docs/busybox.net/FAQ.html - busybox - Git at Google

 <!--#include file="header.html" -->


 <h3>Frequently Asked Questions</h3>

 This is a collection of some of the more frequently asked questions
 about BusyBox.  Some of the questions even have answers. If you
 have additions to this FAQ document, we would love to add them,

 <ol>
 <li><a href="#getting_started">How can I get started using BusyBox?</a>
 <li><a href="#build_system">How do I build a BusyBox-based system?</a>
 <li><a href="#init">Busybox init isn't working!</a>
 <li><a href="#kernel">Which Linux kernel versions are supported?</a>
 <li><a href="#arch">Which architectures does BusyBox run on?</a>
 <li><a href="#libc">Which C libraries are supported?</a>
 <li><a href="#commercial">Can I include BusyBox as part of the software on my device?</a>
 <li><a href="#bugs">I think I found a bug in BusyBox!  What should I do?!</a>
 <li><a href="#job_control">Why do I keep getting "sh: can't access tty; job control
 	turned off" errors?  Why doesn't Control-C work within my shell?</a>
 <li><a href="#demanding">I demand that you to add &lt;favorite feature&gt; right now!   How come
 	you don't answer all my questions on the mailing list instantly?  I demand
 	that you help me with all of my problems <em>Right Now</em>!</a>
 <li><a href="#helpme">I need help with BusyBox!  What should I do?</a>
 <li><a href="#contracts">I need you to add &lt;favorite feature&gt;!  Are the BusyBox developers willing to
 	be paid in order to fix bugs or add in &lt;favorite feature&gt;?  Are you willing to provide
 	support contracts?</a>
 <li><a href="#external">Where can I find other small utilities since busybox does not include the features I want?</a></li>
 <li><a href="#support">I think you guys are great and I want to help support your work!</a>
 <li><a href="#optimize">I want to make busybox even smaller, how do I go about it?</a>


 </ol>

 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="getting_started">How can I get started using BusyBox?</a></h2>
 <p> If you just want to try out busybox without installing it, download the
     tarball, extract it, run "make allyesconfig", and then run "make".
 </p>
 <p>
     This will create a busybox binary with all features enabled.  To try
     out a busybox applet, type "./busybox [appletname] [options]", for
     example "./busybox ls -l" or "./busybox cat LICENSE".  Type "./busybox"
     to see a command list, and "busybox appletname --help" to see a brief
     usage message for a given applet.
 </p>
 <p>
     BusyBox uses the name it was invoked under to determine which applet is
     being invoked.  (Try "mv busybox ls" and then "./ls -l".)  Installing
     busybox consists of creating symlinks (or hardlinks) to the busybox
     binary for each applet in busybox, and making sure these links are in
     the shell's command $PATH.  The special applet name "busybox" (or with
     any optional suffix, such as "busybox-static") uses the first argument
     to determine which applet to run, as shown above.
 </p>
 <p>
     BusyBox also has a feature called the "standalone shell", where the busybox
     shell runs any built-in applets before checking the command path.  This
     feature is also enabled by "make allyesconfig", and to try it out run
     the command line "PATH= ./busybox ash".  This will blank your command path
     and run busybox as your command shell, so the only commands it can find
     (without an explicit path such as /bin/ls) are the built-in busybox ones.
     This is another good way to see what's built into busybox.  (Note that the
     standalone shell is dependent on the existence of /proc/self/exe, so before
     using it in a chroot environment you must mount /proc.)
 </p>
 <p>
     To build a smaller busybox binary, run "make menuconfig" and disable the
     features you don't need.  (Or run "make allnoconfig" and then use
     menuconfig to add just the features you need.  Don't forget to recompile
     with "make" once you've finished configuring.)
 </p>
 <hr/>
 <p/>
 <h2><a name="build_system">How do I build a BusyBox-based system?</a></h2>
 <p>
     BusyBox is a package that replaces a dozen standard packages, but it is
     not by itself a complete bootable system.  Building an entire Linux
     distribution from source is a bit beyond the scope of this FAQ, but it
     understandably keeps cropping up on the mailing list, so here are some
     pointers.
 </p>
 <p>
     Start by learning how to strip a working system down to the bare essentials
     needed to run one or two commands, so you know what it is you actually
     need.  An excellent practical place to do
     this is the <a href="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Bootdisk-HOWTO/">Linux
     BootDisk Howto</a>, or for a more theoretical approach try
     <a href="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html">From
     PowerUp to Bash Prompt</a>.
 </p>
 <p>
     To learn how to build a working Linux system entirely from source code,
     the place to go is the <a href="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org">Linux
     From Scratch</a> project.  They have an entire book of step-by-step
     instructions you can
     <a href="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/stable/">read online</a>
     or
     <a href="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/downloads/stable/">download</a>.
     Be sure to check out the other sections of their main page, including
     Beyond Linux From Scratch, Hardened Linux From Scratch, their Hints
     directory, and their LiveCD project.  (They also have mailing lists which
     are better sources of answers to Linux-system building questions than
     the busybox list.)
 </p>
 <p>
     If you want an automated yet customizable system builder which produces
     a BusyBox and uClibc based system, try
     <a href="http://buildroot.uclibc.org">buildroot</a>, which is
     another project by the maintainer of the uClibc (Erik Andersen).
     Download the tarball, extract it, unset CC, make.
     For more instructions, see the website.
 </p>

