Bootting off network

I haven't been following up with this forum for quite sometimes. So, I am probably a bit dusty (outdated) w.r.t. the current u-boot version.

Anyway, I have a Seagate GoFLEX NET (with a 2TB SATA HDD) and some Seagate Dockstar units. Instead of installing debian ARM to every single Seagate Dockstar unit, I want to setup my Seagate GoFLEX NET with a single folder to install the debian ARM distro so that any of my Seagate Dockstar units will be able to boot off of this folder and leave the original partitions intact on my Seagate Dockstar units, except replacing its original u-boot with the Doozan u-boot. Is it possible?

habibie,

Quote

> I want to setup my Seagate GoFLEX
> NET with a single folder to install the debian ARM
> distro so that any of my Seagate Dockstar units
> will be able to boot off of this folder and leave
> the original partitions intact on my Seagate
> Dockstar units, except replacing its original
> u-boot with the Doozan u-boot. Is it possible?

Yes. You're basically want to boot using NFS root. See this thread for a nice writeup on this topic:
http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,12261

I'm booting several plugs on a Gbit network this way. And note that with my latest Kirkwood u-boot images, you don't need to use tftp (see details in that thread), just use NFS load to load the kernel.

-bodhi
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bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> habibie,
>
>

Quote

> I want to setup my Seagate GoFLEX
> > NET with a single folder to install the debian
> ARM
> > distro so that any of my Seagate Dockstar units
> > will be able to boot off of this folder and
> leave
> > the original partitions intact on my Seagate
> > Dockstar units, except replacing its original
> > u-boot with the Doozan u-boot. Is it
> possible?

>
>
> Yes. You're basically want to boot using NFS root.
> See this thread for a nice writeup on this topic:
> http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,12261
>
> I'm booting several plugs on a Gbit network this
> way. And note that with my latest Kirkwood u-boot
> images, you don't need to use tftp (see details in
> that thread), just use NFS load to load the
> kernel.
Bodhi,

Is this uboot.2014.07-tld-1.dockstar.bodhi.tar your latest uboot for dockstar? If so, does it support EXT4?

OTOH, I read the above link and somewhere there is a reference to a non-FDT and/or FDT kernel. What does it mean by FDT?

habibie,

> Is this
> uboot.2014.07-tld-1.
> dockstar.bodhi.tar your latest uboot for
> dockstar? If so, does it support EXT4?

Yes it does.

>
> OTOH, I read the above link and somewhere there is
> a reference to a non-FDT and/or FDT kernel. What
> does it mean by FDT?

Flattened Device Tree (FDT) info

My released kernel : Linux Kernel 3.17 (FDT) and 3.16 (non-FDT) Kirkwood package and rootfs

-bodhi
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Bodhi,

Thank you for your quick response and with the clarifications.

Over the recent BlackFriday sale, I saw this Seagate Expansion Portable HDD - 2TB, USB 3.0 - STBX2000401 US$45 (after rebate + coupon + some fillers) and bought one unit. Yesterday, I received the shipment. I opened up the HDD and it is a 2.5" Samsung SpinPoint ST2000LM003 SATA HDD. I plan to create 3 partitions, i.e. 20 GB (root), 2GB (swap), and the rest for data, The root and data partitions will be formatted with EXT4. Hopefully, this will be used as an external SATA drive on my Seagate GoFLEX NET device to provide spaces for my other devices, i.e. Seagate Dockstar, PogoPlug, etc., to boot and use (right now, I only have a 10/100 Mbps net, but eventually will upgrade to 10/100/1000 Mbps net). For this, I will flash both my Seagate GoFLEX NET, Seagate Dockstar, and PogoPlug devices with your uboot. If you have any advises, I certainly will appreciate them.

habibie,

To do what you plan to setup NFS booting:

1. Setup NFS v3 share on the GoFlex Net first, and make sure you can mount it on the other boxes. This is a little bit time consuming.
2. Once you can mount NFS v3 shares and use it on the other boxes, then install u-boot on the other boxes, make sure you can run normally with USB drive, as before.
3. Download the latest rootfs (3.14, 3.16 or 3.17) and untar it to the nfsroot directory (folow the convention in the thread I've posted: /srv/nfs/hosts/debian). Each box needs a root folder, but try one first. Later you can clone the nfsroot to the rest.
4. Create a set of new u-boot envs (don't overwrite the existing ones) to boot nfs root.

-bodhi
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Bodhi,

Thank you for your quick response and with advises/suggestions.

Bohdi,

Before I proceed to flash your uboot to my Seagate GoFLEX NET unit (still running on the original/stock uboot and PogoPlug OS), I perused your post (2014.07 U-Boot for FDT and Non-FDT Kernel - GoFlexNet, GoFlexHome, PogoE02, Dockstar, iConnect, NetgearStora, PogoV4/Mobile, Sheevaplug) and become a bit confused. For a stock uboot environment as pointed out in step #8, is it still necessary to perform both steps #6 and #7 before step B (Flashing default u-boot envs image)?

After this, I will have some more questions w.r.t setting up uboot environments to boot a Flattened Device Tree (FDT) as pointed out in step C (How to boot Debian FDT kernel).

Later on, I definitely want both my Seagate GoFLEX NET and Dockstar units to be able to boot with different OS, i.e. arch Linux, debian, and/or openwrt.

habibie,

> is it still necessary to perform both steps #6 and
> #7 before step B (Flashing default u-boot envs
> image)?

Yes, from stock you will need to flash the default envs in 6 and 7.

-bodhi
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Thank you, Bodhi.

Bodhi,

Is there any works/plans in progress update uboot to support envs for FDT kernel?

habibie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bodhi,
>
> Is there any works/plans in progress update uboot
> to support envs for FDT kernel?

I plan to create an env image that default to booting FDT kernel (like the one available right now for non-FDT).

-bodhi
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bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> habibie Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Bodhi,
> >
> > Is there any works/plans in progress update
> uboot
> > to support envs for FDT kernel?
>
> I plan to create an env image that default to
> booting FDT kernel (like the one available right
> now for non-FDT).
>
Do you have an ETA on that?

habibie,

> > I plan to create an env image that default to
> > booting FDT kernel (like the one available
> right
> > now for non-FDT).
> >
> Do you have an ETA on that?

No I don't have an ETA. I'm really busy with year-end stuff so not sure when I can do this. In the mean time, you can flash the existing default envs, and then you set up FDT booting by changing a few envs as described in the kernel thread.

-bodhi
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bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> habibie,
>
> > > I plan to create an env image that default to
> > > booting FDT kernel (like the one available
> > right
> > > now for non-FDT).
> > >
> > Do you have an ETA on that?
>
> No I don't have an ETA. I'm really busy with
> year-end stuff so not sure when I can do this. In
> the mean time, you can flash the existing default
> envs, and then you set up FDT booting by changing
> a few envs as described in the kernel thread.
>
OK.