de-bricking a Lacie 2Big NAS

Hi everyone,
I'm asking for help in de-bricking a Lacie 2Big NAS: I wiped the bootloader.
I wonder if anyone of you could send a copy of the stock u-boot or a different but working version.

I know that u-boot should be very board-specific and the device is exactly this as reported on lacie-nas.org (https://lacie-nas.org/doku.php?id=2big_nas).
I don't know if the same u-boot can be used on different boards by (auto?-)selecting the proper device tree blob, but on the same site at https://downloads.lacie-nas.org/u-boot/lacie-stock/ there's one single u-boot binary showing inside the string "Marvell version: 1.7.3 - LaCie version: 1.4.alpha_3".
Any experience about it?

Last resort will be to build a version for that device.

Thanks

romiz,

> there's one single u-boot binary showing inside
> the string "Marvell version: 1.7.3 - LaCie
> version: 1.4.alpha_3".

You could try to kwboot this u-boot image using serial console. See kwboot example here:
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,51739,51919#msg-51919

-bodhi
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Note for Kirkwood SoC NAS.

If stock u-boot was wiped from NAND/SPI flash, nothing will be shown on serial console when you connect it. That could give a false impression that serial console is not working. Always run kwboot with a potential u-boot to check the serial port response.

-bodhi
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Thank you bodhi for the suggestion.
I'm not there yet, even if the kwboot mechanism is actually working: I have a hit/miss ratio very low. The most difficult part is the uart cabling: I'm still struggling with wire length, wire shielding, distance from source of interference, etc.

Sometimes I managed to reach the point

98 % [....................................                                  ]
Done
Finishing transfer
[Type Ctrl-\ + c to quit]

but then it stops.

I don't know if due to the poor cabling or due to the wrong u-boot image.
The file in the "lacie-stock" folder is a ".bin" indeed, and not in the format requested by kwboot.
Is there a mean to convert it?

In the parent folder there are other (device specific) images in both formats, and I've been able to test only a couple of them until the issue above.

I'm building a short 3-lane cable (each one shielded) and a metal casing.
I hope to make some progress in the following days.

romiz,

So your serial console is working OK! kwboot managed to handshake with the box BootROM and completed the transfering of the image.

> I'm not there yet, even if the kwboot mechanism is
> actually working: I have a hit/miss ratio very
> low. The most difficult part is the uart cabling:
> I'm still struggling with wire length, wire
> shielding, distance from source of interference,
> etc.

The problem might be simpler. As long as you have good contact for the 3 wires, all you need to make sure is the wires are away from any power source. Shielding is not that important, I use the cheap unshielded kind of wires for most of my boxes.

>
> Sometimes I managed to reach the point
>

> 98 % [....................................        
>                          ]
> Done
> Finishing transfer
> [Type Ctrl-\ + c to quit]
>

> but then it stops.
> I don't know if due to the poor cabling or due to
> the wrong u-boot image.

It seems to be a wrong image (probably for a different LaCie boards or there is no header).

> The file in the "lacie-stock" folder is a ".bin"
> indeed, and not in the format requested by
> kwboot.
> Is there a mean to convert it?

If you use the latest kwboot binary it will automatically detect what type of image, and output useful information. And the newer kwboot will help with inconsistent handshake (I would expect you will no longer have a hit/miss problem with the newer kwboot).

Download my latest kwboot binary. See this in the Wiki thread.

Quote
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?2,23630
Unbricking with Serial Console & JTAG console

How to unbrick your box using serial console with kwboot (Zyxel NAS pinouts and examples), also see UART booting with kwboot for background info.

Latest kwboot ARM and x86-64 binaries, and NAND tools

https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,27280

If the serial console server is an ARM box use kwboot_static_2024.04-rc3. If it is a x86 box then use kwboot_2025.01-rc1_x86-64.

Please post the entire kwboot log (including the kwboot command) here.

-bodhi
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Hi,
bad news here, after 3 weeks: I think I'm REgressing.
No matter what kind of cable or what's the distance from disturbing power sources, I cannot finish the transfer anymore.
I also tried with different power units.

I cycled through all the u-boot*.kwb I managed to get, but it invariably stops at

./kwboot_static_2024.04-rc3 -t -B 115200 /dev/ttyAMA0 -b u-boot-nas2big-revA-2.0.6-uart.kwb
kwboot version 2024.04-rc3-00001-g0861eab8ec-dirty
Detected kwbimage v0 with UART boot signature
Sending boot image header (512 bytes)...
  0 % [+++++++++++++++EE
xmodem: Bad message

at very same position (first 'E' under 'd').

To maximize the probability of success, I think I must have the right boot image so that by hitting the right (astral) combination of cable and distance of the first days, I can finish the transfer and boot the device in the hope of being able to flash as well.
I cannot miss it by not having the right image.

Bodhi, please give me the proper instructions to build an image for this device.
I'm very near to give up.

Thanks

romiz,

Unfortunately, this board does not have support in u-boot mainline.

But I've picked one LaCie board that is closest to it, and built it. Attached to this post is the LaCie net2big v2 u-boot. Give it a try.

-bodhi
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