Help with Pogoplug v4 – blinks green for ten seconds and reboots in a loop

Bodhi and everyone else here: you've done some amazing work. I wanted to honor that and not end up needing help but...

I started to flash my Pogoplug v4-A3-01 years ago with some tutorial but abandoned the project. I started it again recently and found that I could boot into Arch with root:root. I tried picking up Qui Hong's tutorial but his links are down, so I tried a combination of that and Bodhi's 2016.05 tutorial. When I rebooted (the "cross your fingers" part), it no longer boots into the USB drive I was using or the SD card, which I formatted in the tutorial (with both or either inserted). I removed the power cord to power cycle and the status light immediately blinks/flashes green for about ten seconds then goes dark for a second or two and begins the cycle again. (I assume that it's restarting during that pause.) Just as it goes dark, the ethernet jack briefly lights both orange and green. I formatted another SD card with the Debian-4.4 in case it was a file system issue and had the same result (also that wouldn't explain why the unmodified USB drive used for the original flash no longer registers). When I formatted this SD card, it was formerly FAT 32 and while its partition is ext3, the `pttype="dos"` instead of "gpt" when I run blkid—not sure if that's an issue. The device doesn't go solid green so I can't SSH and netconnect is not installed. Would you know whether this is a bad flash or what I might need to do to restart and try over?

Appreciate your help. I'd be willing to rewrite the Qui tutorial with your updated materials so that future installs can go more smoothly. I still have another Pogoplug Mobile I'd like to try, but hopefully I can get this v4 up if it isn't bricked.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2016 03:19PM by wolf.

wolf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bodhi and everyone else here: you've done some
> amazing work. I wanted to honor that and not end
> up needing help but...
>
> I started to flash my Pogoplug v4-A3-01 years ago
> with some tutorial but abandoned the project. I
> started it again recently and found that I could
> boot into Arch with root:root. I tried picking up
> Qui Hong's tutorial but his links are down, so I
> tried a combination of that and Bodhi's 2016.05
> tutorial.

Did you keep the log of the installaton of my 2016.05 uboot? Everything on the terminal session.


> When I rebooted (the "cross your
> fingers" part), it no longer boots into the USB
> drive I was using or the SD card, which I
> formatted in the tutorial (with both or either
> inserted). I removed the power cord to power cycle
> and the status light immediately blinks/flashes
> green for about ten seconds then goes dark for a
> second or two and begins the cycle again. (I
> assume that it's restarting during that pause.)
> Just as it goes dark, the ethernet jack briefly
> lights both orange and green. I formatted another
> SD card with the Debian-4.4 in case it was a file
> system issue and had the same result (also that
> wouldn't explain why the unmodified USB drive used
> for the original flash no longer registers). When
> I formatted this SD card, it was formerly FAT 32
> and while its partition is ext3, the
> `pttype="dos"` instead of "gpt" when I run
> blkid—not sure if that's an issue. The device
> doesn't go solid green so I can't SSH and
> netconnect is not installed. Would you know
> whether this is a bad flash or what I might need
> to do to restart and try over?

So you dont have serial console or netconsole?

>
> Appreciate your help. I'd be willing to rewrite
> the Qui tutorial with your updated materials so
> that future installs can go more smoothly. I still
> have another Pogoplug Mobile I'd like to try, but
> hopefully I can get this v4 up if it isn't
> bricked.

We are working on a kirkwood installer script, so no need to update that.

So the last uboot you installed is 2016.05-tld-1 ? If this is true then recovery is not difficult. The symptom indicated that your installed uboot is OK, but the envs were wrong, so it did not try to load the kernel files, and reset too soon. But let's see the log if you have it.

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

The install was across multiple sessions and I didn't save a copy of the outputs and if there is a bash_history of the commands over SSH, it's on the drive and I haven't found it. No serial connection or netconsole, but I imagine I could try the former if this gets desperate. Yes, I did the 2016.05-tld-1 flash and have a feeling it's an env issue. Perhaps this will help: I wrote over my original current_envs.txt backup while juggling between the two tutorials and did not have a "mtdparts" entry to restore in my printenv readout so I used the one from Qui:

/tmp/tools/fw_setenv mtdparts 'mtdparts=orion_nand:2M(u-boot),3M(uImage),3M(uImage2),8M(failsafe),112M(root)'

Qui also said to use machid F78 while you said to use machid f78—not sure if capitalization makes a difference there. Otherwise followed the directions. Really appreciate your time. Any ideas, or what are my options for overwriting the env when the unit continually resets?

