[Pogoplug Series 4] Booting Debian with Arch Linux ARM uBoot

Notice: Information in this thread is OK to use! But for the latest U-Boot & Debian installation, please use the new U-boot and Debian rootfs/kernel threads.


Here I want to describe how I modified uBoot envs in the Pogoplug V4 to boot Debian. This is done for booting with SATA or USB drive. To boot with SD card or USB, see Davygravy's instruction at http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,7477 (Davygravy's uBoot is of newer version and much more flexible in that we can use netconsole and other newer uBoot features, however it does not boot with SATA).

As usual, the warning: if you don't have serial console, and have no mean of installing serial console in the future, to recover from potential problems in messing with uBoot envs, then perhaps you should not do it. Arch uBoot does not have netconsole capability, so serial console is needed to recover from bad uBoot envs.

These steps were copied from my installation log. Again, please study the uBoot envs below and make sure that it makes sense to you before modifying them.

This procedure will allow for SATA drive booting first and then USB drive booting.

- Boot into Pogo OS, and save CloudEngines (CE) bin directory /usr/local/cloudengines/bin to a USB drive. We need blparam in this direcotry to change uBoot envs later 
- Install Arch Linux ARM on USB. See instruction at http://archlinuxarm.org/platforms/armv5/pogoplug-series-4
- Boot into Arch, copy saved CE bin directory to /usr/local/bin/cloudengines/bin/

- To list uBoot envs
/usr/local/bin/cloudengines/bin/blparam

- Add uBoot envs to boot Debian

cd /usr/local/bin/cloudengines/bin/

./blparam debian_usb='if ext2load usb 0:1 0x800000 /boot/uImage; then run alarm_which; run alarm_args; fi; if ext2load usb 0:1 0x1100000 /boot/uInitrd; then bootm 0x800000 0x1100000; else bootm 0x800000; fi'

./blparam isDisk='no'

./blparam debian_ide='if ext2load ide 0:1 0x800000 /boot/uImage; then setenv device /dev/sda1; run alarm_args; if ext2load ide 0:1 0x1100000 /boot/uInitrd; then bootm 0x800000 0x1100000; else bootm 0x800000; fi; else setenv isDisk yes; fi'

./blparam debian_boot='ide reset; run alarm_revert; if ide part 0; then run debian_ide; else setenv isDisk no; fi; run debian_usb'

- Modify bootcmd env 

./blparam bootcmd='if usb start; then run debian_boot; else nand read 0x800000 0x100000 0x73d0c; go 0x800000; fi'

- Shutdown and cold start with you Debian SATA or USB drive.

-bodhi
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2014 06:22PM by bodhi.

Thank you for your explanation. Where can I get the necessary Debian rootfs?

If you don't have another plug where you already running Debian, get Davy's rootfs for Linux 3.3.2 kernel for Dockstar, GoFlex and many others

When I take Davy's rootfs I get the following error message:

Error: unrecognized/unsupported machine ID (r1 = 0x00000f78).

Available machine support:

ID (hex)        NAME
00000690        Marvell DB-88F6281-BP Development Board
00000691        Marvell RD-88F6192-NAS Development Board
00000692        Marvell RD-88F6281 Reference Board
0000078c        Marvell 88F6281 GTW GE Board
00000a76        Marvell eSATA SheevaPlug Reference Board
00000831        Marvell SheevaPlug Reference Board
00000a63        Marvell GuruPlug Reference Board
00000bb6        Seagate FreeAgent DockStar
00000c11        Seagate GoFlex Net
00000d0a        Seagate GoFlex Home
0000085b        QNAP TS-119/TS-219
000009c6        QNAP TS-41x
00000b44        Marvell OpenRD Ultimate Board
00000939        Marvell OpenRD Client Board
00000915        Marvell OpenRD Base Board
0000089a        LaCie Network Space Max v2
000008a0        LaCie Internet Space v2
00000899        LaCie Network Space v2
0000089b        LaCie d2 Network v2
0000089e        LaCie 5Big Network v2
0000089c        LaCie 2Big Network v2
00000b1e        HP t5325 Thin Client
00000fb6        ZyXEL NSA310 1-Bay Power Media Server
00000f74        ZyXEL NSA320 2-Bay Power Media Server

Which machine ID shall I use and how to set it?

arcNumber 3906 in hex is 0xF78

In Debian command line:

fw_setenv machid F78

In uBoot serial/net console:

setenv machid F78

If you set machid in uBoot console, don't save the env. Let it boot into Debian sucessfully, and then do "fw_setenv machid F78" at Debian command line.

The problem seams to be that F78 is not supported. Therefore the device can't boot into Debian.

