I done messed up! Lost uboot partition.

Well...

I dusted-off my Goflex Home about a month ago. Got everything up and running via a USB drive. It is currently booted via USB running Debian. It didn't have enough RAM to run OMV very well, so I bought a Goflex Net. I was trying to get uboot updated via TFTP. I loaded the uboot image correctly to offset 0x640000 , but apparently reversed the nand write parameters, and tried to write the current uboot to 0x6400000, instead of the other way around. I started with nand erase 0x0 0x80000 .

After my first blunder, I figured I'd reboot and start over, forgetting that the current uboot is bad. I have tried kwboot, but I get "xmodem: Bad message". My main question is: Is using kwboot an exercise in futility at this point? Is it even possible to boot over serial without a working uboot?

If it is possible, then my second question is: What settings do I need to run it?

I have tried both with and without '-p' . I have tried specifying a baud rate of 115200, and tried not specifying any baud rate. I am using Bohdi's image from the first sticky.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/16/2021 08:13PM by aaronouthier.

Hmm, I should know by now - It's always good to check other posts before posting!

It appears that kwboot should still work.

However, it does not. The exact message I am getting is:

Sending boot message. Please reboot the target..\
Sending boot image...
0 % [+++++++++++++++++xmodem: Bad message

My command-line is:

sudo kwboot  -t -B 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0 -b uboot.2017.07-tld-1.goflexnet.mtd0.kwb -p

I am using a USB to TTY adapter on a linux box. The kwboot is supplied by my distro's package manager. The distro is ubuntu-server on a raspberry pi, in case it matters.

Hmm, seems to be working much better with the supplied version of kwboot. I didn't realize sending a 512k file would take so darned long!! I think my 500/500 mbps Internet connection has me spoiled? Naaaaa!

aaronouthier,

> Hmm, seems to be working much better with the
> supplied version of kwboot. I didn't realize
> sending a 512k file would take so darned long!! I
> think my 500/500 mbps Internet connection has me
> spoiled? Naaaaa!

Are you able to boot with kwboot now? or still have problem?

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It took about 45 minutes to transfer the file, but console was dead afterward. I'll try again in the morning. Its after 10 PM now. Good night!

Sorry for the delayed response. 41 years old, and I am just learning the joys of Netflix...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2021 12:15AM by aaronouthier.

aaronouthier,

> It took about 45 minutes to transfer the file,

That might be because the connection is marginal, and have a lot of errors. Make sure you check the serial wires connection at both ends.

The command you used is correct. Should be 115200 baud rate.

kwboot  -t -B 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0 -b uboot.2017.07-tld-1.goflexnet.mtd0.kwb -p

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I wondered about data errors as well. I am using a USB-TTL adapter from eBay. It's makes it more convenient to be able to go from a Raspberry Pi to a laptop, etc., without moving wires. I think I'm going to try taking the USB device out of the loop in this case, however. My Pi has the right connections. I'll try that.

The only thing that puzzles me, is that I had a serial console up until my blunder, and never had issues on my GoFlex Home either. The wires are definitely connected snugly also.

Also,

Quote

After my first blunder, I figured I'd reboot and start over, forgetting that the current uboot is bad. I have tried kwboot, but I get "xmodem: Bad message".

That xmodem error is OK. Just recall the kwboot command and execute it rigth away.

Quote

My main question is: Is using kwboot an exercise in futility at this point? Is it even possible to boot over serial without a working uboot?

As long as serial connection is good. kwboot this GFHome box should work without problem.

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bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...
> That xmodem error is OK. Just recall the kwboot
> command and execute it rigth away.
>
I tried that, but same problem. However, that was with the kwboot from the Distro's package manager.

>
>

Quote

My main question is: Is using kwboot an
> exercise in futility at this point? Is it even
> possible to boot over serial without a working
> uboot?

>
> As long as serial connection is good. kwboot this
> GFHome box should work without problem.

