Date: 2013-02-24

Tags: python, win32, x64, distutils, visualstudio 2008 express, mingw32-x64

Python Win32 binary building and x64 cross compiling on 32bit platform

Preparing Windows build environment

Build target system

• Python-2.7 for windows x86, x64

(or Python-2.6)

Required Operating system

• Windows XP SP3 32bit version

Required installations

• Python-2.7.3 (x86) for windows

• VisualC++ 2008 Express SP1 (VS2008SP1ENUX1512962.iso)

• Windows SDK 2008 (6.0.6001.18000.367-KRMSDK_EN.iso)

Required extra library

• Python-2.7 for amd64's libs directory for cross-link.

Install

1. Install VisualC++ 2008 Express SP1.

2. Install Windows SDK 2008.

3. Install Python-2.7.3 x86 into C:\Python27 (or anywhere).

4. Place Python-2.7.3 amd64's libs into C:\Python27\libs-amd64.

Sample code

C:\temp\setup.py:

from distutils.core import setup, Extension

setup(
  name='spam',
  version='0.1',
  ext_modules=[Extension('spam', ['spam.c'])],
)

C:\temp\spam.c:

#include <Python.h>

static PyMethodDef spam_methods[] = {
    {NULL}  /* Sentinel */
};

PyMODINIT_FUNC
initspam(void)
{
    PyObject* m;
    m = Py_InitModule("spam", spam_methods);
}

Build python module

for x86

Microsoft Windows SDK v6.1 CMD Shell

First, invoke Windows SDK's CMD Shell from Start -> Microsoft Windows SDK v6.1 -> CMD Shell and do following:

C:\tmp> setenv /x86 /release
C:\tmp> set libpath=dummy
C:\tmp> python setup.py build

Finally, you get spam.pyd for x86 architecture in build\lib.win32-2.7.

注釈

Python2.7 distutils requires the libpath environment variable (msvc9compiler.py Line 255). But libpath is not used (msvc9compiler.py Line 371).

for x64

First, invoke CMD Shell and do following:

Windows Server 2008 x64 DEBUG environment

Windows Server 2008 x64 RELEASE environment

C:\tmp> setenv /x64 /release
C:\tmp> set libpath=dummy
C:\tmp> python setup.py build --plat-name=win-amd64 build_ext --library_dirs=C:\Python27\libs-amd64

Finally, you get spam.pyd for x64 architecture in build\lib.win-amd64-2.7.

注釈

If you have x64 OS and Python amd64 installed, you can use python setup.py build command without options to build x64 binary.

References

• https://github.com/python-imaging/Pillow/issues/28

  This discussion gave me a important knowledge to making x64 build environment. Thanks adrianer.

• 5.4. Cross-compiling on Windows (In Japanese)

  This article introduce "download Python source code and cross-compiling to get x64 libraries". I did not this, I copied libs directory from other operating system instead that was installed Python x64 version.

• msvc9compiler.py: ValueError when trying to compile with VC Express

  This issue describe VisualStudio 2008 Express related problem. It was not reproduced on my environment (clean WinXP SP3 on virtual machine).

• 64BitCythonExtensionsOnWindows - Cython Wiki

  This article introduce Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 but it is not worked for me. Windows7 SDK install VC9 related directory and compilers that does not fit to Python2.7.

• Preparing Windows build environment - PyWavelets Documentation

• つまみぐいプログラミング MinGW64でPython拡張モジュールを64bit向けにビルドする

  This article introduce Python x64 binary building by using MinGW64. Indeed, I got a x64 (PIL's) pyd file but it did not work propery (cause bus error or else).

• Re: How to receive a FILE* from Python under MinGW?

  This discussion describe:

  Problem is (AFAICT) that Python 2.4 uses a different version of the C runtime DLL (MSVCRT*.DLL) to that which MinGW links against. And it turns out that the different C runtime libraries have incompatible implementations of the FILE struct. And therefore if you try to pass a FILE* (fileno?) from Python to MinGW you will get a segfault.

  At the time I read this, I stop looking for ways to use MinGW for 64bit build.