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X3270 Binary Build System

This Makefile automates the process of building x3270 suite binaries (s3270, x3270if, etc.) for Linux and Windows platforms.

Prerequisites

Linux

  • GCC and build tools
  • Git
  • Make

Windows Cross-Compilation

  • MinGW-w64 cross-compiler (automatically installed if missing)
  • The Makefile will install MinGW if needed using: sudo apt-get install mingw-w64

Quick Start

Build all binaries for both platforms: 

make

This will: 1. Clone the x3270 repository from https://github.com/pmattes/x3270 2. Checkout version 4.4ga6 (configurable) 3. Build Linux binaries (s3270, x3270if, x3270) 4. Build Windows binaries (s3270.exe, x3270if.exe, ws3270.exe, wc3270.exe) 5. Strip binaries to reduce size 6. Test all binaries 7. Save version info to .x3270_version

Usage

Build Specific Platforms

Build Linux binaries only: 

make linux

Build Windows binaries only: 

make windows

Version Management

Specify a different x3270 version: 

make X3270_VERSION=4.3ga10 all

The Makefile tracks the last built version in .x3270_version. If you try to build the same version again, it will skip the build unless you run make deepclean first.

Testing

Test that all binaries are present and working: 

make test-binaries

Cleaning

Safe clean (removes built binaries, keeps source): 

make clean

Deep clean (removes everything including cloned source): 

make deepclean

Force rebuild of the same version: 

make deepclean
make

Help

Show all available targets and current configuration: 

make help

Directory Structure

binaries/
├── linux/          # Linux binaries
│   ├── s3270       # Scripting version
│   ├── x3270if     # Interface program
│   └── x3270       # Full version
└── windows/        # Windows binaries
    ├── s3270.exe   # Scripting version
    ├── x3270if.exe # Interface program
    ├── ws3270.exe  # Windows scripting version
    └── wc3270.exe  # Windows console version

Build Process Details

Linux Build

  1. Clones x3270 repository to /tmp/x3270-build
  2. Runs ./configure --prefix=/usr/local --enable-s3270 --enable-x3270if
  3. Builds using make -j$(nproc) for parallel compilation
  4. Copies binaries to binaries/linux/
  5. Strips binaries to reduce size
  6. Sets executable permissions

Windows Build

  1. Checks for MinGW cross-compiler, installs if missing
  2. Runs ./configure --host=x86_64-w64-mingw32 --prefix=/usr/local --enable-s3270 --enable-x3270if
  3. Builds using make -j$(nproc) for parallel compilation
  4. Copies binaries to binaries/windows/
  5. Strips binaries using MinGW strip tool

Note: Windows cross-compilation from Linux may fail due to missing dependencies (libiconv, OpenSSL for MinGW). If the build fails: - Use the existing pre-built Windows binaries already in the repository - Build natively on Windows using Visual Studio or MinGW - Use the VisualStudio project files included in the x3270 repository

Version Tracking

The Makefile maintains a .x3270_version file that records the last successfully built version. This prevents redundant rebuilds when you run make multiple times with the same version.

To check the current version: 

make help

Configuration Variables

  • X3270_VERSION: x3270 version to build (default: 4.4ga6)
  • X3270_REPO: Repository URL (default: https://github.com/pmattes/x3270)
  • X3270_DIR: Build directory (default: /tmp/x3270-build)
  • BINARIES_LINUX: Linux binaries output directory (default: binaries/linux)
  • BINARIES_WINDOWS: Windows binaries output directory (default: binaries/windows)

Troubleshooting

Build Failures

If the build fails, check: 1. All prerequisites are installed 2. Internet connection is available for cloning 3. Disk space is sufficient in /tmp

Clean and retry: 

make deepclean
make

Windows Cross-Compilation Issues

Windows builds may fail on Linux due to missing MinGW dependencies: - libiconv for MinGW - OpenSSL for MinGW
- Other Windows-specific libraries

Solutions: 1. Use the pre-built Windows binaries already in the repository 2. Build on Windows natively (recommended for Windows binaries) 3. Install additional MinGW libraries (if available for your distribution)

For native Windows builds, use: - Visual Studio project files in the x3270 repository's VisualStudio/ directory - MinGW-w64 with MSYS2 on Windows - Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with native Windows toolchain

Missing Binaries

If some binaries are missing after build, the x3270 version might not include all components. Check the x3270 release notes for the version you're building.

Permission Issues

If binaries aren't executable: 

chmod +x binaries/linux/*
chmod +x binaries/windows/*

Integration with 3270Connect

After building binaries, regenerate the embedded assets: 

go install github.com/go-bindata/go-bindata/...@latest
go-bindata -o binaries/bindata.go -pkg binaries ./binaries/...

Or use the PowerShell script: 

.\update-binaries.ps1

Examples

Building a Specific Version

# Build version 4.3ga10
make X3270_VERSION=4.3ga10 deepclean all

# Verify the version
./binaries/linux/s3270 -v

Cross-Platform Build

# On Linux, build for both platforms
make all

# Verify Linux binaries
ls -lh binaries/linux/

# Verify Windows binaries
ls -lh binaries/windows/

Continuous Integration

# In CI pipeline
make X3270_VERSION=4.4ga6 all
make test-binaries

Notes

  • The build directory (/tmp/x3270-build) is preserved between builds for faster subsequent builds
  • Use make clean to remove binaries without removing the source
  • Use make deepclean to remove everything and start fresh
  • The Makefile uses color output for better visibility of build steps
  • Parallel compilation is enabled by default using all available CPU cores

License

This Makefile is part of the 3270Connect project and follows the same license (MIT).