pal-rocr-windows-build

name	pal-rocr-windows-build
description	Use when building CLR (HIP/OCL) with PAL and/or ROCr backends on Windows using rocm-systems — covers prerequisites, CMake flags, build configurations, and troubleshooting for d3dumddi.h and Clang discovery issues

PAL + ROCr Windows Build Guide

Build guide for CLR (Compute Language Runtime) with PAL and/or ROCr backends on Windows using the rocm-systems monorepo.

Scope: This skill covers Windows-only PAL/ROCr developer builds via rocm-systems. For general HIP/OCL builds, use lrt-rocm:the-rock. For Linux monorepo builds, use lrt-rocm:hip-ocl-monorepo-build.

Required Repository Layout

The following are not included in a default rocm-systems clone and must be added manually before configuring:

rocm-systems/
  projects/
    clr/
    hip/
    rocr-runtime/   ← must be added to projects/
  shared/
    amdgpu-windows-interop/   ← must be added to shared/
      sc/
      hsail-compiler/
      pal/
        lib/Release/x64/      ← *.lib.dvc files, requires DVC pull (see Prerequisites)

AMD_COMPUTE_WIN points to amdgpu-windows-interop/ and triggers ROCr being built statically from rocr-runtime source. Both must be present before configuring.

When to Use

• Building CLR with PAL and/or ROCr backends on Windows
• Configuring ROCCLR_ENABLE_HSA, ROCCLR_ENABLE_PAL, or related CMake flags
• Encountering WDK (d3dumddi.h) or Clang path issues during a Windows ROCm build
• Working with rocm-systems/projects/clr CMake targets on Windows

Build Configurations

#	Configuration	Description	Status
1	Static PAL + ROCr	Pre-built PAL and ROCr libraries linked statically	Available
2	ROCr Backend Only	ROCr (HSA) enabled, PAL disabled	Available

Start with Configuration 2 (ROCr Backend Only) — it is the simplest working setup.

Prerequisites

:: Visual Studio 2022 Build Tools with required components
winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --source winget --override "--add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.x86.x64 --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.CMake.Project --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.ATL --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Windows11SDK.22621"

:: Git with command-line tools
winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget --custom "/o:PathOption=CmdTools"

:: Build tools (CMake must be < 4.0.0)
winget install cmake -v 3.31.0
winget install ninja-build.ninja ccache python strawberryperl bloodrock.pkg-config-lite
winget install --id Iterative.DVC --silent --accept-source-agreements

:: Python packages
pip install Jinja2 ruamel.yaml

Additionally install:

• WDK 28000 — Windows Driver Kit (provides d3dumddi.h and other driver headers)
• SDK 28000 — Windows SDK
• TheRock package — Install via TheRock's artifact script:

  python TheRock/build_tools/install_rocm_from_artifacts.py --run-id <run_id> --amdgpu-family <family>
  

• DVC — Required to pull PAL pre-built libs (stored as DVC pointers in amdgpu-windows-interop):

  pip install "dvc[s3]"
  cd C:\code\rocm-systems
  dvc pull
  

  The DVC remote (s3://therock-dvc/rocm-systems) allows anonymous access — no credentials needed. Run this before the first build and after updating amdgpu-windows-interop.

Note: Install Python for the current user to a path without spaces.

Environment Setup

Run in Command Prompt (not PowerShell):

set HIP_COMMON_DIR=c:/github/rocm-systems/projects/hip
set HIPCC_BIN_DIR=c:\opt\rocm\bin
set CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL=64
:: Note: TheRock's LLVM is under lib\llvm\bin, not llvm\bin
set PATH=C:\Program Files\CMake\bin;c:\opt\rocm\lib\llvm\bin

mkdir build
cd build

CMake Flags Reference

Flag	Purpose	Default
CLR_BUILD_HIP	Build HIP runtime	ON
CLR_BUILD_OCL	Build OpenCL runtime	ON
ROCCLR_ENABLE_HSA	Enable ROCr (HSA) backend	ON
ROCCLR_ENABLE_PAL	Enable PAL backend	ON or OFF
ROCR_DLL_LOAD	ROCr DLL loading behavior	OFF
__HIP_ENABLE_PCH	Precompiled headers for HIP	OFF
__HIP_ENABLE_RTC	Runtime compilation for HIP	ON
USE_PROF_API	Profiling API support	OFF
AMD_COMPUTE_WIN	Path to AMDGPU Windows interop dir	Relative path
BUILD_TESTS	Build test targets	ON
OPENCL_ICD_LIB	Build OpenCL ICD loader library	ON

Build Commands

ROCr Backend Only — HIP (Release)

cmake ../rocm-systems/projects/clr ^
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ^
  -DCLR_BUILD_HIP=ON ^
  -DHIP_COMMON_DIR=%HIP_COMMON_DIR% ^
  -DHIPCC_BIN_DIR=%HIPCC_BIN_DIR% ^
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=..\install ^
  -D__HIP_ENABLE_PCH=OFF ^
  -DROCCLR_ENABLE_HSA=ON ^
  -DROCCLR_ENABLE_PAL=OFF ^
  -D__HIP_ENABLE_RTC=ON ^
  -DUSE_PROF_API=OFF ^
  -DROCR_DLL_LOAD=OFF ^
  -DAMD_COMPUTE_WIN=../../../shared/amdgpu-windows-interop/

ROCr Backend Only — OCL (Debug with Tests)

cmake ../rocm-systems/projects/clr ^
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug ^
  -DCLR_BUILD_OCL=ON ^
  -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=..\install ^
  -DROCCLR_ENABLE_HSA=ON ^
  -DROCCLR_ENABLE_PAL=OFF ^
  -DROCR_DLL_LOAD=OFF ^
  -DAMD_COMPUTE_WIN=../../../shared/amdgpu-windows-interop/ ^
  -DBUILD_TESTS=ON ^
  -DOPENCL_ICD_LIB=ON

Build and Install

cmake --build . --config Release -j 6 --target install

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
'd3dumddi.h': No such file or directory	Install WDK 28000 with all required components
Could not find ClangConfig.cmake / clang-config.cmake	Add lib\llvm\bin to PATH before running cmake: set PATH=C:\Program Files\CMake\bin;c:\opt\rocm\lib\llvm\bin
Clang not found despite CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH	CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH does not work for Clang — must be on PATH before cmake configure runs; TheRock's LLVM is at lib\llvm\bin, not llvm\bin
LNK1181: cannot open pal.lib	PAL .lib files are DVC pointers — run dvc pull from rocm-systems/ root

Known Limitations

1. Clang must be on PATH before cmake configure runs — CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH does not work.
2. TheRock's LLVM is at lib\llvm\bin\, not llvm\bin\ — ensure PATH uses the correct subdirectory.
3. PAL .lib files are DVC pointers — dvc pull must be run before the first build and after updating amdgpu-windows-interop.
4. rocr-runtime and amdgpu-windows-interop must be manually added to rocm-systems/projects/ and rocm-systems/shared/ respectively — they are not included in a default clone.
5. These build configurations are not yet enabled in TheRock (rocm-systems only).
6. Users can switch between PAL and ROCr backends at runtime via an environment variable.