Getting Started with CubeCactusOS

This guide will help you set up and build CubeCactusOS based on MINIX3.

Prerequisites

Required Tools

1. Build essentials:

   # macOS
   xcode-select --install
   brew install gcc make
   
   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt-get install build-essential

2. Cross-compiler (for x86 target):

   # macOS
   brew install i386-elf-gcc
   
   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt-get install gcc-multilib g++-multilib

3. QEMU (for testing):

   # macOS
   brew install qemu
   
   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt-get install qemu-system-x86

4. GRUB (for bootable images):

   # macOS
   brew install grub xorriso
   
   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt-get install grub-pc-bin xorriso

Building MINIX3 from Source

The current CubeCactusOS provides a framework. To build a complete bootable OS:

Step 1: Clone MINIX3

cd /Users/agalyaramadoss/repo/CubeCactusCpp
git clone https://github.com/Stichting-MINIX-Research-Foundation/minix.git minix3-source
cd minix3-source

Step 2: Build MINIX3

# Follow MINIX3 build instructions
./build.sh

Step 3: Customize with CubeCactusOS

Copy your custom kernel and drivers to the MINIX3 source tree:

cp -r ../os/kernel/* minix/kernel/
cp -r ../os/servers/* minix/servers/
cp -r ../os/drivers/* minix/drivers/

Step 4: Rebuild and Create ISO

./build.sh
cd releasetools
./mkimage.sh

Quick Development Build

For rapid development and testing of individual components:

# Build kernel components only
make -f Makefile.os os-build

# This compiles but doesn't create a bootable image
# Useful for syntax checking and development

Running in QEMU

Once you have a bootable ISO:

qemu-system-i386 \
  -cdrom minix3-source/minix_x86.iso \
  -m 512M \
  -enable-kvm

Development Workflow

1. Edit code in os/kernel/, os/servers/, or os/drivers/
2. Test compilation: make -f Makefile.os os-build
3. Integrate with MINIX3: Copy to MINIX3 source tree
4. Build complete OS: Run MINIX3 build script
5. Test in QEMU: Boot the generated ISO

Troubleshooting

"Cannot find compiler"

• Install cross-compiler: brew install i386-elf-gcc
• Or use multilib: sudo apt-get install gcc-multilib

"GRUB not found"

• Install GRUB tools: brew install grub xorriso

"QEMU fails to boot"

• Check ISO was created correctly
• Ensure GRUB configuration is valid
• Try with more memory: -m 1024M

Learning Resources

• MINIX3 Book: "Operating Systems Design and Implementation" by Tanenbaum
• OSDev Wiki: https://wiki.osdev.org/
• MINIX3 Documentation: https://wiki.minix3.org/

Next Steps

1. Study MINIX3 architecture
2. Modify kernel functionality
3. Add custom system calls
4. Create new device drivers
5. Implement new servers

For detailed architecture information, see os/README.md