 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="init">Busybox init isn't working!</a></h2>
 <p>
     Build a statically linked version of the following "hello world" program
     with your cross compiler toolchain.
 </p>
 <pre>
 #include &lt;stdio.h&gt;

 int main(int argc, char *argv)
 {
   printf("Hello world!\n");
   sleep(999999999);
 }
 </pre>

 <p>
     Now try to boot your device with an "init=" argument pointing to your
     hello world program.  Did you see the hello world message?  Until you
     do, don't bother messing with busybox init.
 </p>

 <p>
     Once you've got it working statically linked, try getting it to work
     dynamically linked.  Then read the FAQ entry before this one.
 </p>

 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="kernel">Which Linux kernel versions are supported?</a></h2>
 <p>
     Full functionality requires Linux 2.4.x or better.  (Earlier versions may
     still work, but are no longer regularly tested.)  A large fraction of the
     code should run on just about anything.  While the current code is fairly
     Linux specific, it should be fairly easy to port the majority of the code
     to support, say, FreeBSD or Solaris, or Mac OS X, or even Windows (if you
     are into that sort of thing).
 </p>
 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="arch">Which architectures does BusyBox run on?</a></h2>
 <p>
     BusyBox in general will build on any architecture supported by gcc.
     Kernel module loading for 2.4 Linux kernels is currently
     limited to ARM, CRIS, H8/300, x86, ia64, x86_64, m68k, MIPS, PowerPC,
     S390, SH3/4/5, Sparc, v850e, and x86_64 for 2.4.x kernels.
 </p>
 <p>
     With 2.6.x kernels, module loading support should work on all architectures.
 </p>
 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="libc">Which C libraries are supported?</a></h2>
 <p>
     On Linux, BusyBox releases are tested against uClibc (0.9.27 or later) and
     glibc (2.2 or later).  Both should provide full functionality with busybox,
     and if you find a bug we want to hear about it.
 </p>
 <p>
     Linux-libc5 is no longer maintained (and has no known advantages over
     uClibc), dietlibc is known to have numerous unfixed bugs, and klibc is
     missing too many features to build BusyBox.  If you require a small C
     library for Linux, the busybox developers recommend uClibc.
 </p>
 <p>
     Some BusyBox applets have been built and run under a combination
     of newlib and libgloss (see
     <a href="http://www.busybox.net/lists/busybox/2005-March/013759.html">this thread</a>).
     This is still experimental, but may be supported in a future release.
 </p>
 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="commercial">Can I include BusyBox as part of the software on my device?</a></h2>

     Yes.  As long as you <a href="http://busybox.net/license.html">fully comply
     with the generous terms of the GPL BusyBox license</a> you can ship BusyBox
     as part of the software on your device.

