Sometimes in Opensource you have to wait until a package is contained in Distribution XYZ's repository. If you want to use a program, currently not contained in the repository, and it is released as open source, you can download the code and compile it using the BuildSystem.

Here are a few hints to get you started on cross compiling:

• Have a cross compile toolchain compiled and ready - For example, my build environment has the following chain compiling and installed:

  ls Openwrt/trunk/build_dir/

  armeb  host   toolchain-armeb_gcc4.1.2

• Determine what your --host is: gcc -v should tell you something like this:

  gcc -v
  Using built-in specs.
  COLLECT_GCC=gcc
  COLLECT_LTO_WRAPPER=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gcc/x86_64-linux-gnu/4.5.2/lto-wrapper
  Target: x86_64-linux-gnu

• Know what dependencies your package needs - if so, then they will need to be cross compiled as well

• Cross compile using static libraries first, if your programs work then try moving towards dynamically linked libraries next to reduce the size (if thats a concern) For example:

  CONFIGURE_ARGS += \
      --enable-static \
      --enable-shared \
      --disable-ipfw-module \
      --disable-ipq-module \

  CONFIGURE_VARS +=
  MAKE_VARS +=
  MAKE_FLAGS +=

  define Build/Configure
      $(CONFIGURE_VARS);
      $(CONFIGURE_ARGS);
      $(call Build/Configure/Default,)
  endef

• Modify your Makefiles for cross compiling ( --host=yourCurrentArch, --build=whereYourPackageWillRunArch)
   For example:

  # Specify how to configure the program.  Note that we run the libtoolize,
  # aclocal, and autoconf utilities.This makes the build happen as expected
  # and the Build/Prepare function has to run twice in order to patch correctly.
  define Build/Configure
      ( cd $(PKG_BUILD_DIR); \
          aclocal; \
          libtoolize --force --copy --automake; \
          autoconf; \
          );
      $(call Build/Prepare,Default)

      $(call Build/Configure/Default, \
          --build=x86_64-linux-gnu \
          --host=armeb-linux \
          --prefix=/usr/local \
          --disable-static-daq \
          --with-daq-includes="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/include" \
          --with-daq-libraries="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/lib" \
          --enable-active-response \
          --enable-reload \
          --enable-flexresp3 \
          --enable-pthread \
          --enable-sourcefire \
          --enable-decoder-preprocessor-rules \
          --enable-dynamicplugin \
          --enable-build-dynamic-examples \
          --enable-zlib \
          --without-mysql \
          --without-oracle \
                  --without-postgresql \
          --with-libnet-includes="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/lib/libnet-1.0.x/include" \
          --with-libnet-libraries="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/lib/libnet-1.0.x/lib" \
          --with-libpcap-includes="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/include" \
          --with-dnet-includes="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/include" \
          --with-dnet-libraries="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/libraries" \
          --with-libpcap-libraries="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/lib" \
          --with-libpcre-includes="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/include" \
          --with-libpcre-libraries="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/lib" \
          $(2) \
          , \
          CPPFLAGS="$$$$CPPFLAGS" \
          LDFLAGS="$$$$LDFLAGS -static" \
          PATH="$(STAGING_DIR)/usr/lib/libnet-1.0.x/bin:$$$$PATH" \
          $(3) \
      );
  endef

• Create patches for any cross compiling idiocracies (there are probably checks in the Makefiles) - Patches are applied by

  $(call Build/Prepare,Default)

  You define patches by creating a directory called patches in your packages root folder,
  creating the patches using the command:  diff -u originalFile editedFile > 001-patchUno.patch

  Then move that patch into the patches directory - note the numbering system.
   

References

• http://airs.com/ian/configure/configure_toc.html#TOC32
• http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/devel/crosscompile