1: Information, Recommendations and Build Instructions for Windows
2: **************************************************************************
3:
4: _____________________________ IMPORTANT _____________________________
5: The execution of the currently shipped msvcbuild.bat batch script will
6: causes ANY subsequent none-MSVC build to fail. It has been wrongly set
7: up to copy several MSVC-specific header files from <libnet-root>/win32/
8: to <libnet-root>/include/ and <libnet-root>/include/libnet/ during the
9: build process. This is a high priority issue and will be taken care of
10: ASAP. If you ever have to make use of this file, consider compiling all
11: other builds from a separate tarball.
12: _____________________________________________________________________
13:
14: This file list additional steps and suggestions for Windows users.
15: Please see INSTALL for a more general overview and doc/PORTED for
16: other platforms.
17:
18: Unless you know what you are doing, you should follow the recommendations
19: below. Notice that there are plenty of other (sometimes better) ways
20: to build libnet, but these steps and suggestions are known to work.
21: If the build breaks, please re-read this guide carefully.
22:
23: Contents
24: ========
25:
26: 1. Introduction
27: 1.1 Microsoft Visual C++ and GCC/MinGW
28: 1.2 WinPcap/Npcap
29: 1.3 Supported Operating Systems
30:
31: 2. MinGW Compiler
32: 2.1 Native
33: 2.2 Cross-Compiling
34:
35: 3. Microsoft Visual C++
36:
37:
38:
39: 1. Introduction
40: ===============
41:
42:
43: 1.1 Microsoft Visual C++ and GCC/MinGW
44: --------------------------------------------------------------
45:
46: The Microsoft Visual C++ compiler (aka MSVC) and the GCC Windows port
47: (aka MinGW) are unfortunately not fully compatible. Although MSVC is a
48: great compiler, libnet has been developed with the GNU toolchain in mind.
49: So building libnet with the Visual C++ Build Tools will always have its
50: flaws, even while it might work in some points.
51:
52: Most of libnet’s development is therefore done with GCC and its MinGW
53: Windows port.
54: In other words, if this this all new to you, I recommended you to use
55: MinGW for building libnet on Windows.
56:
57:
58: On the other hand, the two can work well together:
59:
60: If you for instance build libnet with MinGW, and you want to use it
61: with MSVC too (or vice versa), you can use the DLL and the supplied
62: "libnet*.def" file located in <libnet-root>/win32/ (this file is always
63: rebuild at the end of every successful build on windows) to create an
64: MSVC compatible import library that you can use to link your projects
65: with without the need of rebuilding libnet again.
66:
67: To produce a MinGW compatible import library from any libnet DLL:
68:
69: $ dlltool -D path/to/libnet*.dll -d path/to/libnet*.def -l libnet.dll.a
70:
71: To produce a MSVC compatible import library from any libnet DLL:
72:
73: $ lib /machine:X64 /def:example.def (for x64)
74: or
75: $ lib /machine:X86 /def:example.def (for x86)
76:
77: Note 1: If you have removed any or all symbol information from the DLL
78: (aka "stripped" it), during build, by for example running configure
79: with "--enable-fast", then this obviously won't work.
80:
81:
82: 1.2 WinPcap/Npcap
83: -----------------
84:
85: Currently, the supported method of sending packets under Windows is with
86: WinPcap (http://www.winpcap.org). However, libnet's support for
87: Npcap (http://www.npcap.org), an update of WinPcap sponsored by the
88: Nmap Project, is being seriously considered.
89: Windows users should know that with the switch to Npcap, WinPcap compatibility
90: is expected to be deprecated.
91:
92: Please be sure to install the WinPcap/Npcap driver/DLL and make sure
93: that the content of the Wpdpack's/Npcap SDK's Include and Lib directories
94: are somewhat reachable by your compiler.
95:
96: Note 2: Remember that you cannot use MSVC-generated .lib files to create
97: shared libraries with MinGW, you have to use the lib*.a files.
98: WinPcap development came to a standstill before the Developer's Pack ever
99: provided x64 compatible lib*.a files for use with MinGW/Cygwin. And since
100: libnet depends on WinPcap, you would have to compile 64-bit lib*.a libraries
101: yourself if you want to be able to produce 64-bit compatible libnet builds
102: with MinGW/Cygwin.
103:
104: Luckily for you, this has been taken care of by me. 64-bit compatible
105: WinPcap libraries as well as DIY instructions can be found in
106: <libnet-root>/win32/wpdpack/.
107:
108: 1.3 Supported Operating Systems
109: -------------------------------
110:
111: At the latest with the switch to Npcap, libnet support for Windows XP,
112: Windows Server 2003 and earlier will be dropped.
113: I can think of too many better things to do than to continuously deal with
114: error handling and backwards compatibility (msvcrt vs crtdll) for EOL systems.
115:
116: Remnants in the source suggests that building libnet with Cygwin must have
117: been possible at some point. This may or may not be the case these days.
118: If it still works, let me know. If you get it to work (again), let me know.
119: And if you need to get it to work, let me know.