     <br>
     <a href="#support">Please consider sharing some of the money you make.</a>


 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="bugs">I think I found a bug in BusyBox!  What should I do?</a></h2>
 <p>


 <p>

     If you simply need help with using or configuring BusyBox, please submit a
     detailed description of your problem to the BusyBox mailing list at <a
     href="mailto:busybox@mail.busybox.net"> busybox@mail.busybox.net</a>.
     Please do not send email to individual developers asking
     for private help unless you are planning on paying for consulting services.
     When we answer questions on the BusyBox mailing list, it helps everyone,
     while private answers help only you...

     <p>

     The developers of BusyBox are busy people, and have only so much they can
     keep in their brains at a time.  As a result, bug reports sometimes get
     lost when posted to the mailing list.  To prevent your bug report from
     getting lost, if you find a bug in BusyBox, please use the <a
     href="http://bugs.busybox.net/">BusyBox Bug and Patch Tracking System</a>
     to submit a detailed bug report.

     <p>

     The same also applies to patches... Regardless of whether your patch is a
     bug fix or adds shiney new features, please post your patch to the <a
     href="http://bugs.busybox.net/">BusyBox Bug and Patch Tracking System</a>
     to make certain it is properly considered.


 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="job_control">Why do I keep getting "sh: can't access tty; job control
 	turned off" errors?  Why doesn't Control-C work within my shell?</a></h2>
 <p>

     Job control will be turned off since your shell can not obtain a controlling
     terminal.  This typically happens when you run your shell on /dev/console.
     The kernel will not provide a controlling terminal on the /dev/console
     device.  Your should run your shell on a normal tty such as tty1 or ttyS0
     and everything will work perfectly.  If you <em>REALLY</em> want your shell
     to run on /dev/console, then you can hack your kernel (if you are into that
     sortof thing) by changing drivers/char/tty_io.c to change the lines where
     it sets "noctty = 1;" to instead set it to "0".  I recommend you instead
     run your shell on a real console...


 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="demanding">I demand that you to add &lt;favorite feature&gt; right now!   How come
 	you don't answer all my questions on the mailing list instantly?  I demand
 	that you help me with all of my problems <em>Right Now</em>!</a></h2>
 <p>

     You have not paid us a single cent and yet you still have the product of
     many years of our work.  We are not your slaves!  We work on BusyBox
     because we find it useful and interesting.  If you go off flaming us, we
     will ignore you.


 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="helpme">I need help with BusyBox!  What should I do?</a></h2>
 <p>

     If you find that you need help with BusyBox, you can ask for help on the
     BusyBox mailing list at busybox@mail.busybox.net.  In addition to the BusyBox
     mailing list, Erik (andersee), Manuel (mjn3), Rob (landley) and others are
     known to hang out on the uClibc IRC channel: #uclibc on irc.freenode.net.
     (Daily logs of that IRC channel, going back to 2002, are available
     <a href="http://ibot.Rikers.org/%23uclibc/">here</a>.)

     <p>

     <b>Please do not send private email to Rob, Erik, Manuel, or the other
     BusyBox contributors asking for private help unless you are planning on
     paying for consulting services.</b>

     <p>

     When we answer questions on the BusyBox mailing list, it helps everyone
     since people with similar problems in the future will be able to get help
     by searching the mailing list archives.  Private help is reserved as a paid
     service.  If you need to use private communication, or if you are serious
     about getting timely assistance with BusyBox, you should seriously consider
     paying for consulting services.

     <p>


 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="contracts">I need you to add &lt;favorite feature&gt;!  Are the BusyBox
 	developers willing to be paid in order to fix bugs or add in &lt;favorite feature&gt;?
 	Are you willing to provide support contracts?</a></h2>
 <p>

     Sure!  Now you have our attention!  What you should do is contact <a
 	href="mailto:andersen@codepoet.org">Erik Andersen</a> of <a
 	href="http://codepoet-consulting.com/">CodePoet Consulting</a> to bid
     on your project.  If Erik is too busy to personally add your feature, there
     are many other active BusyBox contributors who will almost certainly be able
     to help you out.  Erik can contact them privately, and may even let you to
     post your request for services on the mailing list.


