minimum set,
+            thereby alleviating this problem and making the "run" scripts much more
+            readable as a bonus.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            So far we have solutions for shell scripts.
+            What about Python tasks?
+            The same approach applies even though these tasks are more difficult.
+            The process needs to figure out what variables a Python function accesses
+            and what functions it calls.
+            Again, the incremental build solution contains code that first figures out
+            the variable and function dependencies, and then creates a checksum for the data
+            used as the input to the task.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Like the working directory case, situations exist where dependencies
+            should be ignored.
+            For these cases, you can instruct the build process to ignore a dependency
+            by using a line like the following:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     PACKAGE_ARCHS[vardepsexclude] = "MACHINE"
+            </literallayout>
+            This example ensures that the <filename>PACKAGE_ARCHS</filename> variable does not
+            depend on the value of <filename>MACHINE</filename>, even if it does reference it.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Equally, there are cases where we need to add dependencies BitBake
+            is not able to find.
+            You can accomplish this by using a line like the following:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+      PACKAGE_ARCHS[vardeps] = "MACHINE"
+            </literallayout>
+            This example explicitly adds the <filename>MACHINE</filename> variable as a
+            dependency for <filename>PACKAGE_ARCHS</filename>.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Consider a case with in-line Python, for example, where BitBake is not
+            able to figure out dependencies.
+            When running in debug mode (i.e. using <filename>-DDD</filename>), BitBake
+            produces output when it discovers something for which it cannot figure out
+            dependencies.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Thus far, this section has limited discussion to the direct inputs into a task.
+            Information based on direct inputs is referred to as the "basehash" in the
+            code.
+            However, there is still the question of a task's indirect inputs - the
+            things that were already built and present in the build directory.
+            The checksum (or signature) for a particular task needs to add the hashes
+            of all the tasks on which the particular task depends.
+            Choosing which dependencies to add is a policy decision.
+            However, the effect is to generate a master checksum that combines the basehash
+            and the hashes of the task's dependencies.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            At the code level, there are a variety of ways both the basehash and the
+            dependent task hashes can be influenced.
+            Within the BitBake configuration file, we can give BitBake some extra information
+            to help it construct the basehash.
+            The following statement effectively results in a list of global variable
+            dependency excludes - variables never included in any checksum.
+            This example uses variables from OpenEmbedded to help illustrate
+            the concept:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     BB_HASHBASE_WHITELIST ?= "TMPDIR FILE PATH PWD BB_TASKHASH BBPATH DL_DIR \
+         SSTATE_DIR THISDIR FILESEXTRAPATHS FILE_DIRNAME HOME LOGNAME SHELL TERM \
+         USER FILESPATH STAGING_DIR_HOST STAGING_DIR_TARGET COREBASE PRSERV_HOST \
+         PRSERV_DUMPDIR PRSERV_DUMPFILE PRSERV_LOCKDOWN PARALLEL_MAKE \
+         CCACHE_DIR EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN CCACHE CCACHE_DISABLE LICENSE_PATH SDKPKGSUFFIX"
+            </literallayout>
+            The previous example excludes the work directory, which is part of
+            <filename>TMPDIR</filename>.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            The rules for deciding which hashes of dependent tasks to include through
+            dependency chains are more complex and are generally accomplished with a
+            Python function.
+            The code in <filename>meta/lib/oe/sstatesig.py</filename> shows two examples
+            of this and also illustrates how you can insert your own policy into the system
+            if so desired.
+            This file defines the two basic signature generators OpenEmbedded Core
+            uses:  "OEBasic" and "OEBasicHash".
+            By default, there is a dummy "noop" signature handler enabled in BitBake.
+            This means that behavior is unchanged from previous versions.
+            <filename>OE-Core</filename> uses the "OEBasicHash" signature handler by default
+            through this setting in the <filename>bitbake.conf</filename> file:
+            <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     BB_SIGNATURE_HANDLER ?= "OEBasicHash"
+            </literallayout>
+            The "OEBasicHash" <filename>BB_SIGNATURE_HANDLER</filename> is the same as the
+            "OEBasic" version but adds the task hash to the stamp files.
+            This results in any metadata change that changes the task hash, automatically
+            causing the task to be run again.
+            This removes the need to bump
+            <link linkend='var-PR'><filename>PR</filename></link>
+            values, and changes to metadata automatically ripple across the build.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            It is also worth noting that the end result of these signature generators is to
+            make some dependency and hash information available to the build.