My appology. You're right, I assumed that this rootfs' kernel has Pogoplug E02 and V4 patch. Apparently Davy did not include these patches in this kernel. I took a peek at the config file in his dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nwt2kbvetvgvroo/aTWj8GQj0H/Kirkwood/rootfs_images/NSA320quickstart/config-3.3.2-kirkwood-dg

Perhaps Davy has this rootfs at a different location other than his Dropbox?

Not sure where in the forum we can find such Pogoplug V4 supported Debian rootfs. I do have one I built myself, but it is quite large because of al the extra stuff in it. Do you have any other Kirkwood plug (i.e. other Debian rootfs)? could be used to install new patched kernel.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2013 05:25AM by bodhi.

Yes, I have a Pogoplug E02.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2013 08:02AM by shv.

shv Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes, I have a Pogoplug E02.

Which Debian kernel version are you running on the Pogo E02? can you verify whether it has the Pogo V4 patch?

I tried yesterday to boot with my E02. This didn't work because the series 4 arcNumber=3960 isn't supported. How can I get kernel an modules with Pogo V4 patch? I could also compile them my own.

See 3.2.28 kernel package in this post: http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,11601

The patch I used to build was partly from Vlad, and I found that I had to change some files to be able to build. So I don't have a consolidated patch yet.

I will try your kernel package possibly next weekend.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2013 04:29AM by shv.

bodhi, How can I revert to Arch uBoot if I've already installed davy's uBoot on my PPV4?

duduke Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bodhi, How can I revert to Arch uBoot if I've
> already installed davy's uBoot on my PPV4?

You could do it from Linux command line, if you have a saved mtd0 image (saved after you've installed Arch). Be careful to note the size and the mtdparts payout.

You could try this out:

1. Shut down the device, remove any drives you have attached
2. On a FAT32 USB drive, create a folder named "revert"
3. Plug this drive into the top USB port, and power on the plug
4. The LED will stay blinking green for a moment, then turn red. This signals that the stock firmware is operating. You should be able to find the device on my.pogoplug.com again.

see: Revert to stock firmware

I don't think the revert will work once Davy's uBoot is installed. It does not hurt to try, though.

It has been a year since anything has been added to this thread. Has anyone made progress on installing Debian on a Pogoplug v4? I have installed Arch Linux but really prefer Debian.

bigbob23 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It has been a year since anything has been added
> to this thread. Has anyone made progress on
> installing Debian on a Pogoplug v4? I have
> installed Arch Linux but really prefer Debian.

Get the latest Debian rootfs (see link in my signature) and put it on USB drive. And since you're running Arch (i.e. ALARM u-Boot), you can also use this rootfs on SATA drive.

-bodhi
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Thanks. How do I create the uImage and uInitrd files (the instructions imply one is already running Debian)? The mkimage command apparently does not exist on Arch.

/facepalm

You need to install the necessary package to get that on Arch.

As for those two files, they are a part of the rootfs, you don't need to make them.

bigbob23 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks. How do I create the uImage and uInitrd
> files (the instructions imply one is already
> running Debian)? The mkimage command apparently
> does not exist on Arch.

The instruction has 2 parts: rootfs and kernel. If you create the rootfs on a USB/HDD drive per instruction, then the kernel is already included. If you only update the kernel on an existing rootfs, then yes those 2 files need to be created.

-bodhi
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Got it. I found the correct package on Arch to get the command and was able to create the files. Unfortunately I must have messed something up and cannot boot either Debian or Arch. I ordered a SATA drive and will try again in a few days when that arrives.

I bought a Pogoplug v4 recently. I would like to use the udev functionality so that whenever I switch on a specific USB disk, it should mount appropriately. And I do have 3TB drives. If I use debian linux will it solve my requirements?. And I bought a 4 port USB hub recently, but the drives are not recognized by the stock OS. So, the hub will work with Debian?. Or it is the limitation of the Pogoplug?.

Sriram,

Yes. There should be no problem doing what you want to do in either Debian or Arch.

-bodhi
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I am not able to find fw_setenv command. Where can I download?

I think I bricked my pogoplug v4. I installed the uboot from the above link, but haven't installed arch or debian. I just gave reboot, now no green LED. How can I install the debian now?.

vaidyasr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think I bricked my pogoplug v4. I installed the
> uboot from the above link, but haven't installed
> arch or debian. I just gave reboot, now no green
> LED. How can I install the debian now?.

Which link? do you have a log of what you did?

-bodhi
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I have installed and verified the env. from this link http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,11663

But rebooted the pogoplug without installing arch or debian.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2014 04:09PM by vaidyasr.

Download the latest Debian rootfs from here:
http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,12096

Untar it to a USB thub drive following the instruction and boot with it.

-bodhi
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Can I do the above steps in another linux machine and attach the USB drive?. What filesystem I have to format?. ext2 or ext3?.