 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="external">Where can I find other small utilities since busybox
 	does not include the features I want?</a></h2>
 <p>
 	We maintain such a <a href="tinyutils.html">list</a> on this site!


 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="support">I think you guys are great and I want to help support your work!</a></h2>
 <p>

     Wow, that would be great!  If you would like to make a donation to help
     support BusyBox, and/or request features, you can click here:

     <!-- Begin PayPal Logo -->
     <center>
     <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
 	<input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_xclick">
 	<input type="hidden" name="business" value="andersen@codepoet.org">
 	<input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Support BusyBox">
 	<input type="hidden" name="image_url" value="http://codepoet-consulting.com/images/codepoet.png">
 	<input type="hidden" name="no_shipping" value="1">
 	<input type="image" src="images/donate.png" name="submit" alt="Make donation using PayPal">
     </form>
     </center>
     <!-- End PayPal Logo -->

     If you prefer to contact Erik directly to make a donation, donate hardware,
     request support, etc, you can contact
     <a href="http://codepoet-consulting.com/">CodePoet Consulting</a> here.
     CodePoet Consulting can accept both Visa and MasterCard for those that do
     not trust PayPal...

 <hr />
 <p>
 <h2><a name="optimize">I want to make busybox even smaller, how do I go about it?</a></h2>
 <p>
 	To conserve bytes it's good to know where they're being used, and the
 	size of the final executable isn't always a reliable indicator of
 	the size of the components (since various structures are rounded up,
 	so a small change may not even be visible by itself, but many small
 	savings add up).
 </p>
 <p>
 	The busybox Makefile can generate a report of how much space is actually
 	being used by each function and variable.  Run "<b>make sizes</b>" (preferably
 	with CONFIG_DEBUG off) to get a list of symbols and the amount of
 	space allocated for each one, sorted by size.
 </p>
 <hr />


 <br>
 <br>
 <br>

 <!--#include file="footer.html" -->
	<!--#include file="header.html" -->


	<h3>Frequently Asked Questions</h3>

	This is a collection of some of the more frequently asked questions
	about BusyBox. Some of the questions even have answers. If you
	have additions to this FAQ document, we would love to add them,

	<ol>
	<li><a href="#getting_started">How can I get started using BusyBox?</a>
	<li><a href="#build_system">How do I build a BusyBox-based system?</a>
	<li><a href="#init">Busybox init isn't working!</a>
	<li><a href="#kernel">Which Linux kernel versions are supported?</a>
	<li><a href="#arch">Which architectures does BusyBox run on?</a>
	<li><a href="#libc">Which C libraries are supported?</a>
	<li><a href="#commercial">Can I include BusyBox as part of the software on my device?</a>
	<li><a href="#bugs">I think I found a bug in BusyBox! What should I do?!</a>
	<li><a href="#job_control">Why do I keep getting "sh: can't access tty; job control
	turned off" errors? Why doesn't Control-C work within my shell?</a>
	<li><a href="#demanding">I demand that you to add <favorite feature> right now! How come
	you don't answer all my questions on the mailing list instantly? I demand
	that you help me with all of my problems <em>Right Now</em>!</a>
	<li><a href="#helpme">I need help with BusyBox! What should I do?</a>
	<li><a href="#contracts">I need you to add <favorite feature>! Are the BusyBox developers willing to
	be paid in order to fix bugs or add in <favorite feature>? Are you willing to provide
	support contracts?</a>
	<li><a href="#external">Where can I find other small utilities since busybox does not include the features I want?</a></li>
	<li><a href="#support">I think you guys are great and I want to help support your work!</a>
	<li><a href="#optimize">I want to make busybox even smaller, how do I go about it?</a>



