[Question] How to install Debian on PogoPlug POGO-V4-A3-01 which is currently running Archlinux ARM?

Hi I have a PogoPlug POGO-V4-A3-01, and I have installed Archlinux ARM on it using this tutorial:

https://archlinuxarm.org/platforms/armv5/pogoplug-series-4

So I want to run this Debian on it:
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,12096
I downloaded this rootfs pack: Latest released rootfs: Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2 (25 Aug 2019)
I did not use the latest kernel.
I prepared a SD card with that rootfs package (filesystem is ext3 with journaling)

I downloaded this latest U-Boot:
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,12381

I followed this UART boot guide:
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,7852,7852

And I successfully booted into U-Boot with prompt "Pogov4".
I remembered I have to chagne this environment var from:

dtb_file=/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4

To:

dtb_file=/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4.dtb

And the devices starts running Debian now.

So the next step I reckon is to write the U-boot to somewhere in the internal "mtdblock". And I suppose the environment variables to U-Boot need to be updated as well?

In current Debian system, my configuration is as follows:
Are they correct?

# cat /etc/fw_env.config
# MTD device name       Device offset   Env. size       Flash sector size       Number of sectors
/dev/mtd0 0xc0000 0x20000 0x20000
root@debian: /dev
# cat /proc/mtd
dev:    size   erasesize  name
mtd0: 00200000 00020000 "u-boot"
mtd1: 00300000 00020000 "uImage"
mtd2: 00300000 00020000 "uImage2"
mtd3: 00800000 00020000 "failsafe"
mtd4: 07000000 00020000 "root"

Do I need to change /etc/fw_env.config to the following?

mtd0: 00100000 00020000 "u-boot"

I've seen this error on console for env vars:

# fw_printenv ethaddr
Warning: Bad CRC, using default environment
ethaddr=00:00:11:22:33:44

There may be no need to backup these environment variables in Debian?
Or do I need to boot to the Archlinux U-boot and save output from "printenv"?


So in this running Debian system, I just need to run the following commands?

flash_erase /dev/mtd0 0 4
nandwrite /dev/mtd0 uboot.2017.07-tld-1.pogo_v4.mtd0.kwb

And flash default u-boot envs:

/usr/sbin/flash_erase /dev/mtd0 0xc0000 1
/usr/sbin/nandwrite -s 786432 /dev/mtd0 uboot.2016.05-tld-1.environment.img

And finally update environment vars:

fw_setenv arcNumber 3960
fw_setenv machid f78
fw_setenv mtdparts 'xxxxxxxxx'

(This "mtdparts" var has the following value when I UART booted the U-boot, is it correct?
mtdparts=mtdparts=orion_nand:2M(u-boot),3M(uImage),3M(uImage2),8M(failsafe),112M(root)
)

fw_setenv ethaddr 'xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx'
fw_setenv dtb_file '/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4.dtb'

And also the env vars for utilizing "uEnv.txt".
Is this all?
Thank you.

zeroxia,


> Hi I have a PogoPlug POGO-V4-A3-01, and I have
> installed Archlinux ARM on it using this
> tutorial:
>
> https://archlinuxarm.org/platforms/armv5/pogoplug-series-4
>
> So I want to run this Debian on it:
> https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,12096
> I downloaded this rootfs pack: Latest
> released rootfs:
> Debian-5.2.9-kirkwood-tld-1-rootfs-bodhi.tar.bz2
> (25 Aug 2019)
> I did not use the latest kernel.
> I prepared a SD card with that rootfs package
> (filesystem is ext3 with journaling)
>
> I downloaded this latest U-Boot:
> https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,12381
>
> I followed this UART boot guide:
> https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,7852,7852
>
> And I successfully booted into U-Boot with prompt
> "Pogov4".
> I remembered I have to chagne this environment var
> from:
>

> dtb_file=/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4
>

>
> To:
>

> dtb_file=/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4.dtb
>

>
> And the devices starts running Debian now.

Cool! everything you did was by the book. That was the safest way to install Debian from Arch.

>
> So the next step I reckon is to write the U-boot
> to somewhere in the internal "mtdblock". And I
> suppose the environment variables to U-Boot need
> to be updated as well?
>
> In current Debian system, my configuration is as
> follows:
> Are they correct?
>

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

> root@debian: /dev
> # cat /proc/mtd
> dev:    size   erasesize  name
> mtd0: 00200000 00020000 "u-boot"
> mtd1: 00300000 00020000 "uImage"
> mtd2: 00300000 00020000 "uImage2"
> mtd3: 00800000 00020000 "failsafe"
> mtd4: 07000000 00020000 "root"
>

>
> Do I need to change /etc/fw_env.config to the
> following?
>

> mtd0: 00100000 00020000 "u-boot"
>

No. The one you have is already correct for the new u-boot.

