win: update build advice for win11

Author: lws-team

.sai.json

@@ -23,12 +23,16 @@
                 "netbsd/aarch64BE-bcm2837-a53/gcc": {
                         "build": "mkdir build destdir;cd build;export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=../destdir/usr/local/share/libwebsockets-test-server/plugins:../destdir/usr/local/lib;export CCACHE_DISABLE=1;cmake .. ${cmake};make -j6 && rm -rf ../destdir && make -j6 DESTDIR=../destdir install && /usr/pkg/bin/ctest -j3 --output-on-failure",
                         "default": false
-                }
+                },
+		"w11/x86_64-amd/msvc": {
+			"build": "mkdir build && cd build && set SAI_CPACK=\"-G ZIP\" && cmake .. -DOPENSSL_ROOT_DIR=\"C:\\Users\\andy\\vcpkg\\packages\\openssl_x64-windows\" -DLWS_EXT_PTHREAD_INCLUDE_DIR=\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\pthreads\\include\" -DLWS_EXT_PTHREAD_LIBRARIES=\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\pthreads\\lib\\x64\\libpthreadGC2.a\" ${cmake} && cmake --build . --config DEBUG && set CTEST_OUTPUT_ON_FAILURE=1 && ctest . -C DEBUG -j1 --output-on-failure",
+			"default": false
+		}
 	},
 	"configurations": {
 		"default": {
 			"cmake":	"",
-			"platforms":	"netbsd/aarch64BE-bcm2837-a53/gcc"
+			"platforms":	"w11//x86_64-amd/msvc,netbsd/aarch64BE-bcm2837-a53/gcc"
 		},
 		"default-noudp": {
 			"cmake":	"-DLWS_WITH_UDP=0"
@@ -74,7 +78,7 @@
 		},
 		"secure-streams": {
 			"cmake":	"-DLWS_WITH_SECURE_STREAMS=1 -DLWS_WITH_MINIMAL_EXAMPLES=1",
-			"platforms":	"netbsd/aarch64BE-bcm2837-a53/gcc"
+			"platforms":	"w11/x86_64-amd/msvc,netbsd/aarch64BE-bcm2837-a53/gcc"
 		},
 		"secure-streams-proxy": {
 			"cmake":	"-DLWS_WITH_SECURE_STREAMS=1 -DLWS_WITH_SECURE_STREAMS_PROXY_API=1 -DLWS_WITH_MINIMAL_EXAMPLES=1 -DLWS_WITH_SECURE_STREAMS_AUTH_SIGV4=1"
@@ -149,7 +153,8 @@
 			"cmake":	"-DLWS_WITH_CGI=ON"
 		},
 		"nologs": {
-			"cmake":	"-DLWS_WITH_NO_LOGS=ON"
+			"cmake":	"-DLWS_WITH_NO_LOGS=ON",
+			"platforms":	"w11/x86_64-amd/msvc"
 		},
 		"cookiejar": {
 			"cmake":	"-DLWS_WITH_CACHE_NSCOOKIEJAR=ON"

READMEs/README.build-windows.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Some notes for the windows jungle
 
 This was how I compiled libwebsockets starting from a blank windows install
-in March - April 2020.  Doing this on a linux distro is way simpler and quicker
+in June 2025.  Doing this on a linux distro is way simpler and quicker
 than all this!
 
 ## Notes on vm installation
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ the windows it came with, you can recover your 'windows tax' windows product key
 from your device typically using `sudo strings /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/MSDM`,
 and use that for your VM install.
 
-### Required: Spice guest 
+### Required: Spice guest
+
+Note: I wasn't able to get this to work on Windows 11
 
 To have shared clipboard, and for windows video driver to match your vm window
 resolution, you must install spice guest tools inside the windows VM.  It also
@@ -34,6 +36,8 @@ bar prediction
 
 ### Blood-pressure reduction: Clink
 
+Note: I wasn't able to get this to work on Windows 11.
+
 This is a hack on cmd.exe that lets it understand Ctrl-R and fixup unix-style
 slashes automagically.
 
@@ -77,76 +81,25 @@ the other FOSS projects.
 
 ### Required: OpenSSL
 
-Ugh... I tried using prebuilts but it's unreliable and needs an unfeasible
-amount of trust.  So I recommend bite the bullet and build your own... that's
-trivial on Linux but of course windows makes everything nasty.
-
-At least hopefully all the "research" is done and listed out here.
-
-#### OpenSSL build Prerequisite: install perl binary
-
-Move the git version of perl out of the way, it won't work for OpenSSL build
+Since I last did this, vcpkg has essentially wrapped the complicated build process.
 
 ```
-mv /usr/bin/perl /usr/bin/perl-git
+> git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg
+> vcpkg integrate install
+> vcpkg install openssl:x64-windows 
 ```
 
-For windows, OpenSSL "recommends" ActiveState perl but it doesn't work for me,
-complaining about stuff needed from cpan and then dying when it was installed.
-"Strawberry Perl" is installed in `C:\Strawberry` and worked out the box.
-
-http://strawberryperl.com/download/5.30.2.1/strawberry-perl-5.30.2.1-64bit.msi
-
-The installer sets up `%PATH%` if you open a new cmd window.  
-
-#### OpenSSL build Prerequisite: NASM
+It took 30 minutes to build the thing apparently in the same way that was previously
+described here manually.
 