	</ol>

	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="getting_started">How can I get started using BusyBox?</a></h2>
	<p> If you just want to try out busybox without installing it, download the
	tarball, extract it, run "make allyesconfig", and then run "make".
	</p>
	<p>
	This will create a busybox binary with all features enabled. To try
	out a busybox applet, type "./busybox [appletname] [options]", for
	example "./busybox ls -l" or "./busybox cat LICENSE". Type "./busybox"
	to see a command list, and "busybox appletname --help" to see a brief
	usage message for a given applet.
	</p>
	<p>
	BusyBox uses the name it was invoked under to determine which applet is
	being invoked. (Try "mv busybox ls" and then "./ls -l".) Installing
	busybox consists of creating symlinks (or hardlinks) to the busybox
	binary for each applet in busybox, and making sure these links are in
	the shell's command $PATH. The special applet name "busybox" (or with
	any optional suffix, such as "busybox-static") uses the first argument
	to determine which applet to run, as shown above.
	</p>
	<p>
	BusyBox also has a feature called the "standalone shell", where the busybox
	shell runs any built-in applets before checking the command path. This
	feature is also enabled by "make allyesconfig", and to try it out run
	the command line "PATH= ./busybox ash". This will blank your command path
	and run busybox as your command shell, so the only commands it can find
	(without an explicit path such as /bin/ls) are the built-in busybox ones.
	This is another good way to see what's built into busybox. (Note that the
	standalone shell is dependent on the existence of /proc/self/exe, so before
	using it in a chroot environment you must mount /proc.)
	</p>
	<p>
	To build a smaller busybox binary, run "make menuconfig" and disable the
	features you don't need. (Or run "make allnoconfig" and then use
	menuconfig to add just the features you need. Don't forget to recompile
	with "make" once you've finished configuring.)
	</p>
	<hr/>
	<p/>
	<h2><a name="build_system">How do I build a BusyBox-based system?</a></h2>
	<p>
	BusyBox is a package that replaces a dozen standard packages, but it is
	not by itself a complete bootable system. Building an entire Linux
	distribution from source is a bit beyond the scope of this FAQ, but it
	understandably keeps cropping up on the mailing list, so here are some
	pointers.
	</p>
	<p>
	Start by learning how to strip a working system down to the bare essentials
	needed to run one or two commands, so you know what it is you actually
	need. An excellent practical place to do
	this is the <a href="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Bootdisk-HOWTO/">Linux
	BootDisk Howto</a>, or for a more theoretical approach try
	<a href="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html">From
	PowerUp to Bash Prompt</a>.
	</p>
	<p>
	To learn how to build a working Linux system entirely from source code,
	the place to go is the <a href="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org">Linux
	From Scratch</a> project. They have an entire book of step-by-step
	instructions you can
	<a href="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/view/stable/">read online</a>
	or
	<a href="http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/lfs/downloads/stable/">download</a>.
	Be sure to check out the other sections of their main page, including
	Beyond Linux From Scratch, Hardened Linux From Scratch, their Hints
	directory, and their LiveCD project. (They also have mailing lists which
	are better sources of answers to Linux-system building questions than
	the busybox list.)
	</p>
	<p>
	If you want an automated yet customizable system builder which produces
	a BusyBox and uClibc based system, try
	<a href="http://buildroot.uclibc.org">buildroot</a>, which is
	another project by the maintainer of the uClibc (Erik Andersen).
	Download the tarball, extract it, unset CC, make.
	For more instructions, see the website.
	</p>

	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="init">Busybox init isn't working!</a></h2>
	<p>
	Build a statically linked version of the following "hello world" program
	with your cross compiler toolchain.
	</p>
	<pre>
	#include <stdio.h>

	int main(int argc, char *argv)
	{
	printf("Hello world!\n");
	sleep(999999999);
	}
	</pre>

	<p>
	Now try to boot your device with an "init=" argument pointing to your
	hello world program. Did you see the hello world message? Until you
	do, don't bother messing with busybox init.
	</p>

