Building MPIR with Microsoft Visual Studio 2012
===============================================
A Note On Licensing
===================
Files in this distribution that have been created for use in building
MPIR with Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 are provided under the terms of
the LGPL v2.1+ license.
The MPIR library uses numerous files which are LGPL v3+ and so the
overall license of the library distribution is LGPL v3+. Some of
the demos are GPL.
Using the Assembler Based Build Projects
========================================
If you wish to use the assembler files you will need VSYASM, a version
of YASM x86/x64 assembler tailored specifically for use with Microsoft
Visual Studio 2012. You will need a recent revision of YASM from:
http://www.tortall.net/projects/yasm/
This assembler (you need vsyasm.exe, NOT yasm.exe) should be placed
in the bin directory used by VC++, which, for Visual Stduio 2012, is
typically:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 11.0\VC\bin
You will need to install Python if you wish to use the scripts that
automate the generation of MPIR build files for Visual Studio. Python
is also needed for running the MPIR tests (although they can be run
manually).
Compiling MPIR with the Visual Studio C/C++
===========================================
These VC++ build projects are primarily designed to work with Microsoft
Visual Studio 2012 Professional. The win32 build projects also work with
Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Express.
To build the x64 libraries with VC++ Express you will need to install
the Windows 7.1 SDK and Python 3.1 (or later). Once you have these
installed, you can run the Python program 'add.express.py' before starting
the build process to convert the build filles for use with VC++ Express.
If necessary, these changes can be removed by running the Python program
'remove.express.py'.
Building MPIR
=============
1. Generic C Builds
===================
The basic build solution for Visual Studio contains build projects for
the generic C version of MPIR. The MPIR build is started by opening the
Visual Studio C/C++ solution file 'mpir.sln' in the build.vc11 directory.
It will be assumed here that the MPIR root directory is named 'mpir' so
that the build directory is mpir\build.vc11. The output directories
for builds are:
mpir\lib for static libraries
mpir\dll for dynamic link libraries (DLL)
MPIR is built by selecting one of the individual build projects and then
setting the library type (static or DLL), the Windows target architecture
(win32 or x64) and the build configuration (release or debug).
All projects have release and debug configurations but not all projects
support win32 and x64.
By default the Visual Studio solution provides support for these generic
C builds:
lib_mpir_gc - MPIR library using generic C (win32 & x64)
lib_mpir_cxx - MPIR C++ library (win32 & x64)
dll_mpir_gc - MPIR DLL using generic C (win32 & x64)
There are two static libraries, one providing the C library functions and
the other providing the C++ functions. The DLL library supports both the
C and the C++ functions.
2. Builds with Assembler Support
================================
By default the Visual Studio solution for MPIR provides support for
x64 builds with assembler support for Intel core2 and nehalem and
for the AMD k8.
To build MPIR versions with assembler support for other processors,
the Python program mpir_config.py has to be run before the Visual
Studio solution is opened. This outputs a list of the assembler
builds that are available. After a particular build is selected the
program outputs a Visual Studio project for this build and adds it
to the Visual Studio solution. When the Visual Studio solution file
is then opened it will include this new build projects for both
static library and DLL builds with the specified assembler support.
3. The build Process
====================
Before any of these libraries is built the appropriate MPIR configuration
file is generated and copied into config.h. After a static library is
built its config.h file is copied into the output directory; the library
and its associated files are then copied to the appropriate sub-directory
in the 'mpir\lib' sub-directory:
mpir\lib\win32\debug
mpir\lib\win32\release
mpir\lib\x64\debug
mpir\lib\x64\release
Simlarly when a DLL is built, the resulting DLL, its export libraries and
its debug symbol file are copied into the appropriate subdirectory in the
mpir\dll subdirectory:
mpir\dll\win32\debug
mpir\dll\win32\release
mpir\dll\x64\debug
mpir\dll\x64\release
This means that the 'dll' and 'lib' sub-directories respectively contain
the last MPIR DLLs and static libraries built. These are then the
libraries used to build software that requires MPIR or GMP. If you use
the mpir-tests, the speed, the tune or the try programs it is important
to do so immediately after the MPIR library in question is built because
these projects link to the last library built.
The MPIR DLL projects include the C++ files. If you want the relevant
files excluded from the DLL(s) you build, go to the 'cpp' subdirectory
of their build project in the IDE and exclude all the files in this
subdirectory from the build process.
All the DLLs and static libraries are multi-threaded and are linked to
the multi-threaded Microsoft run-time libraries (DLLs are linked to DLL
run time libraries and static libraries are linked to run time static
libraries).
Within the 'dll' and 'lib' sub-directories used for output, the layout
is:
DLL or LIB
Win32
Release
Debug
x64
Release
Debug
so that the appropriate library for the desired target platform can be
easily located. The individual project sub-directories also contain the
libraries once they have been built (as indicated earlier, the 'dll'
and 'lib' directories are used to hold the latest built versions for
linking the tests).
