Debian on AK Systems Thin client rev 1.3

Hello. I am writing for the first time on this forum, which I hardly found. I hope I can solve my question.
I apologize in advance if I am not correct in some way, because I am not well versed in firmware and have never assembled them.

There is a thin client "AK Systems Thin client rev 1.3" (referred to in Russia as "Depo Sky A60"), its characteristics:

Processor
Marvell Kirkwood 88F6282 (ARMv5TE) @ 1.6 GHz
Video
Marvell ARM integrated graphics
Flash
1 Gb
DRAM
1 Gb
Connectivity
10/100/1000 Ethernet (RJ-45) x2
Emulations
DVI-I digital video output (DVI to VGA adapter included)
I/O and peripheral support
6 USB 2.0; 2 RJ-45; 1 DVI-I; 1 headphone; 1 microphone in; DVI-I includes DVI-to-VGA adapter, COM port

Information: these devices were left forgotten, the company that dealt with them was closed. I want to put Debian (or another distribution) on it and have the opportunity to use it. The screen is not important to me, ssh, root, package installation and so on are important to me.
The presented Debian image from the company is a useless operating system. There is a terminal, but there is no data to it. In addition, the system was relevant for 2012.

The company left instructions and the source code of their operating system, which was called DEPO OS, sort of. I'm attaching the source code. (Description in Russian).

The main link to the firmware: https://vadimboev.ru/deposkya60/ak1100-recovery-full.zip
Source Linux and U-Boot: https://vadimboev.ru/deposkya60/build_mainline_u-boot_and_kernel_TC_v4.zip
Other links:
https://vadimboev.ru/deposkya60/20130103_140915_thinclient_thinclient.zip
https://vadimboev.ru/deposkya60/ak1100-recovery.zip
https://vadimboev.ru/deposkya60/recoveryTC.zip
https://vadimboev.ru/deposkya60/tk_manual.pdf


I tried to update the u-boot and Debian firmware based on these instructions:
1. Linux Kernel 6.9.6 Kirkwood package and Debian rootfs (Updated 01 Nov 2023:)
2. Boot Kirkwood rootfs with stock u-boot

As a result, I got an eternal reboot and such an error:

Loading file "/boot/uImage" from usb device 0:1 (usbda1)
** File not found /boot/uImage
Loading file "/boot/uInitrd" from usb device 0:1 (usbda1)
** File not found /boot/uInitrd
Wrong Image Format for bootm command
ERROR: can't get kernel image!

At the moment, I have restored the firmware using "ak1100-recovery-full.zip"

I do not have a device on which Linux is installed, so to do all the manipulations for the USB-FLASH, I used an emulator via VirtualBox. However, it seems to me that this was a bad idea, and also the fact that I apparently do not understand at all how the firmware works, thereby I got an eternal reboot.
p.s. but if necessary, I can put Linux on the laptop in order to write the firmware to a USB FLASH drive or something.

If you need photos of the board, I can provide them.

Please help me install a more recent Debian (or something else) on this device. I hope for your help!

Vadim_Boev,

Quote

I tried to update the u-boot and Debian firmware based on these instructions:
1. Linux Kernel 6.9.6 Kirkwood package and Debian rootfs (Updated 01 Nov 2023:)
2. Boot Kirkwood rootfs with stock u-boot

If you have kept the log of what you did in creating the rootfs (1), and also the u-boot booting (2), including all setenvs commands, please post them here.

Quote

I do not have a device on which Linux is installed, so to do all the manipulations for the USB-FLASH, I used an emulator via VirtualBox. However, it seems to me that this was a bad idea, and also the fact that I apparently do not understand at all how the firmware works, thereby I got an eternal reboot.

Using VirtualBox is OK. But make sure you use command line to partition (fdisk) and format (mkfs.ext3) the USB drive. Don't use the GUI. And while you are creating the rootfs using tar command and so on, you must be root user.

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)

Quote

If you have kept the log of what you did in
creating the rootfs (1), and also the u-boot
booting (2), including all setenvs commands,
please post them here.

Sorry, only a small piece was saved, which I have already attached to the post. Due to the fact that I am completely unsure of the actions that I did, I am ready to go all the way from the very beginning in order to try to install a firmware.

