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.

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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.

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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.

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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/
    ├── 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
    │   └── patches/            # GCC/binutils patches for Lexra
    │
    ├── 11-realtek-tools/       # Realtek image tools
    │   ├── build_tools.sh      # Build script
    │   ├── cvimg/              # cvimg source
    │   ├── lzma-4.65/          # LZMA compressor
    │   └── lzma-loader/        # LZMA decompression loader
    │
    └── 12-silabs-toolchain/    # Silicon Labs tools
        └── install_silabs.sh   # Download and install slc-cli + SDK

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Toolchains Reference

Lexra MIPS Toolchain

Item	Value
Target	mips-lexra-linux-musl
GCC	8.5.0
C library	musl 1.2.5
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)

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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.

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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.