4 EDK II Build Process Overview

The EDK II build system is used to process EDK II meta-data files, EDK II source and/or binary files and some legacy EDK components and libraries. The code-base for EDK II content can be obtained from various sources or various distribution methods. The EDK II build system provides the UEFI Distribution Packaging Tool (UEFIPT) that can be used to create, install or remove UEFI distribution packages. The UEFI distribution package format does not depend on any specific build system. However, the UEFIPT must be used within the context of the EDK II build system.

The EDK II EdkCompatibilityPkg in the EDK II source tree provides backward compatibility for existing EDK components and platforms; using EDK processes and tools will not be described in this document. Some EDK components may be built using the EDK II build tools, where those components are included in an EDK II platform file. The exact list of EDK components, or the compatible component types are not provided here - other EDK II documentation contains information on using EDK components with EDK II.