-Go here and click on the latest stable, download the win32 .exe
+### Powershell
 
-https://nasm.us/
-
-Just install via the defaults.  Then add it to the PATH temporarily...
+CMake wants it and the version that comes with windows is too old to have pwsh.exe.
 
 ```
-$ set PATH=%PATH%;C:\Program Files (x86)\NASM
+> sudo winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget
 ```
 
-#### OpenSSL build setup: source VC env vars
-
-These fix up the PATH and include dirs etc necessary for VC build in the cmd
-window.
-
-```
-$ call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvarsall.bat" x86_amd64
-```
-
-### OpenSSL build:
-
-Grab openssl from git... assuming the prerequisites above went well it will
-just sit there building for 30 minutes or whatever.
-
-```
-$ git clone https://github.com/openssl/openssl
-$ cd openssl
-$ perl Configure VC-WIN64A
-$ nmake
-```
-
-Afterwards, open an Administrator mode cmd.exe, redo the msvc path and then
-install the build.
-
-```
-$ cd openssl
-$ call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvarsall.bat" x86_amd64
-$ nmake install
-```
-
-Oh another grindingly slow windows build action.  Finally it's in there in
-`C:\Program Files\OpenSSL`.
-
-libraries are looking for a cert bundle at "C:\Program Files\Common Files\SSL\cert.pem"...
-it's not documented or included in the zip file from the above, so...
-
 #### Installing a cert bundle
 
 You can get a trusted cert bundle from here
@@ -167,12 +120,6 @@ ftp://sourceware.org/pub/pthreads-win32
 Then I created a dir "C:\Program Files (x86)\pthreads", and copied the `dll`,
 `include` and `lib` subdirs from the `prebuilt` folder in the zip there.
 
-The cmake incantation to build against pthreads set up like that is
-
-```
- $ cmake .. -DLWS_HAVE_PTHREAD_H=1 -DLWS_EXT_PTHREAD_INCLUDE_DIR="C:\Program Files (x86)\pthreads\include" -DLWS_EXT_PTHREAD_LIBRARIES="C:\Program Files (x86)\pthreads\lib\x64\libpthreadGC2.a" -DLWS_WITH_MINIMAL_EXAMPLES=1
-```
-
 ## Building libwebsockets
 
 We'll clone libwebsockets then use cmake to build via vs tools
@@ -182,25 +129,26 @@ We'll clone libwebsockets then use cmake to build via vs tools
 > cd libwebsockets
 > mkdir build
 > cd build
-> cmake ..
-> cmake --build . --config DEBUG
+> cmake .. -DLWS_HAVE_PTHREAD_H=1 -DLWS_EXT_PTHREAD_INCLUDE_DIR="C:\Program Files (x86)\pthreads\include" -DLWS_EXT_PTHREAD_LIBRARIES="C:\Program Files (x86)\pthreads\lib\x64\libpthreadGC2.a" -DOPENSSL_ROOT_DIR="c:\Users\<user>\vcpkg\packages\openssl_x64-windows"
+> cmake --build . -j 4 --config DEBUG
 ```
 
-Installing requires admin privs, I opened a second cmd window as admin and did it
-there.
+Installing:
 
 ```
-> cmake --install . --config DEBUG
+> sudo cmake --install . --config DEBUG
 ```
 
 ### Hack the libs into view
 
 The libs we built against aren't visible in the system, I don't know what
-Real Windows Programmers are supposed to do about that, but I used an Admin cmd
+Real Windows Programmers are supposed to do about that, but I used sudo
 prompt to copy them into C:\windows\system32
 
 ```
-$ cp "C:\Program Files (x86)\pthreads\dll\x64\pthreadGC2.dll" "C:\Program Files\OpenSSL\bin\libcrypto-3.dll"  "C:\Program Files\OpenSSL\bin\libssl-3.dll" C:\Windows\system32
+> sudo copy "C:\Program Files (x86)\pthreads\dll\x64\pthreadGC2.dll" C:\Windows\system32
+> sudo copy "c:\Users\<user>\vcpkg\packages\openssl_x64-windows\bin\libcrypto-3.dll" C:\Windows\system32
+> sudo copy "c:\Users\<user>\vcpkg\packages\openssl_x64-windows\bin\libssl-3.dll" C:\Windows\system32
 ```
 
 After that you can run the test apps OK, eg

lib/plat/windows/windows-spawn.c

@@ -579,5 +579,5 @@ lws_spawn_get_fd_stdxxx(struct lws_spawn_piped *lsp, int std_idx)
 {
 	assert(std_idx >= 0 && std_idx < 3);
 
-	return lsp->pipe_fds[std_idx][!!(n == 0)];
+	return lsp->pipe_fds[std_idx][!!(std_idx == 0)];
 }