Also I'm willing to guinea pig on that script install if you recommend it



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/07/2016 11:50PM by wolf.

wolf,

> The install was across multiple sessions and I
> didn't save a copy of the outputs and if there is
> a bash_history of the commands over SSH, it's on
> the drive and I haven't found it. No serial
> connection or netconsole, but I imagine I could
> try the former if this gets desperate. Yes, I did
> the 2016.05-tld-1 flash and have a feeling it's an
> env issue.

Good. If you did not see any error while flashing, then it means recovery is easier.

> Perhaps this will help: I wrote over my
> original current_envs.txt backup while juggling
> between the two tutorials and did not have a
> "mtdparts" entry to restore in my printenv readout

This does not affect booting.

> /tmp/tools/fw_setenv mtdparts
> 'mtdparts=orion_nand:2M(u-boot),3M(uImage),3M(uIma
> ge2),8M(failsafe),112M(root)'

This is correct.

> Qui also said to use machid F78 while
> you
> said to use machid f78—not sure if
> capitalization makes a difference there.

This is OK either lower or upper case.

> Any ideas, or what are my options for
> overwriting the env when the unit continually
> resets?

----------


Ok. Here is how to recover. Since you don't have serial console or netconsole, we are going blind, and have to guess what your boot command looks like :)

- Plug in your USB rootfs on another Linux box. If you need to keep this rootfs then make a back up now. I am assuming that you have Ubuntu or another Linux Desktop/Laptop.

- Umount it and do a file system check (if it was mounted as /media/sdb1).

umount /media/sdb1
e2fsck /dev/sdb1

- Mount it and go to the boot folder

mount /dev/sdb1 /media/sdb1
cd /media/sdb1/boot

- Copy the env text file in the new u-boot tarball that you have downloaded

cp -a uboot.2016.05-tld-1.environment uEnv.txt

- Edit this uEnv.txt file to set these variables

arcNumber=3960
machid=F78
mtdparts=mtdparts=orion_nand:2M(u-boot),3M(uImage),3M(uImage2),8M(failsafe),112M(root)
devices=usb mmc

- Sync the drive and unmount

sync
umount /media/sdb1

Take it to the Pogo V4. Plug it in. Power up, and observe the front LED behavior. Record it and post it here. If you can see it in the network and can SSH in then it's unbricked!

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/08/2016 02:59AM by bodhi.

So the copied and modified uEnv.txt should be in the USB drive's /boot, right? Unfortunately, I'm getting the same as before: ten seconds of flashing/blinking green light followed by a single blink of the orange & green ethernet lights, three seconds of pause with no lights, and then the cycle repeats. Not seeing it in the network. I let it run for a bit and still no change. Does this mean the flash was bad? In case this USB filesystem is bad, if I were to untar the Debian-4.4 package to an SD card, copy the same modified uEnv.txt to the /boot, and change the uEnv's boot order to "mmc" first, that should work if the flash was good, right?

wolf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So the copied and modified uEnv.txt should be in
> the USB drive's /boot, right? Unfortunately, I'm
> getting the same as before: ten seconds of
> flashing/blinking green light followed by a single
> blink of the orange & green ethernet lights, three
> seconds of pause with no lights, and then the
> cycle repeats. Not seeing it in the network. I let
> it run for a bit and still no change. Does this
> mean the flash was bad?

This is a very good sign. The amber (red and green). Your flash was good. So your bootcmd must be trying to read from USB. Yes, create the USB rootfs in single Ext3 partition, untar that 4.4 rootfs, as root user (not sudo)

> In case this USB
> filesystem is bad, if I were to untar the
> Debian-4.4 package to an SD card, copy the same
> modified uEnv.txt to the /boot, and change the
> uEnv's boot order to "mmc" first, that should work
> if the flash was good, right?

Yes. But order really does not matter. If one fails uboot will go to the next one.

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

I should clarify that the front is still blinking green and periodically going dark (as before, so no amber in the front)—only the ethernet jack in the back blinks its separate green and amber lights at the same time the front light goes dark.

Here's the log of my Debian 4.4 install on a SD card: http://pastebin.com/9gDta3L8 (are the partition table warnings or DOS "disklabel type" important?)

Still getting the same result as before though. Even though the right IPs are in, it doesn't look like netconsole would work either since it appears to reboot every ten seconds. Also even with all SD cards, USB sticks, and the ethernet cord removed, the unit still follows the same blinking pattern.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2016 12:04AM by wolf.

wolf,

> I should clarify that the front is still blinking
> green and periodically going dark (as before, so
> no amber in the front)—only the ethernet jack in
> the back blinks its separate green and amber
> lights at the same time the front light goes
> dark.

