dotnetcore-build-x86-Linux

.NET Core does not have official support for x86 processors on Linux. However the developers have been working hard making it a reality and it's 99% ready. If you're willing to take the increased risk of finding a bug you may want to try anyway. But without an official download you'll need to build you're own copy of .Net Core. This repository contains what I found successful when building .NET Core for x86 Linux. It's here to help anybody attempting to do the same.

General instructions

You'll need a supported Linux machine with a supoprted processor. I used Debian 9 running with an amd64 processor. Check out the coreclr build documentation for more inforamtion on what is supported.

Building

BuildDotNetCore.sh contains all the commands you should need. Make a local copy of it on the machine you will be using to build. Then just run it like this.

  chmod 755 BuildDotNetCore.sh
  sudo ./BuildDotNetCore.sh buildclr
  sudo ./BuildDotNetCore.sh buildfx
  sudo ./BuildDotNetCore.sh buildoutput

If you are feeling lucky you can run all 3 steps with one line. But if this is you're first time I would recomend just doing the 3 seperate. That way if something goes wrong you'll know where to resume from.

  sudo ./BuildDotNetCore.sh build

Be prepared to leave it running for a while. This isn't a quick process. This will create a folder named dotnetcore.

Running

Copy the dotnetcore folder and BuildDotNetCore.sh to your x86/Linux machine. You can then start your app with something like this.

  dotnetcore/corerun /path/to/foo.dll

You can also create a more traditional scenario by copying the .NET core files to /usr/share/dotnet. BuildDotNetCore.sh can do this for you also.

  sudo ./BuildDotNetCore.sh install
  dotnet /path/to/foo.dll

The files can be removed just as easily

  sudo ./BuildDotNetCore.sh uninstall

Caveats

Offical support

.Net Core still does not 100% support x86 on Linux. I've been using it without much issue, but I did run into one problem closing named pipes. This wasn't a deal breaker for me. Just be aware you have an increased risk of finding a bug. So this probably isn't suitable for a business enviroment.

If you think you have found a bug you should report it to either coreclr or corefx. Don't report it here. Microsoft is working on supporting this scenario and will appricate your help.

Me

I'm just one guy trying to help others by sharing what I've learned. I don't have the time or knowledge to provide much low level assistance. I have plenty of experiance as a developer but am rather green when it comes to Linux and C++. I may have made a mistake that becomes apparent in your situation. I'll attempt to help out if you report the problem. If you see something that could be improved let me know.

Version

I made BuildDotNetCore.sh get and build the v2.1-preview1 branch. The offical .Net Core 2.1 should be comming out in a few months after I write this. You can easily change the branch in the first few lines of BuildDotNetCore.sh. I've also successfully build the master, v2.0.6, and v2.0.5 branches.

mlowijs / dotnetcore-build-x86-Linux