Quote

Using VirtualBox is OK. But make sure you use
command line to partition (fdisk) and format
(mkfs.ext3) the USB drive. Don't use the GUI. And
while you are creating the rootfs using tar
command and so on, you must be root user.

Yes, that's right, it was from root, I created an ext3 USB drive, I checked everything in this regard. And it was created from a terminal, not in a graphical shell

Vadim_Boev,

Loading file "/boot/uImage" from usb device 0:1 (usbda1)
** File not found /boot/uImage
Loading file "/boot/uInitrd" from usb device 0:1 (usbda1)
** File not found /boot/uInitrd

These errors mean u-boot could not find the kernel images. This usually happens if the USB partition was formatted as Ext4 and not "finalized". But you have verified that it is Ext3, so it's not that problem.

Power up with serial console connected, interrup u-boot at countdown, and

usb start
usb part
usb info
ext2ls usb 0:1 /boot

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)

I try:

Quote

Power up with serial console connected, interrup
u-boot at countdown, and

usb start
usb part
usb info
ext2ls usb 0:1 /boot

but nothing happened after boot, the usual firmware was loaded

U-Boot 2011.06 (Jan 03 2013 - 16:19:06)
Promwad-ThinClient

SoC:   Kirkwood 88F6282_?? RevID 0x01
DRAM:  1 GiB
NAND:  1024 MiB
In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Net:   egiga0, egiga1
88E1121 Initialized on egiga0, devadr 1
88E1121 Initialized on egiga1, devadr 0
Hit any key to stop autoboot:  0
Marvell>> usb start
(Re)start USB...
USB:   Register 10011 NbrPorts 1
USB EHCI 1.00
scanning bus for devices... 3 USB Device(s) found
       scanning bus for storage devices... EHCI timed out on TD - token=0x248d80
EHCI timed out on TD - token=0x80008d80
1 Storage Device(s) found
Marvell>> usb part

Partition Map for USB device 0  --   Partition Type: DOS

Partition     Start Sector     Num Sectors     Type
    1                 2048        60626944      83
Marvell>> usb info
1: Hub,  USB Revision 2.0
 - u-boot EHCI Host Controller
 - Class: Hub
 - PacketSize: 64  Configurations: 1
 - Vendor: 0x0000  Product 0x0000 Version 1.0
   Configuration: 1
   - Interfaces: 1 Self Powered 0mA
     Interface: 0
     - Alternate Setting 0, Endpoints: 1
     - Class Hub
     - Endpoint 1 In Interrupt MaxPacket 8 Interval 255ms

2: Hub,  USB Revision 2.0
 - Class: Hub
 - PacketSize: 64  Configurations: 1
 - Vendor: 0x0000  Product 0x0000 Version 0.0
   Configuration: 1
   - Interfaces: 1 Bus Powered Remote Wakeup 0mA
     Interface: 0
     - Alternate Setting 0, Endpoints: 1
     - Class Hub
     - Endpoint 1 In Interrupt MaxPacket 1 Interval 12ms

3: Mass Storage,  USB Revision 2.0
 -          USB DISK 2.0 070002E50D84E703
 - Class: (from Interface) Mass Storage
 - PacketSize: 64  Configurations: 1
 - Vendor: 0x13fe  Product 0x4300 Version 1.0
   Configuration: 1
   - Interfaces: 1 Bus Powered 200mA
     Interface: 0
     - Alternate Setting 0, Endpoints: 2
     - Class Mass Storage, Transp. SCSI, Bulk only
     - Endpoint 1 In Bulk MaxPacket 512
     - Endpoint 2 Out Bulk MaxPacket 512

Marvell>> ext2ls usb 0:1 /boot
Marvell>> reboot
Unknown command 'reboot' - try 'help'
Marvell>> <INTERRUPT>
Marvell>> boot

NAND read: device 0 offset 0x100000, size 0x400000
 4194304 bytes read: OK
## Booting kernel from Legacy Image at 06400000 ...
   Image Name:   Linux-2.6.39.2
   Created:      2013-01-03  13:10:40 UTC
   Image Type:   ARM Linux Kernel Image (uncompressed)
   Data Size:    2826604 Bytes = 2.7 MiB
   Load Address: 00008000
   Entry Point:  00008000
   Verifying Checksum ... OK
   Loading Kernel Image ... OK
OK

Starting kernel ...