Ah! Butt this is still good. It goes dark before it will become amber and then green, if u-boot tried to read any disk. Blink green like that meaning u-boot is running. It might have reset before reading any thing (because of wrong bootcmd settings). Are you sure that the u-boot-2016.05-tld-1 image was flashed wihtout error? do you recall?

Since we have no way of see the bootcmd env, and you did not save the log. The next thing to try is doing the same and use an HDD rootfs. Is this Pogo V4 or Mobile?

And if this is the Pogo V4 and HDD does not work (or change the front LED behavior in any way) then the only thing left to do is to connect serial console.

>
> Here's the log of my Debian 4.4 install on a SD
> card: http://pastebin.com/9gDta3L8 (are the
> partition table warnings or DOS "disklabel type"
> important?)
>

The DOS partition is OK (it's MBR). But you should check the /media/sdb1 to see if it was mounted OK and then check the partition. On another Linux box:

mount
fdisk -l

You could connect serial console quickly if you have the serial converter module (PL3xx or CP2xx). I have used 3 shirt pins and connect it temporarily to rescue one of my Pogo Mobiles before (no soldering needed, but you need 3 test clips). See here for where to buy parts:
http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?8,13263

Post if you want to try the shirt pins approach. Or need help about serial console.

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

bodhi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Are you sure that the u-boot-2016.05-tld-1 image was flashed wihtout error? do you recall?

I think I would have freaked out if the flash went wrong, so I don't believe the command gave any feedback, nevertheless anything negative.

> Is this Pogo V4 or Mobile?

v4 but I have another Mobile I was planning to flash after this one. Is that script ready for use?

>

> mount
> fdisk -l
>

Yep, fdisk'd before and the partition looked okay—just wasn't sure about the dos vs. gpt formatting

> Post if you want to try the shirt pins approach.
> Or need help about serial console.

I only have an extra 2.5" drive in an external enclosure and I'm not even sure what connectors it would have so serial sounds like the way to go. I'm fine with soldering but I'm intrigued by the shirt pins approach. I imagine I would still need a CP2102 or a different USB-to-TTL? I have alligator clips for microcontroller kits but I imagine the test clips should not have the wire attached. Have a tutorial somewhere? Appreciate your help

wolf,

> I think I would have freaked out if the flash went
> wrong, so I don't believe the command gave any
> feedback, nevertheless anything negative.

If that's the case then uboot is running, blinking green.

>
> v4 but I have another Mobile I was planning to
> flash after this one. Is that script ready for
> use?

Not yet.

> I'm fine with soldering but I'm intrigued by the
> shirt pins approach.

But if you can solder easily then no need to.

> I imagine I would still need
> a CP2102 or a different USB-to-TTL?

Yes.

> I have
> alligator clips for microcontroller kits but I
> imagine the test clips should not have the wire
> attached.

It does need to have the wire attached. I used these test clips. And the jumper wires. And of course, the shirt pins with round head and sharp pin.

The CP2012 is here in eBay.


====

BTW, I did not write tutorial that uses the shirt pins approach. If you try it, you should write this tutorial :) Hold on, I think JoeyPogoplug has something written some where here.

But here is the wiki thread there is a serial console section:

Quote

Serial Console & JTAG console

Repair Pogo E02 with Raspberry PI (JTAG) and OpenOCD
Serial Port connector - what are people using to make it work
Serial Console hookup - GoFlex Net (external link)
Serial Console hookup - Pogoplug E02 and Pogoplug Pro V3 (external link)
OSX Serial/Net Console
Use Phone Jack - Phone Jack Serial Console Pics

The new u-boot thread: http://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,12381. Use only the instruction in this thread to flash u-boot (don't mix with any other instruction)

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



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/09/2016 03:44PM by bodhi.

All right, Bodhi—parts ordered. I'll let you know how it goes when they come in (should be a month or so). Once again, greatly appreciate your service on these forums

wolf Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All right, Bodhi—parts ordered. I'll let you
> know how it goes when they come in (should be a
> month or so).

Slow boat from China?:) That's why I always have 2 (CP2xx and Nokia CA cable). And the Nokia cable can be bought very quicky from where ever you are, just a thought.

> Once again, greatly appreciate your
> service on these forums

My pleasure.

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