C++ Interface
=============
After a MPIR library has been built, other libraries can be built.
These always use the last MPIR library (of the same type, static or
DLL) that has been built. To build the MPIR C+ library wrapper use:
lib_mpir_cxx - MPIR C++ wrapper static library (win32 & x64)
The DLL projects include the C++ functions so an additional library
is not needed when they are used.
The Tests
=========
There is a separate solution for the MPIR tests: mpir-tests.sln. In
Visual Studio 2012 this is in build.vc11 folder.
The tests are configured to always test the last version of MPIR that
has been built. This is automatic but it can be changed by editing
the file lastbuild.txt in the mpir-tests directory whose content
controls the tests by setting the 'library type', the 'platform',
the 'configuration' and the 'MPIR binary directory' relative to the
mpir-tests' directory. Its content is typically:
dll Win32 Release "..\dll\Win32\Release"
If this file can be edited to test a different version of MPIR, it
is also necessary to copy either:
mpir\build.vc11\mpir-tests\lib-test-config.props
or:
mpir\build.vc11\mpir-tests\dll-test-config.props
into:
mpir\build.vc11\mpir-tests\test-config.props
depending on whether a static or DLL build of MPIR is to be tested.
The tests also use the C++ library functions so for testing MPIR static
libraries both the desired version of MPIR and the C++ library must be
built before the tests are built and run. This is not necessary for
MPIR DLLs as they contain the C++ routines.
On multporcessoer systems Visual Studio 12 will typically run several
builds in parallel so it is advisable to build add-test-lib first before
building the tests.
Test Automation
===============
After they have been built the tests can be run using the Python script
run-tests.py in the build.vc11\mpir-tests directory. To see the test
output the python script should be run in a command window from within
these sub-directories:
cmd>run-tests.py
and the output can be directed to a file:
cmd>run-tests.py >out.txt
When an MPIR library is built the file 'output_params.bat' is written to
the buid.vc12 subdirectory giving details of the build configuration.
These details are then used to run the MPIR tests and this means that
these tests need to be run immediately after the library to be tested
has been built. It is possible to test a different library by editing
'output_params.bat' but this will only work if the files in the MPIR output
directory are correct. In order to avoid errors, it is advisable before
testing to do a clean build of the library under test (to do a completely
clean build, the files in the build.vc11\Win32 and build.vc11\x64
directories should be deleted.
Two Tests Fail
==============
The tests for cxx/locale and misc/locale fail to link because the test
defines a symbol - localeconv - that is in the Microsoft runtime libraries.
This is not significant for MPIR numeric operations. Some tests are skipped
for the DLL verssion as they are not relevant in this case.
Speed and Tuning
================
The speed and tuning programs are built using the tune.sln solutions.
These applications, which are set up to use the static library versions
of MPIR, are not needed to use MPIR
MPIR on Windows x64
===================
Although Windows x64 is a 64-bit operating system, Microsoft has decided to
make long integers 32-bits, which is inconsistent when compared with almost
all other 64-bit operating systems. This has caused many subtle bugs when
open source code is ported to Windows x64 because many developers reasonably
expect to find that long integers on a 64-bit operating system will be 64
bits long.
MPIR contains functions with suffixes of _ui and _si that are used to input
unsigned and signed integers into and convert them for use with MPIR's
multiple precision integers (mpz types). For example, the functions:
void mpz_set_ui(mpz_t, unsigned long int)
void mpz_set_si(mpz_t, signed long int)
set an mpz integer from unsigned and signed long integers respectively, and
the functions:
unsigned long int mpz_get_ui(mpz_t)
signed long int mpz_get_ui(mpz_t)
obtain unsigned and signed long int values from an MPIR multiple precision
integer (mpz).
To bring MPIR on Windows x64 into line with other 64-bit operating systems
two new types have been introduced throughout MPIR:
mpir_ui defined as unsigned long int on all but Windows x64
defined as unsigned long long int on Windows x64
mpir_si defined as signed long int on all but Windows x64
defined as signed long long int on Windows x64
The above prototypes in MPIR 2.6.0 are changed to:
void mpz_set_ui(mpz_t, mpir_ui)
void mpz_set_si(mpz_t, mpir_ui)
mpir_ui mpz_get_ui(mpz_t)
mpir_si mpz_get_si(mpz_t)
and these changes are applied to all MPIR functions with _ui and _si
suffixes.
Using MPIR
==========
Applications that use MPIR include the mpir.h header file to provide the
prototypes for the functions that MPIR provides. Hence when an MPIR
distribution is being used it is important to ensure that the MPIR header
file used matches that for the version of MPIR in use. If MPIR is used
to build 64 bit applications, it is necessary to ensure that the compiler
define _WIN64 is set when the application is built.
1. Using the Static Libraries
=============================
To build a MPIR C or C++ based application using the the static libraries
all that needs to be done is to add the MPIR and/or the MPIR C++ static
libraries to the application build process.
