Questions on using configure

[David Holmes]

Hi Fredrik et al,

Some initial questions as I try to experiment with using configure.

1. ./configure created a build/linux-i586-clientANDserver-release 
directory for its output. How do I manually define the two components in 
that path? (I couldn't see any configure args that appeared to control it)

2. configure uses that build/linux...-release path as the value to which 
ALT_OUTPUTDIR is set. Can I control the value of ALT_OUTPUTDIR any other 
way?

3. The spec.gmk states that "make install" will create the images and 
then copy to the installation directory. I would want to create images 
but I would not want to install them anywhere. How do I do this?

4. Cross-compilation seems to be controlled only via the HOST setting 
but I don't see any details on the format of that setting and how it 
impacts what configure will do. At present to cross-compile I need to 
set environment variables that:
  - set the target arch as CROSS_COMPILE_ARCH
  - set the path to the cross-compiler as ALT_COMPILER_PATH
  - set EXTRA_CFLAGS to define the arch specific arguments to the 
compiler (eg to request soft-float vs hard-float, different instruction 
set levels etc)
How do I do all that with HOST and/or other configure variables?

5. What env/make variables can still be defined at the actual build time 
(ie when make is invoked) - for example can I set BUILD_HOTSPOT=false to 
skip the hotspot build? Put another way, what variables are set at 
configure time and which can be overridden at build time?

Thanks,
David