120:
121:
122: 2. MinGW Compiler
123: =================
124:
125: Both native and cross compilation are possible, and there are quite a
126: few possibilities and options to choose from. If you just want to get
127: over with it, follow these steps:
128:
129: Known traps are:
130: - Setting the wrong (or no) prefix. (important when running 'make install')
131: - Using incompatible WinPcap libraries for x64 (see Note 2)
132: - Not having said WinPcap libraries and header files in your compiler's path
133:
134: Note 3: If you're building with MinGW, and want to install libnet to your
135: compiler's lib and include directories, you almost always want to set your
136: prefix manually. If you don't know what that means, run "gcc -v", look for
137: "--prefix=/some/path" and use that.
138:
139: Note 4: If you're using a multilib MinGW-w64 GCC compiler, make sure to add
140: the -m32 or -m64 CFLAGS to instruct the compiler to build for your desired
141: architecture.
142:
143:
144: 2.1 Native
145: ----------
146:
147: The recommended MinGW distribution for building libnet is Msys2.
148: First, follow the installation instructions for Msys2 available at
149: msys2.github.io. Then, depending on your desired target architecture,
150: open a mingw32 or mingw64 shell, navigate to the source directory,
151: and execute the following commands:
152:
153: 1. If you want to produce 32 bit binaries:
154:
155: $ CFLAGS="-O2 -Wall -I$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Include" LDFLAGS="-L$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Lib/" ./configure --prefix=/mingw64
156:
157: If you want to produce 64 bit binaries:
158:
159: $ CFLAGS="-O2 -Wall -I$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Include" LDFLAGS="-L$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Lib/x64" ./configure --prefix=/mingw64
160:
161: 2. $ make
162:
163: 3. $ make install (optional)
164:
165:
166: 2.2 Cross-Compiling
167: -------------------
168:
169: Note 5: During sample building, you may see a warning similar this:
170:
171: Could not determine the host path corresponding to
172: `... a path ...'
173: Continuing, but uninstalled executables may not work.
174:
175: This, among other things, means that the samples will depend on
176: a shared version of libgcc (aka libgcc_s_sjlj-1.dll). If no shared
177: version of libgcc was built when the compiler was configured, you
178: most likely won't be able to execute them.
179: In that case, your best bet is to link with the static version
180: of libgcc by disabling shared libraries altogether
181: (./configure --disable-shared).
182:
183:
184: In general, you should know what you're doing and what your host, target
185: and compiler are all about beforehand.
186: These steps have been successfully tested on Ubuntu and the default
187: mingw32-w32 toolchain (GCC 4.8).
188: The recommended steps to build libnet therefore are:
189:
190: 1. If you're targeting x86:
191: $ CFLAGS="-O2 -Wall -I$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Include" LDFLAGS="-L$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Lib" ./configure --host=i686-w64-mingw32 --prefix=/usr/i686-w64-mingw32
192:
193: If you're targeting x64:
194: $ CFLAGS="-O2 -Wall -I$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Include" LDFLAGS="-L$(pwd)/win32/wpdpack/Lib/x64" ./configure --host=x86_64-w64-mingw32 --prefix=/usr/x86_64-w64-mingw32
195:
196: 2. make
197:
198: 3. (optionally) sudo make install
199:
200: Notice that the --host option is usually all you need for cross-compiling.
201:
202: Note 6: Although the steps should be very similar, if you're using any
203: other distribution of MinGW (cross or native), you're pretty much on
204: your own. Suggestions, bug reports/fixes, and pull requests, see:
205: https://github.com/libnet/libnet/issues
206:
207:
208: 3. Microsoft Visual C++
209: =======================
210: Known traps are:
211: - Not using the correct (x86 or x64) version of the Visual Studio command prompt
212: - Using incompatible WinPcap libraries for x64 (see Note 2)
213: - Not having said WinPcap libraries and header files in your compiler's path
214:
215: Until the issue described at the top of this document is completely
216: resolved, MSVC support should be considered a work in progress and unsafe.
217: And that’s why I won't even go into it, and instead leave you with these
218: old but still perfectly fine instructions:
219:
220:
221:
222: Run msvcbuild.bat to build for Win32 with MSVC
223: ----------------------------------------------
224:
225: The batch file takes arguments and sets the appropriate path and environment
226: variables for the desired built by running either vsvars32.bat (for x86),
227: vcvars64.bat (for x64) or vcvarsall.bat (for Cross development).
228: Type "msvcbuild.bat help" for a description of all available options.
229: If no argument is specified, x86 is assumed.
230:
231: The batch file copies pre-prepared headers out of win32/, avoiding the
232: requirement for a gnu (Cygwin or MinGW) build environment.
233:
234: The batch file hard-codes the location of the WinPcap developer's tools.
235: You may have to modify it for your environment, or install the developer's
236: pack in the expected location.
237:
238: Although not required, it is advisable to execute the batch file from a
239: VS2015 Developer Command Prompt.
240:
241: For Visual Studio 2015, the shell can be found at:
242:
243: Program Files (x86) >> Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0 >> Common7 >> Tools >> VsDevCmd.bat
244:
245: After building, libnet libraries and .obj files are found in newly created
246: "<libnet-root>\libnet\src\[Win32|Win64]\" "<libnet-root>\libnet\lib\[x86|x64]\"
247: respectively.
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