Uncompressing Linux... done, booting the kernel.

Debian GNU/Linux 6.0 thin_client ttyS0

thin_client login:

> U-Boot 2011.06 (Jan 03 2013 - 16:19:06)
> Promwad-ThinClient

> Marvell>> usb start
> (Re)start USB...
> USB: Register 10011 NbrPorts 1
> USB EHCI 1.00
> scanning bus for devices... 3 USB Device(s) found
> scanning bus for storage devices... EHCI
> timed out on TD - token=0x248d80
> EHCI timed out on TD - token=0x80008d80
> 1 Storage Device(s) found

This is a common error with old stock u-boot. Try recreating the USB rootfs using a different USB thumb drive. Sandisk is among the best brand to use for rootfs.

Please keep the log of what you did, and also keep the entire serial boot log.

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)

See https://promwad.com/case-studies/thin-client regarding development of this device. Perhaps reach out to PromWad to see if they are willing to provide the U-Boot source code for the device.

Ray

Quote

Perhaps reach out to PromWad to see if they are willing to
provide the U-Boot source code for the device.

I provided all the source code with the first message that tech support gave. For example, the source code of U-Boot and Kernel is:
Source Linux and U-Boot: https://vadimboev.ru/deposkya60/build_mainline_u-boot_and_kernel_TC_v4.zip

Quote

This is a common error with old stock u-boot. Try
recreating the USB rootfs using a different USB
thumb drive. Sandisk is among the best brand to
use for rootfs.

Okay, as soon as I find the SanDisk USB stick, I'll start. I would like to know what size a usb flash drive should be? 2 GB? 4 GB? 8 GB? 16 GB?
And also, since I'm not at all sure that I wrote the data to U-Boot correctly, could you write a sequence of commands for writing U-Boot via fdisk? I would be very glad

Quote

Please keep the log of what you did, and also keep
the entire serial boot log.

Okay, no problem. I understand you

> Okay, as soon as I find the SanDisk USB stick,
> I'll start. I would like to know what size a usb
> flash drive should be? 2 GB? 4 GB? 8 GB? 16 GB?

I would use 16GB, because Debian tends to growth. 16 GB will be good for a while before you need to migrate to larger disk.

> And also, since I'm not at all sure that I wrote
> the data to U-Boot correctly, could you write a
> sequence of commands for writing U-Boot via fdisk?

No. u-boot is the boot loader. You are not writing the u-boot commands to the Debian rootfs. In the instruction

Boot Kirkwood rootfs with stock u-boot
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,102054,105374#msg-105374

we set the envs at u-boot prompt in serial console.

======

See this post for a summary explanation about booting process.

https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,19093,19093#msg-19093

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)

Quote

No. u-boot is the boot loader. You are not writing
the u-boot commands to the Debian rootfs. In the
instruction

I'm sorry, apparently I didn't express myself correctly. I mean, I need the right instructions for working with a USB flash drive, maybe I wrote something wrong on it. But I saw that it was in ext3 format and could only be read in a Linux environment. In Windows, after being created in ext3 format, it was naturally not detected.

Vadim_Boev Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>

Quote

No. u-boot is the boot loader. You are not
> writing
> the u-boot commands to the Debian rootfs. In the
> instruction

>
> I'm sorry, apparently I didn't express myself
> correctly. I mean, I need the right instructions
> for working with a USB flash drive, maybe I wrote
> something wrong on it. But I saw that it was in
> ext3 format and could only be read in a Linux
> environment. In Windows, after being created in
> ext3 format, it was naturally not detected.

U-Boot is fine with Ext2 and Ext3 partitions.

So post what you did and I'll correct it if I see something wrong.

-bodhi
===========================
Forum Wiki
bodhi's corner (buy bodhi a beer)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/2024 12:43AM by bodhi.

Quote

So post what you did and I'll correct it if I see something wrong.

Okay, I get you. In the next few days, I will look for a USB drive from SanDisk, and then I will try to install this whole thing again