Re: Why does Isar build multiple configs in one OUTDIR?

[Baurzhan Ismagulov <ibr@radix50.net>]

On Thu, Aug 10, 2017 at 12:37:01PM -0400, Jan Kiszka wrote:
> kas manages config dependencies that are under the same release regime
> in a single file. It also provides a clean, archiveable build
> environment, which is even more important with OE.
> 
> If your production generates multiple variants from a single release,
> there is surely a value in exploiting the new multiconfig feature of
> bitbake. It's an optimization that can save a hand full of lines in your
> CI script and likely quite a bit cycles of your CI server. I see it as
> an added value. But as Isar is already wrapped around it, no longer
> works without it (because that would mean duplicate maintenance), we
> have to make sure to support it, including a better support in kas.

Just to ensure we are talking about the same thing: BitBake's multiconfig
feature is a means of building for multiple MACHINE + DISTRO configurations in
a single run without having to deal with local.conf in between. Multiconfig and
local.conf are completely equivalent and mutually interchangeable. BitBake and
Isar support either without requiring the other, or both. In the same build
dir, one can use local.conf for one bitbake run and multiconfig for another;
the results are the same. We refer to multiconfig in the user manual to avoid
lengthier textual description of editing local.conf.

I agree with both of your points:

* Combining two non-multiconfig builds via external tools would add maintenance
  overhead, and

* kas's goal is CM of disparate entities under the same release regime rather
  than dealing with build issues.

With kind regards,
Baurzhan.