It is, of course, important to ensure that any libraries that are used
have been built for the target platform.
2. Using the DLL Export Libraries
=================================
The DLLs built by VC++ use the _cdecl calling convention in which exported
symbols have their C names prefixed with an extra '_' character. Some
applications expect the _stdcall convention to be used in which there is
an underscore prefix and a suffix of '@n' where n is the number of bytes
used for the function arguments on the stack. Such applications will need
to be modified to work with the MPIR DLLs provided here. The alternative
of attempting to build MPIR using the _stdcall convention is not
recommended (and won't work with the assembler based builds anyway). This
is further complicated if the builds for x64 are used since the conventions
here are different again.
There are two ways of linking to a DLL. The first way is to use one or more
of the DLL export libraries built as described earlier (note that these are
not the same as static libraries although they are used in a similar way when
an application is built).
3. Using the DLL Export Library
===============================
If you intend to use the DLL export libraries in an application you need to:
a. ensure that the application can locate the MPIR DLLs in
question when it is run. This involves putting the
DLL(s) on a recognised directory path.
b. define __GMP_LIBGMP_DLL when the application is built
in order to ensure that MPIR's DLL export symbols are
properly recognised as such so that they can be
accessed via the MPIR import library
c. link the application to the gmp.lib library that is
provided with the DLL you intend to use (this is
produced when the DLL is built)
4. Using DLL Dynamic loading
============================
The second way of linking to a DLL is to use dynamic loading. This is more
complex and will not be discussed here. The VC++ documentation describes how
to use DLLs in this way.
5. Using MPIR functions that use FILE's as Input or Output
==========================================================
In Windows the different C runtime libraries each have their own stream
input/output tables, which means that FILE* pointers cannot be passed from
one to another. In consequence, if an application that is built with one
library attempts to pass FILE parameters to a DLL that is built with
another library, the FILE parameters will not be recognised and the
program will fail.
It is hence important to build a MPIR application using the same run time
library as that used to build any DLL that is used - in this case the
appropriate version 11 library.
6. MPIR Applications that Require _stdcall Functions
====================================================
Some applications, for example Visual Basic 6, require that DLL based
functions provide a _stdcall interface, whereas the VC++ default for DLLs
is _cdecl.
To overcome this Jim White intends to make a wrapper DLL available for MPIR
that provides a _stdcall interface to the normal _cdecl MPIR DLLs.
7. The MPIR Build Process in Outline
====================================
Prebuild
--------
It is not necessary to read this unless you want to change the build
process. The first step in an MPIR build is managed by the batch file
prebuilld.bat which has the following steps:
1. Read the configuration from the IDE input parameters which are the
version (generic, core2, k8, k10, nehalem, p0, p3 or p4). For the
generic version there is a second parameter for a win32 build.
2. Set the source directory for the mpn source code and the platform
(win32 or x64).
3. Call the batch file gen_mpir_h.bat (described later) to generate
mpir.h in the mpir root directory.
4. Call the batch file gen_config_h.bat (described later) to generate
config.h in the mpir root directory.
5. use the batch file out_copy_rename to copy the appropriate version
of gmp-mparam.h into the mpir root directory.
The gen_mpir_h batch file inputs gmp_h.in and searches for @symbol@,
replacing those that matter with the appropiate values for the Windows
build.
The gen_config_h batch file takes lists of symbols in the cfg.h files
within the build.vc11/cdata sub-directory and generates HAVE_NATIVE
defines from them. The result is then prepended onto cfg.h in the
build.vc11 directory and the result is output as config.h into the
mpir root directory.
The IDE build
-------------
At this point the IDE builds the MPIR library.
Postbuild
---------
After a successful MPIR build a postbuild step is managed by the batch
file postbuild.bat which has the following steps:
1. Tne $(TargetPath) parameter (%1 for the batch file) is passed to
determine the library type (lib or dll), the platform (win32 or
x64), the configuration (release or debug) and the filename.
2. The final output directory is then created in the mpir root
directory, mpir\lib or mpir\dll, as appropriate.
3. The file 'output_params.bat' is written describing the MPIR
configuration that has been built. This is used to signal
the version to be tested by the tests. In the sub-directory
mpir-tests, the appropriate property file is copied into
test-config.props for later use in the tests.
4. The header files used in the build are then copied into the
output directory.
5. The built library files (mpir.dll, mpir.exp, mpir.lib and mpir.pdb
for a DLL, mpir.lib and mpir.pdb for a static library) are then
copied into the output directory.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
================
My thanks to:
1. The GMP team for their work on GMP and the MPFR team
for their work on MPFR
2. The MPIR team
3. Patrick Pelissier, Vincent Lef<65>vre and Paul Zimmermann
for helping to resolve VC++ issues in MPFR.
4. Jeff Gilchrist for his help in testing, debugging and
improving the readme giving the VC++ build instructions
Brian Gladman, April 2014