	<p>
	Once you've got it working statically linked, try getting it to work
	dynamically linked. Then read the FAQ entry before this one.
	</p>

	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="kernel">Which Linux kernel versions are supported?</a></h2>
	<p>
	Full functionality requires Linux 2.4.x or better. (Earlier versions may
	still work, but are no longer regularly tested.) A large fraction of the
	code should run on just about anything. While the current code is fairly
	Linux specific, it should be fairly easy to port the majority of the code
	to support, say, FreeBSD or Solaris, or Mac OS X, or even Windows (if you
	are into that sort of thing).
	</p>
	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="arch">Which architectures does BusyBox run on?</a></h2>
	<p>
	BusyBox in general will build on any architecture supported by gcc.
	Kernel module loading for 2.4 Linux kernels is currently
	limited to ARM, CRIS, H8/300, x86, ia64, x86_64, m68k, MIPS, PowerPC,
	S390, SH3/4/5, Sparc, v850e, and x86_64 for 2.4.x kernels.
	</p>
	<p>
	With 2.6.x kernels, module loading support should work on all architectures.
	</p>
	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="libc">Which C libraries are supported?</a></h2>
	<p>
	On Linux, BusyBox releases are tested against uClibc (0.9.27 or later) and
	glibc (2.2 or later). Both should provide full functionality with busybox,
	and if you find a bug we want to hear about it.
	</p>
	<p>
	Linux-libc5 is no longer maintained (and has no known advantages over
	uClibc), dietlibc is known to have numerous unfixed bugs, and klibc is
	missing too many features to build BusyBox. If you require a small C
	library for Linux, the busybox developers recommend uClibc.
	</p>
	<p>
	Some BusyBox applets have been built and run under a combination
	of newlib and libgloss (see
	<a href="http://www.busybox.net/lists/busybox/2005-March/013759.html">this thread</a>).
	This is still experimental, but may be supported in a future release.
	</p>
	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="commercial">Can I include BusyBox as part of the software on my device?</a></h2>

	Yes. As long as you <a href="http://busybox.net/license.html">fully comply
	with the generous terms of the GPL BusyBox license</a> you can ship BusyBox
	as part of the software on your device.

	<br>
	<a href="#support">Please consider sharing some of the money you make.</a>


	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="bugs">I think I found a bug in BusyBox! What should I do?</a></h2>
	<p>


	<p>

	If you simply need help with using or configuring BusyBox, please submit a
	detailed description of your problem to the BusyBox mailing list at <a
	href="mailto:busybox@mail.busybox.net"> busybox@mail.busybox.net</a>.
	Please do not send email to individual developers asking
	for private help unless you are planning on paying for consulting services.
	When we answer questions on the BusyBox mailing list, it helps everyone,
	while private answers help only you...

	<p>

	The developers of BusyBox are busy people, and have only so much they can
	keep in their brains at a time. As a result, bug reports sometimes get
	lost when posted to the mailing list. To prevent your bug report from
	getting lost, if you find a bug in BusyBox, please use the <a
	href="http://bugs.busybox.net/">BusyBox Bug and Patch Tracking System</a>
	to submit a detailed bug report.

	<p>

	The same also applies to patches... Regardless of whether your patch is a
	bug fix or adds shiney new features, please post your patch to the <a
	href="http://bugs.busybox.net/">BusyBox Bug and Patch Tracking System</a>
	to make certain it is properly considered.


	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="job_control">Why do I keep getting "sh: can't access tty; job control
	turned off" errors? Why doesn't Control-C work within my shell?</a></h2>
	<p>

	Job control will be turned off since your shell can not obtain a controlling
	terminal. This typically happens when you run your shell on /dev/console.
	The kernel will not provide a controlling terminal on the /dev/console
	device. Your should run your shell on a normal tty such as tty1 or ttyS0
	and everything will work perfectly. If you <em>REALLY</em> want your shell
	to run on /dev/console, then you can hack your kernel (if you are into that
	sortof thing) by changing drivers/char/tty_io.c to change the lines where
	it sets "noctty = 1;" to instead set it to "0". I recommend you instead
	run your shell on a real console...


