This file is now fairly old, see README.linux for more recent info
MOD Dec-2001

-General overview of unix build process for the *****Base server- 
ibbuild-unix-overview.txt version 1.0.3 last revised Dec 27, 2000

The latest version of this file is available at
http://sourceforge.net/docman/display_doc.php?docid=348&group_id=9028

Please send comments and corrections to
rfm@cruzers.com or the ib-build mailing list at mers.com
the ib-build mailing list is also available as a newsgroup at
news.mers.com:mers.interbase.build


A couple of comments on how it is supposed to work:
setup_dirs takes you platform name (LINUX, SOLARIS etc), your
desired build type (PROD | DEV} and a master database directory.
I think that some of the problems Mark encountered are due
to setting the master database directory to be the same
as the source directory. This is not really right. At interbase
this would have been toolsdbs:/dbs
where toolsdbs was a server whose job was to serve
the databases msg.gdb, isc.gdb, yachts.gdb etc.
However, if you create these databases, you can put them in
SOME OTHER DIRECTORY on your local machine and have the same effect.

setup_dirs takes the information you gave it, and creates the
makefiles in the builds directory (as make.{component} where component
is something like jrd etc), using the files under builds/original.
Most of the file in builds/original are of the form prerix.{platform}
and sfx.{component}
This is a historical thing that dates back to the days when many
make programs did not have conditionals or includes.

So, prefix.{platform} is pre-appended to each of the sfx.{component}
files,
with some 'sed' magic happening for things like the master db dir,
and the result is put in builds/make.{component}
then links are made from each {component}/makefile to
builds/make.component

note that sfx.interbase is special, because it becomes make_kit
in the root.

setup_dirs also sets up the 'super' tree, which is basically a clone
of some of the component using a forest of symlinks. sfx files
that are different between classic and super are known as 
sfx.{component_ss}

One thing to keep in mind is that changes you intend to commit
to the build process should be in the prefix and sfx files. 
Thus, make your changes in original, then re-run setup_dirs.

I hope this helps a little.