Right, so clarification: I first started with a GoFlex Home, and it is working fine, but lacks enough RAM to run OpenMediaVault very well - it runs, but sooooo slowly. I manually setup NFS Sharing for now, but would rather use OMV. I purchased a GoFlex Net, hoping to replace my GoFlex Home when I get it finished - if I get it finished.

The kwboot for ARM doesn't run for some strange reason. This time, I downloaded the version linked in the first sticky.

aaron@emby-server: ~./kwboot
-bash: ./kwboot: No such file or directory
aaron@emby-server: ~file ./kwboot
./kwboot: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, ARM, EABI5 version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, interpreter /lib/ld-linux.so.3, for GNU/Linux 2.6.32, BuildID[sha1]=6932d3fc63db2525185c35e112a2c64ac9b25dba, not stripped

I'm starting to think the problem isn't with kwboot directly, but rather with it being dynamically linked to 32-bit libraries. Those libraries are probably not present on my ARM64 OS. Just a theory right now.

aaronouthier,

For GFHome and all Kirkwood boxes, kwboot binary on any ARM box distro is good to use.

Try running it as root, not sudo. Open a new terminal so you'll remember to exit root.

su -
kwboot ....

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su - always gives me "Authentication error", no matter how many times I correctly enter my user's password. Moving on.
I tried sudo -i instead, but I get the same error from bash - no such file or directory. The file is owned by my user, and has permissions 555, so I don't think it is a permissions issue. File is in the current directory, and I prefix the filename with './'

bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> aaronouthier,
>
> For GFHome and all Kirkwood boxes.

Again, it's a goflex NET. While I realize the instructions apply to both, we aren't going to be the only ones ever to read this thread. We don't want to confuse the nice readers, do we?

I own both devices, but the one with which I'm having difficulty is the net.

@aaronouthier
Was reading this thread and noticed that you are hoping to run OpenMediaVault on a Seagate GoFlexNet when you had determined that the Seagate GoFlexHome did not have enough memory to run it. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the GoFlexNet and GoFlexHome both have only 128MB RAM which is likely insufficient to run the resource heavy OpenMediaVault without heavy swapping activity!

Hmm, I didn't think to check if the net has more RAM than the home. I just figured, newer product so higher specs. Go figure. I already noticed the effects of trying to do this on the GoFlex Home. Dang! So the GoFlex isn't any better.

Would my old Stora MS2110 be any better? I've had the Stora for years, but accidentally left it somewhere, when I got it back, their kids had lost the faceplate, the power supply, and the 2x 2 TB hard drives...

The GF Net, GFHome are same in every aspect, except for SATA ports.

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D'oh!

Well, I may end up moving my project to my parent's home anyway. They're nearby, and I can't get the TV service I want until the Pandemic is over, which may be a while more. Basically, my Internet provider has halted new TV installs until that time, since new installs require a Technician to enter the premises, and they aren't allowing that currently. My Parents have TV service with the same company. They are the only ones that use CableCards in the area (Satellite TV won't work for my purposes). At the moment, this is all experimental. I can't continue the last bit without Live TV service. The purpose is to use 2 HDHomeRun boxes for a somewhat homebrew DVR System. The GoFlex is for storage, of course, and 2 Raspberry Pi systems will handle the TV streams. One will handle recording, the other will handle the playback. I don't want to overload 1 Pi to try to do it all. 1 Pi is a 3B+ with the MPEG2 hardware decoder unlocked running NextPVR. The media player is a Pi4 with 4 GB RAM, running Emby server.

I'm trying to save some $$, while also not using proprietary media formats or hardware.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/17/2021 10:18PM by aaronouthier.

> The purpose is to use 2
> HDHomeRun boxes for a somewhat homebrew DVR
> System. The GoFlex is for storage, of course,

One GF Home or GF Net is more than adequate for HDHomeRun recording purpose. Hook it up in your Gbit LAN.