	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="demanding">I demand that you to add <favorite feature> right now! How come
	you don't answer all my questions on the mailing list instantly? I demand
	that you help me with all of my problems <em>Right Now</em>!</a></h2>
	<p>

	You have not paid us a single cent and yet you still have the product of
	many years of our work. We are not your slaves! We work on BusyBox
	because we find it useful and interesting. If you go off flaming us, we
	will ignore you.


	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="helpme">I need help with BusyBox! What should I do?</a></h2>
	<p>

	If you find that you need help with BusyBox, you can ask for help on the
	BusyBox mailing list at busybox@mail.busybox.net. In addition to the BusyBox
	mailing list, Erik (andersee), Manuel (mjn3), Rob (landley) and others are
	known to hang out on the uClibc IRC channel: #uclibc on irc.freenode.net.
	(Daily logs of that IRC channel, going back to 2002, are available
	<a href="http://ibot.Rikers.org/%23uclibc/">here</a>.)

	<p>

	<b>Please do not send private email to Rob, Erik, Manuel, or the other
	BusyBox contributors asking for private help unless you are planning on
	paying for consulting services.</b>

	<p>

	When we answer questions on the BusyBox mailing list, it helps everyone
	since people with similar problems in the future will be able to get help
	by searching the mailing list archives. Private help is reserved as a paid
	service. If you need to use private communication, or if you are serious
	about getting timely assistance with BusyBox, you should seriously consider
	paying for consulting services.

	<p>



	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="contracts">I need you to add <favorite feature>! Are the BusyBox
	developers willing to be paid in order to fix bugs or add in <favorite feature>?
	Are you willing to provide support contracts?</a></h2>
	<p>

	Sure! Now you have our attention! What you should do is contact <a
	href="mailto:andersen@codepoet.org">Erik Andersen</a> of <a
	href="http://codepoet-consulting.com/">CodePoet Consulting</a> to bid
	on your project. If Erik is too busy to personally add your feature, there
	are many other active BusyBox contributors who will almost certainly be able
	to help you out. Erik can contact them privately, and may even let you to
	post your request for services on the mailing list.


	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="external">Where can I find other small utilities since busybox
	does not include the features I want?</a></h2>
	<p>
	We maintain such a <a href="tinyutils.html">list</a> on this site!


	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="support">I think you guys are great and I want to help support your work!</a></h2>
	<p>

	Wow, that would be great! If you would like to make a donation to help
	support BusyBox, and/or request features, you can click here:

	<!-- Begin PayPal Logo -->
	<center>
	<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
	<input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_xclick">
	<input type="hidden" name="business" value="andersen@codepoet.org">
	<input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Support BusyBox">
	<input type="hidden" name="image_url" value="http://codepoet-consulting.com/images/codepoet.png">
	<input type="hidden" name="no_shipping" value="1">
	<input type="image" src="images/donate.png" name="submit" alt="Make donation using PayPal">
	</form>
	</center>
	<!-- End PayPal Logo -->

	If you prefer to contact Erik directly to make a donation, donate hardware,
	request support, etc, you can contact
	<a href="http://codepoet-consulting.com/">CodePoet Consulting</a> here.
	CodePoet Consulting can accept both Visa and MasterCard for those that do
	not trust PayPal...

	<hr />
	<p>
	<h2><a name="optimize">I want to make busybox even smaller, how do I go about it?</a></h2>
	<p>
	To conserve bytes it's good to know where they're being used, and the
	size of the final executable isn't always a reliable indicator of
	the size of the components (since various structures are rounded up,
	so a small change may not even be visible by itself, but many small
	savings add up).
	</p>
	<p>
	The busybox Makefile can generate a report of how much space is actually
	being used by each function and variable. Run "<b>make sizes</b>" (preferably
	with CONFIG_DEBUG off) to get a list of symbols and the amount of
	space allocated for each one, sorted by size.
	</p>
	<hr />



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