UART Booting HowTo for Selected Kirkwood Devices

MAybe a kwboot option can/needs to be set?

  -b <image>: boot <image> with preamble (Kirkwood, Armada 370/XP)
  -p: patch <image> to type 0x69 (uart boot)
  -D <image>: boot <image> without preamble (Dove)
  -d: enter debug mode
  -a: use timings for Armada XP
  -q <req-delay>:  use specific request-delay
  -s <resp-timeo>: use specific response-timeout
  -o <block-timeo>: use specific xmodem block timeout

  -t: mini terminal

  -B <baud>: set baud rate

AleXSR700,

Quote
bodhi
When you see the "xmodem: Protocol error", do the following:

- Make sure the serial wires are far from the power cord (to avoid interference).

- Run with the image uboot.2017.07-tld-1.nsa325.mtd0.kwb as I mentioned on the other thread.

- When you see the protocol error, recall the kwboot command and immediately execute that. Repeat this quickly, as many time as needed.

Run this command:

kwboot -t -B 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0 -b uboot.2017.07-tld-1.nsa325.mtd0.kwb -p

-bodhi
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So, I wanted to give my feedback and hopefully this will help others in the future also.

Situation:
USB sticks were not recognized. TFTP did not work. kwboot did not work.

Then came a recommendation by Mijzelf to check if the 5V for the USB was actually being supplied properly. So I added an active USB Hub in between so the USB stick was already powered externally and not through the board.
And it worked!

So, if anybody has the same issue with USB sticks not being recognized or files not being readable, try an active USB hub.

In addition I found that I could not use the same USB stick to flash uboot and the actual OpenWRT. It just would not work. I need to reboot with a different USB stick (no rebooting with the same USB stick did not fix it).
And then it worked.
I tried on my second NSA325v2 using the second USB stick first. Same picture. I had to use two USB sticks in whatever order. The system just wanted two sticks even though both had the same files and same worked.

Anyhow, long story short: THANK YOU ALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OpenWRT is now installed and next I need to figure out why I do not have a built in file browser in OpenWRT and then install one to check if the drives are read properly.

Summary:
Use an active USB hub and have two USB sticks prepared ;-)

phewwww... that was close. While unpacking from moving, I found a box of Kirkwood devices, and there was a boxed/stock GoFlexHome... I was worried that I would not be able to flash it anymore.

Luckily, @bodhi has the good uboots, and Debian actually has u-boot-tools (with kwboot!) all ready to go. Other than my subpar soldering skills, it was pretty much a breeze.

davidpurdy@MacProDebian:~/Downloads$ kwboot -t -B 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0 -b uboot.2017.07-tld-1.goflexhome.mtd0.kwb -p
Sending boot message. Please reboot the target...\
Sending boot image...
  0 % [......................................................................]
  1 % [......................................................................]
  3 % [......................................................................]
  5 % [......................................................................]
  6 % [......................................................................]
  8 % [......................................................................]
 10 % [......................................................................]
...
 94 % [......................................................................]
 95 % [......................................................................]
 97 % [......................................................................]
 99 % [....................................]
[Type Ctrl-\ + c to quit]


U-Boot 2017.07-tld-1 (Sep 05 2017 - 00:21:31 -0700)
Seagate GoFlex Home

SoC:   Kirkwood 88F6281_A1
DRAM:  128 MiB
WARNING: Caches not enabled
NAND:  256 MiB
*** Warning - bad CRC, using default environment

In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Net:   egiga0
88E1116 Initialized on egiga0
Hit any key to stop autoboot:  0 
GoFlexHome>

Just needed to adjust environment variables a bit, prep a usb stick w/ a rescue image and uboot (bin and env), and "Bob's your uncle"! Everything worked, straight out of the box, except for my soldering. [could NOT get TX to work in the serial connection, but I just had a very bad contact...eventually got it connected ]

Lessons for the day: Document everything and keep good notes. Use adequate lighting when soldering! ;^)

=====================================================

• davy's Github Repo's rescue-dg

> Just needed to adjust environment variables a bit,
> prep a usb stick w/ a rescue image and uboot (bin
> and env), and "Bob's your uncle"!

Nice :) and good to see you posting davygravy!

-bodhi
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