> 2 Raspberry Pi systems will handle the TV streams.
> One will handle recording, the other will handle
> the playback.

One rPi is good enough for playback. Or use any box that can be your HTPC (Windows, Linux, or Mac).

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bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> One GF Home or GF Net is more than adequate for
> HDHomeRun recording purpose. Hook it up in your
> Gbit LAN.

I only plan to use one. I've had the GoFlex Home for many years, but hadn't heard of the Net version until I came across these forums. My original plan was to use the Net to Replace the Home. I realized about a week ago that I need to upgrade my router to Gigabit ethernet to make this work. Still on my ToDo list. It's tough being a mad genius on a fixed income...
>
> One rPi is good enough for playback. Or use any
> box that can be your HTPC (Windows, Linux, or
> Mac).

Right, another clarification: The second Pi is for a streaming media server. I'm going to use the Pi 3B+ to transcode the MPEG2 to the Goflex for recorded programs, and the Pi 4/4GB to playback those recordings, as well as play live TV. I'm going to have to figure out how to get Emby Server to ignore episodes that are still in progress/haven't finished recording yet. Might be as simple as having NextPVR call a webhook on Emby to refresh the TV episode list. Just thinking out loud here. Ignore me like everyone else...

Ok, so I've been asking questions on the Emby forums. The more I look into it, the more I realize this particular setup is a bad idea. I'm going to have to build a Mini PC.

aaronouthier,

> Ok, so I've been asking questions on the Emby
> forums. The more I look into it, the more I
> realize this particular setup is a bad idea. I'm
> going to have to build a Mini PC.

I was going suggest that you get the Dell Kace M300. It is quite low cost (2GB RAM, 2Ghz CPU). It's a Kirkwood box.

And it has an internal SATA port.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2021 07:16PM by bodhi.

Dell Kace M300 installation:

https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,61344,90019#msg-90019

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Perhaps,, but I just remembered I have a 2009 iMac here that I was going to try to sell. It might fit the bill. Going to look for an Ubuntu install USB drive in my stuff.

The Dell Kace M300 is about $20 to $30 on Ebay. Not sure if you can find it. Get several M300s for the iMac sale money. I would.

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I'm sure it is a great machine, but my iMac is a core i3 @ 3.2 GHz, with a 1TB HDD, and 8 GB RAM. (I added 4 of the 8 GB after a friend gave it to me). I'm installing Ubuntu now. I'll keep it in mind for future projects. This is going to be a Media server with Live TV streaming from a TV Tuner - 2 GB RAM probably won't cut it. Why I was going to try this with 2 Raspberry Pis is beyond me...

Ubuntu Server is installing now. I'll see if I need a GUI after I install. I'm quite comfortable with command-line access, so we'll see. I won't add it if I don't need it.

Sure, iMac would be a great media server. It's really way beyond that.

Quote

Why I was going to try this with 2 Raspberry Pis is beyond me

:) It is a really good plan actually. Except that you already have an iMac which makes everything else redundant.

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Yup, It's kind of an old iMac, an it's a bit of overkill. If it ain't broke, then why fix it? Everything is configured now, as far as I am able to go. Now, I just need to wait until my ISP is doing TV service installs again...

C'est le vie!

Well, my media server is setup and configured. I'd still like to get this GoFlex NET up and running. I have used kwboot multiple times, but the console is always dead afterword. Gunna need to double-check that the uboot file is intact (yes, I know how).

Is there any other reason the box might not boot after running kwboot?

FWIW: The file not found message I was getting before was caused by a missing shared library: /lib/ld-linux.so.3 . I managed to find the file in a subfolder under /usr/, so I symlinked it. kwboot then complained about another missing file. I found and Symlinked that also. kwboot now runs like a champ, and the uboot file is transferred, I think? As I said the Mini-term is dead afterward.

aaronouthier,

It is best that you post the entire kwboot log here.

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