+            This information includes:
+            <itemizedlist>
+                <listitem><para><filename>BB_BASEHASH_task-&lt;taskname&gt;</filename>:
+                    The base hashes for each task in the recipe.
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para><filename>BB_BASEHASH_&lt;filename:taskname&gt;</filename>:
+                    The base hashes for each dependent task.
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para><filename>BBHASHDEPS_&lt;filename:taskname&gt;</filename>:
+                    The task dependencies for each task.
+                    </para></listitem>
+                <listitem><para><filename>BB_TASKHASH</filename>:
+                    The hash of the currently running task.
+                    </para></listitem>
+            </itemizedlist>
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            It is worth noting that BitBake's "-S" option lets you
+            debug Bitbake's processing of signatures.
+            The options passed to -S allow different debugging modes
+            to be used, either using BitBake's own debug functions
+            or possibly those defined in the metadata/signature handler
+            itself.
+            The simplest parameter to pass is "none", which causes a
+            set of signature information to be written out into
+            <filename>STAMP_DIR</filename>
+            corresponding to the targets specified.
+            The other currently available parameter is "printdiff",
+            which causes BitBake to try to establish the closest
+            signature match it can (e.g. in the sstate cache) and then
+            run <filename>bitbake-diffsigs</filename> over the matches
+            to determine the stamps and delta where these two
+            stamp trees diverge.
+            <note>
+                It is likely that future versions of BitBake will
+                provide other signature handlers triggered through
+                additional "-S" parameters.
+            </note>
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            You can find more information on checksum metadata in the
+            "<link linkend='task-checksums-and-setscene'>Task Checksums and Setscene</link>"
+            section.
+        </para>
+    </section>
+
+    <section id='setscene'>
+        <title>Setscene</title>
+
+        <para>
+            The setscene process enables BitBake to handle "pre-built" artifacts.
+            The ability to handle and reuse these artifacts allows BitBake
+            the luxury of not having to build something from scratch every time.
+            Instead, BitBake can use, when possible, existing build artifacts.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            BitBake needs to have reliable data indicating whether or not an
+            artifact is compatible.
+            Signatures, described in the previous section, provide an ideal
+            way of representing whether an artifact is compatible.
+            If a signature is the same, an object can be reused.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            If an object can be reused, the problem then becomes how to
+            replace a given task or set of tasks with the pre-built artifact.
+            BitBake solves the problem with the "setscene" process.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            When BitBake is asked to build a given target, before building anything,
+            it first asks whether cached information is available for any of the
+            targets it's building, or any of the intermediate targets.
+            If cached information is available, BitBake uses this information instead of
+            running the main tasks.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            BitBake first calls the function defined by the
+            <link linkend='var-BB_HASHCHECK_FUNCTION'><filename>BB_HASHCHECK_FUNCTION</filename></link>
+            variable with a list of tasks and corresponding
+            hashes it wants to build.
+            This function is designed to be fast and returns a list
+            of the tasks for which it believes in can obtain artifacts.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Next, for each of the tasks that were returned as possibilities,
+            BitBake executes a setscene version of the task that the possible
+            artifact covers.
+            Setscene versions of a task have the string "_setscene" appended to the
+            task name.
+            So, for example, the task with the name <filename>xxx</filename> has
+            a setscene task named <filename>xxx_setscene</filename>.
+            The setscene version of the task executes and provides the necessary
+            artifacts returning either success or failure.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            As previously mentioned, an artifact can cover more than one task.
+            For example, it is pointless to obtain a compiler if you
+            already have the compiled binary.
+            To handle this, BitBake calls the
+            <link linkend='var-BB_SETSCENE_DEPVALID'><filename>BB_SETSCENE_DEPVALID</filename></link>
+            function for each successful setscene task to know whether or not it needs
+            to obtain the dependencies of that task.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            Finally, after all the setscene tasks have executed, BitBake calls the
+            function listed in
+            <link linkend='var-BB_SETSCENE_VERIFY_FUNCTION'><filename>BB_SETSCENE_VERIFY_FUNCTION</filename></link>
+            with the list of tasks BitBake thinks has been "covered".
+            The metadata can then ensure that this list is correct and can
+            inform BitBake that it wants specific tasks to be run regardless
+            of the setscene result.
+        </para>
+
+        <para>
+            You can find more information on setscene metadata in the
+            "<link linkend='task-checksums-and-setscene'>Task Checksums and Setscene</link>"
+            section.
+        </para>
+    </section>
+</chapter>