/dev/mtd0 0xc0000 0x20000 0x20000

>
> I've seen this error on console for env vars:
>

> # fw_printenv ethaddr
> Warning: Bad CRC, using default environment
> ethaddr=00:00:11:22:33:44
>

> There may be no need to backup these environment
> variables in Debian?

No need to. If you have the envs saved somewhere before, then that would be enough. Even if you don't, it's OK, you can adjust them later.

> Or do I need to boot to the Archlinux U-boot and
> save output from "printenv"?

No need to. But if you are very careful, you could do that.

>
>
> So in this running Debian system, I just need to
> run the following commands?
>

> flash_erase /dev/mtd0 0 4
> nandwrite /dev/mtd0
> uboot.2017.07-tld-1.pogo_v4.mtd0.kwb
>

> And flash default u-boot envs:
>

> /usr/sbin/flash_erase /dev/mtd0 0xc0000 1
> /usr/sbin/nandwrite -s 786432 /dev/mtd0
> uboot.2016.05-tld-1.environment.img
>

Yes. Basically these 2 commands. But you need to check bad blocks, as the instruction stated.


> And finally update environment vars:

> (This "mtdparts" var has the following value when
> I UART booted the U-boot, is it correct?
> mtdparts=mtdparts=orion_nand:2M(u-boot),3M(uImage),3M(uImage2),8M(failsafe),112M(root)
> )

Exactly. That's the mtdparts.


> fw_setenv ethaddr 'xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx'
> fw_setenv dtb_file
> '/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4.dtb'
> [/code]

> And also the env vars for utilizing "uEnv.txt".

Don't use uEnv.txt yet. That only for future when you want to experiment with other booting scheme.

> Is this all?

Also don't do Step 10 (Set up netconsole). You have serial console.


You got it :)

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

Hi bodhi,

It is very of you to answer my questions in detail.

I've written the u-boot to the device and it can boot to Debian directly now, thank you very much for everything presented in this site.

For the record, after writing the u-boot image and the env image, the "mtdparts" env var became this:

mtdparts=mtdparts=orion_nand:1M(u-boot),4M(uImage),32M(rootfs),-(data)

And I changed it back to this:

mtdparts=mtdparts=orion_nand:2M(u-boot),3M(uImage),3M(uImage2),8M(failsafe),112M(root)

Not sure about this, but the box booted and I'm running in Debian.

Then I followed this thread to upgrade the kernel:
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,12096

The result is I now have kernel version 5.5.1:

# uname -a
Linux debian 5.5.1-kirkwood-tld-1 #1.0 PREEMPT Sat Feb 1 22:28:36 PST 2020 armv5tel GNU/Linux

I did not follow the instruction to update u-boot env, the variables were kept like below:

# fw_printenv dtb_file load_dtb load_initrd load_uimage usb_boot
dtb_file=/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4.dtb
load_dtb=echo loading DTB $dtb_file ...; load $bootdev $device $load_dtb_addr $dtb_file
load_initrd=echo loading uInitrd ...; load $bootdev $device $load_initrd_addr /boot/uInitrd
load_uimage=echo loading uImage ...; load $bootdev $device $load_uimage_addr /boot/uImage
## Error: "usb_boot" not defined

Now I suppose if I eject my SD card and put it to my computer, and make a tar ball of all those files as backup, I can restore the Debian system with the tar ball any time?

Another question, "apt list --upgradable" now shows a lot of packages, can I simply run "apt upgrade" to do the upgrade?

zeroxia,

> I did not follow the instruction to update u-boot
> env, the variables were kept like below:
>
>

> # fw_printenv dtb_file load_dtb load_initrd
> load_uimage usb_boot
> dtb_file=/boot/dts/kirkwood-pogoplug_v4.dtb
> load_dtb=echo loading DTB $dtb_file ...; load
> $bootdev $device $load_dtb_addr $dtb_file
> load_initrd=echo loading uInitrd ...; load
> $bootdev $device $load_initrd_addr /boot/uInitrd
> load_uimage=echo loading uImage ...; load $bootdev
> $device $load_uimage_addr /boot/uImage
> ## Error: "usb_boot" not defined
>

Correct. You are running new u-boot so no change in envs is needed.

> Now I suppose if I eject my SD card and put it to
> my computer, and make a tar ball of all those
> files as backup, I can restore the Debian system
> with the tar ball any time?

Right. Shutdown the Pogo. Take the SD card to another Linux box. See here for how to backup and restore:

https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,12096,24034#msg-24034

> Another question, "apt list --upgradable" now
> shows a lot of packages, can I simply run "apt
> upgrade" to do the upgrade?

I use:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

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