Help with NSA325 booting Kernel 5.6.5 Kirkwood

I am trying to load Linux Kernel 5.6.5 Kirkwood package and Debian rootfs per link https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,12096 – I followed instruction per update specified on “25 Aug 2019”. See attached log "Debian-5.2.9 mkImage.log". See also my NSA325 initial boot log, "Zyxel-NSA325-Boot.log" for configuration info.

I made the USB rootfs disk with ext3. I am having trouble in getting my Zyxel NSA325 to boot from my USB. When the device is cold started, the device does not detect my rootfs USB stick. It just continue to normal boot. I followed instruction to prepare my USB stick per link I have tried all 3 USB ports. I have tried with 2gb as well as 16gb USB drive too! Any guidance, advice will be highly appreciated. Can someone help me solve this problem please.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2020 08:34PM by bodhi.

vijay,

Your Debian-5.2.9 mkImage.log was cut off at the end. I could not see the full log. But what you did to create the rootfs was correct to boot with stock u-boot, from what I can tell.


But since you have only installed rootfs, not also new u-boot, you must change some envs to boot with stock u-boot.

So there are a couple approaches:

1. Log into stock OS and install new u-boot:

https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,12381


2. Changing envs at u-boot prompt to make it boot with rootfs Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2.

This could be done, but not as nice and clean as approach 1, if your goal is to run with the latest Debian and u-boot.

-bodhi
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Hello Bodhi,
Thank you for your response. I followed the instruction to update my uboot to uboot.2017.07-tld-1.nsa325.bodhi.tar. I am able to erase and write image to NAND. See attached log. I am unable to satisfy Step 8; so I skip to Section C; I do not see boot directory in my Zyxel NSA325 box therefore I am unable to add uEnv.txt to /boot directory as it does not exist. Ofcourse cant find /boot/uImage, etc...
Also foryour information I changed mtd1 to mtd0 in fw_env.config - Is that okay? I also attached my current updated environment for your information too.
Please guide me before I reboot my machine! Thank you so much!
Vijay

vijay,

> am unable to satisfy Step 8; so I skip to Section
> C;

Step 8 is mandatory. You cannot skip it.

Don't reboot. Post questions why did you think you cannot do Step 8?

-bodhi
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I am sorry Bodhi, I was not clear. Per step 8, I did ensure that my etc/fw_env.config is correct. It further states about about flashing default u-boot envs. Per Section B I was not able to satisfy r1 through r4; i.e. don't have /boot directory on my machine. infect I can not even find uImage or uInitrd. Also I do not see partition label "rootfs". See attached that contains the partition info and top level directory list.

I am still running original Zyxel NSA325 supplied U-Boot 1.1.4 (Sep 16 2011 - 17:51:53) Marvell version: 3.5.9 and Linux version 2.6.31.8 (root@BuildMachine) (gcc version 4.3.2 (sdk3.3-ct-ng-1.4.1) ) #2 Wed Jun 21 16:44:13 CST 2017
CPU: Feroceon 88FR131 [56251311] revision 1 (ARMv5TE), cr=00053977

What I want to do is to be able to load Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2.

Many Thanks for your help!

Vijay,

What the instruction referring to is not your current system, It refer to the system you will boot after intstalling u-boot. In this case, the Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2 rootfs that you need to create first. The new u-boot will not boot your old system. You should install the new u-boot only if you want to boot Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2.

Quote

8. Flashing default u-boot envs image (if you are upgrading from 2016.05-tld-1 u-boot, you can skip this step 8).

As described in step 1, u-boot envs must be defined in /etc/fw_env.config as

# MTD device name Device offset Env. size Flash sector size Number of sectors
/dev/mtd0 0xc0000 0x20000 0x20000

This is already defined in the USB rootfs Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2 (that you have already created)

Quote

For whatever reason, if you can't set up your configuration to satisfy the following 4 requirements, then don't flash this defaut envs image. It might not boot properly. In this case, section C below can be used to tailor the envs to your specific configuration.

r1. There must be only one partition among all partitions from all drives that contains the kernel files. The 2 kernel files are /boot/uImage and /boot/uInitrd.
r2. The partition that contains the 2 kernel files must be partition 1 in a disk drive
r3. The partition that contains the rootfs must be labeled rootfs
r4. The rootfs partition is recommended to be type Ext3 (this is not a hard requirement, ext4 should boot OK, but Ext3 will ensure no problem).

So the bottom line is if you have only one rootfs in a single Ext3 partition, which is labeled as rootfs, then you're all set.

The USB rootfs Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2 satistfis all the requirments above.

-bodhi
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Hello Bodhi,
Thanks, so you are saying that I should be okay to go a head and reboot it and then install Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2
Vijay

vijay,

No. It is not OK right now.

You should create the rootfs Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2 on USB first. And then finish the u-boot installation instruction from Step 8 through Step 11. Don't do Section C.

-bodhi
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