Bootstrapping cabal-install

This utility is only intended for use in building cabal-install on a new platform. If you already have a functional (if dated) cabal-install please rather run cabal v2-install.

The typical usage is porting to a new linux architecture, then the linux-ghcvec.json file is available in bootstrap/ folder:

On a (linux) system you are boostrapping, run

bootstrap.py -d linux-ghcver.json -w /path/to-ghc

To generate the platform-ghcver files for other platforms, do:

1. On a system with functional cabal-install, install the same GHC version as you will use to bootstrap on the host system.

2. Build a dependency description file (platform-ghcver.json, e.g. linux-8.8.3.json) by running:

   cabal v2-build --with-compiler=/path/to/ghc --dry-run cabal-install:exe:cabal
   cp dist-newstyle/cache/plan.json bootstrap/platform-ghcver.plan.json
   cabal v2-build               --builddir=dist-newstyle-bootstrap --project=cabal.project.bootstrap cabal-bootstrap-gen
   cabal v2-run -vnormal+stderr --builddir=dist-newstyle-bootstrap --project=cabal.project.bootstrap cabal-bootstrap-gen -- bootstrap/platform-ghcver.plan.json | tee bootstrap/platform-ghcver.json

3. You may need to tweak bootstrap/platform-ghcver.json file manually, for example toggle flags.

There are rules in top-level Makefile for generation of these files.