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util-linux (Linux disk utilities)

Overview

util-linux is a standard package of Linux utilities that includes various system tools for managing disks, file systems, and other system resources.

This package is available in two versions:

Version 2.27.1 (Legacy)

  • Release date: November 2015
  • Binary: blkid-util-linux only
  • Patches: 7 patches for compatibility with older uClibc and toolchains
  • 0001-sscanf-no-ms-as.buildroot.patch - Fix for uClibc without scanf_alloc_modifier
  • 0003-c.h-define-mkostemp.buildroot.patch - mkostemp() compatibility for old uClibc
  • 0004-vipw-buildroot.patch - Pre-ANSI compiler support removal
  • 0190-reduce_size_flags.freetz.patch - Size optimization flags
  • 0200-reduce_libblkid_size.freetz.patch - Disable unused filesystems (RAID/LVM/enterprise FS)
  • 0900-relax_gettext_requirements.patch - Lower gettext version requirement
  • 0905-blkid_mtdworkaround.freetz.patch - Skip MTD devices in blkid probe
  • Constraints: Only available when FREETZ_PATCH_FREETZMOUNT is enabled
  • Use case: Legacy devices with old firmware (AVM 06.5X and earlier) requiring FREETZMOUNT patch
  • Size: Minimal footprint, single utility (~50KB)
  • Maintenance: Frozen version, no updates

Version 2.41 (Modern)

  • Binaries: 7 utilities
  • blkid-util-linux - locate/print block device attributes
  • losetup-util-linux - set up and control loop devices
  • mkswap-util-linux - set up a Linux swap area
  • swapon-util-linux - enable devices and files for paging and swapping
  • swapoff-util-linux - disable devices and files for paging and swapping (symlink to swapon)
  • lsblk - list block devices
  • findmnt - find a filesystem
  • Patches: 1 Freetz-specific patch
  • 0905-blkid_mtdworkaround.freetz.patch - Skip MTD devices in blkid probe
  • Constraints:
  • Requires uClibc >= 0.9.32 (or uClibc-ng >= 1.0.0)
  • Not available with uClibc 0.9.28/0.9.29
  • Use case: Modern devices (AVM 07.XX+), full disk/filesystem management capabilities
  • Size: Larger footprint (~200KB total for all utilities)
  • Maintenance: Recent stable version, security updates available

Version Selection

The package uses "make menuconfig" to allow selection between the two versions:
- Default: Version 2.27.1 if FREETZ_PATCH_FREETZMOUNT is enabled, otherwise 2.41
- Reason for dual-version: Maintain backwards compatibility for legacy devices while providing modern utilities for current systems

Selection Rules:

  1. With FREETZ_PATCH_FREETZMOUNT (firmware 06.5X and earlier):
  2. Both versions available
  3. 2.27.1 selected by default (tested and guaranteed compatible)

  4. Can manually switch to 2.41 if toolchain supports it

  5. Without FREETZ_PATCH_FREETZMOUNT (firmware 07.XX+):

  6. Only version 2.41 available

  7. No need for legacy version with old patches

  8. uClibc constraints:

  9. Version 2.27.1: Works with uClibc >= 0.9.32
  10. Version 2.41: Requires uClibc >= 0.9.32 or uClibc-ng >= 1.0.0
  11. Both versions: Not available with uClibc 0.9.28/0.9.29 (missing fdopendir)

Patches

Version 2.41 Patches

Version 2.41 includes only 1 FRITZ!Box-specific patch:

0905-blkid_mtdworkaround.freetz.patch
- Prevents blkid from probing MTD (Memory Technology Device) partitions
- Reason: FRITZ!Box uses MTD for flash storage, which are not regular block devices
- Effect: Avoids potential issues with flash partitioning

Note: Version 2.41 does not require the libblkid size reduction patch as many unnecessary
filesystems (EVMS, etc.) have been removed or made optional upstream.

Version 2.27.1 Patches

Version 2.27.1 includes 7 patches (6 for old toolchain compatibility + 1 FRITZ!Box-specific):

0001-sscanf-no-ms-as.buildroot.patch
- Fixes libmount build under old uClibc versions
- Removes requirement for scanf_alloc_modifier (not available in uClibc 0.9.29/0.9.30)
- Origin: Buildroot/Gentoo compatibility patches

0003-c.h-define-mkostemp.buildroot.patch
- Provides mkostemp() function for older uClibc versions
- Required for uClibc < 0.9.33 which lacks this function
- Origin: Buildroot compatibility patch

0004-vipw-buildroot.patch
- Removes pre-ANSI compiler support (__P macro)
- Fixes compilation with musl libc and old toolchains
- Origin: Buildroot compatibility patch

0190-reduce_size_flags.freetz.patch
- Adds compiler flags: -ffunction-sections -fdata-sections
- Adds linker flags: -Wl,--gc-sections
- Effect: Enables dead code elimination for smaller binaries

0900-relax_gettext_requirements.patch
- Lowers gettext version requirement from 0.18.3 to 0.18.1
- Allows building on systems with older gettext versions
- Effect: Improves compatibility with old build environments

Usage Notes

All util-linux binaries are installed with the -util-linux suffix to avoid conflicts with BusyBox equivalents. For example:
- blkid-util-linux (instead of blkid)
- losetup-util-linux (instead of losetup)

This allows both BusyBox and util-linux versions to coexist, letting users choose which implementation to use.