iLiad iLiad kernel development - Page 3

Antartica · 10-21-2009, 08:53 AM

Just to post status: I've just installed nalim's kexec-enabled 2.4 kernel in my iliad.

Steps followed:

1. In a CF card with a VFAT partition as the first partition (mine was 240MB partition, in a 2GB CF card) copied the relevant files; the CF card with a pcmcia adapter appears as hde in my linux laptop (seen in dmesg):

Code:

# mount -t vfat /dev/hde1 /media/floppy
# cd /media/floppy
# unzip /tmp/cf-card-contents.zip config.txt images/zImage.gz images/zImage.gz.md5
# sed -i '/^[^k]/d' config.txt
# cd images
#  cp /shared/Devel/iliad/kernel2.6/nalim/zImage-2.4.19-rmk7-pxa2-irex1.kexec.gz zImage.gz
# md5sum zImage.gz > zImage.gz.md5
# cd /
# umount /media/floppy

2. The flashing instructions say: put the CF card in the iliad while off, push-and-hold the top-right button, turn on the iliad and after 5 seconds release the button. Doing that, the iliad started, only a few bars and then it rebooted itself, this time doing a normal boot.
3. After that, in the CF card has appeared a file in the root directory with the name "logfile.txt" and the following contents:

Code:

Flash kernel:
Integrity check on kernel:ok.
Flash the kernel:
-- Kernel flashed OK --

And that's all for today

.

PS: nrapallo, thanks for the links. I did look at archive.org, but settled for the last page which didn't had anything and didn't searched older pages... I will read the ones you posted

. Again, thanks.

nrapallo · 10-21-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antartica

PS: nrapallo, thanks for the links. I did look at archive.org, but settled for the last page which didn't had anything and didn't searched older pages... I will read the ones you posted

. Again, thanks.

Oh, you're quite welcome. I'm happy to help where I can.

Enjoy reading those .pdf files on your iLiad WITHOUT having to convert them (with PDFRead or any other .pdf to images utility)!

Antartica · 10-22-2009, 06:00 AM

Another status/howto.

To get the kernel 2.6.21-hh17 that nalim patch requires:

Code:

$ export CVSROOT=:pserver:anoncvs@cvs.handhelds.org:/cvs
$ echo password is anoncvs
$ cvs login
$ cvs export -r K2-6-21-hh17 linux/kernel26

That gets the needed sources. Be warned that they are a very big:

Code:

$ du -b . | tail -1
251688350       .

Yup, 240MB!

Update (20091023): I compiled 2.6.21-hh17 with nalim's patch applied (using the crosscompiler from the unofficial toolchain) and prepared a kexec script to test in the iliad. After executing it I only got a frozen iliad :-/. After a reset it went back to normal.

I'll have to investigate it further. Possible problems:
1. Not having the root filesystem installed yet in the CF card (have to put a initrd that does something visually to check this)
2. the compiler version used (nalim used a slightly more recent gcc: 3.4.4 versus my 3.4.2)
3. that my delta hardware revision is "3". Don't know if nalim's one was 3 or 6.

Or it can be something else...

Update (20091024): It isn't (3); I've compared the initialization routine of nalim's reverse-engineered driver with irex's one and nalim's initialization code corresponds with irex's v3 initialization code, not with v6.

Update (20091025): It isn't (1); I've done a small program that puts a splash screen (when in the initrd, with the correct modules installed there, too), and also populated the root filesystem on the CF card, and it didn't work. So, I'll have to try if it is (2). I've seen here that codesourcery's gcc 3.4.4+csl-arm-2005q3 crosscompiler should compile kernel 2.6.21-hh17 correctly both for old ABI and for EABI. Will try that crosscompiler next time...

Update (20091026): Finally I've installed debian's lenny crosscompiler. Instructions from here. Steps taken in a debian lenny i386 computer:

Code:

# echo "deb http://www.emdebian.org/debian/ lenny main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list
# apt-get update
# apt-get install libc6-arm-cross libc6-dev-arm-cross binutils-arm-linux-gnu gcc-4.3-arm-linux-gnu g++-4.3-arm-linux-gnu

ulno · 10-26-2009, 06:22 PM

Hi guys,
feeling guilty in not having kept up with the thread in the last days - have been on the mentor's summit at google. I had some nice talks with some guys and one was suggesting to just use the usb-serial console for kernel output. This should actually work! I just ordered two usb-serial adapters and a null modem cable from ebay. I will report back, if I can get some kernel output (or if not).

Cheers,
Ulno

Antartica · 10-27-2009, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ulno

I had some nice talks with some guys and one was suggesting to just use the usb-serial console for kernel output. This should actually work!

Great idea! Didn't know there was that possibility.

I have one USB-serial adapter here (and it works with linux). Do you know from what kernel onwards the NXP ISP1362 USB controller is supported?

Right now I am trying again to make a working compiled version of the kernel that nalim used (using the toolchain I installed yesterday); once I get that working, the next step is to forward-port the patch.

In regard to the kernel to forward-port it, I am thinking of using the 2.6.26-19lenny1 of Debian (downloadable here, for example), as it has been thoroughly tested in arm.

Update: Compiling nalim's kernel with gcc-3.x needs this patch (source).

alegeott · 10-27-2009, 06:50 AM

Hi guys
Karel write Here that Irex donate 5 iliad to openiliad.com; someone have received them? If yes, who has them? These devices have the serial port enabled?
I ask this without malice: simply, I want to see who can do what and if Irex is able to send me another device (other than those presumed to have already won).
Thank you.

Antartica · 10-27-2009, 06:59 AM

Just a quick update: With the patch mentioned in my previous post, nalim's kernel compiled. I've just done a quick kexec test and the results are similar to previous try: the busy led stays stationary for a while (well, perhaps a minute or so), then it goes off. This time the iliad is not freezed, as the bottom button makes it do something (but without screen feedback!). It seems that some type of serial console is mandatory...

update: The CF card seems somewhat formatted now; I cannot mount the partitions it had. That is really strange.

Quote:

Originally Posted by alegeott

Karel write Here that Irex donate 5 iliad to openiliad.com; someone have received them? If yes, who has them? These devices have the serial port enabled?

The donated iliads were managed by Adam B. At least one is in the hands of openinkpot guys (they have iliad support "in the queue"). I'm not sure about the others (maybe Jaya has one also?).

If you need one for devel purposes, contact Adam B

.

P.S.: No, they don't have the serial port enabled. IIRC they are plain refurbished "iliad book edition" units.

ulno · 10-27-2009, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antartica

I have one USB-serial adapter here (and it works with linux). Do you know from what kernel onwards the NXP ISP1362 USB controller is supported?

There is quite some fuzz about this controller starting around 2.6.6 (http://www.tcn.semiconductors.philip.../UM10077_1.pdf).
Most of the links I find, mention a drivers/usb/host/isp1362-hcd.c - is this available in your kernel?

Update 29.10.2009:
It's mentioned in this patch - maybe we are lucky and something went into 2.6.32:
http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/10/28/104)

2nd Update 29.10.2009:
Woohoo! isp1362-hcd.c is in linux-2.6.32-rc5
Can't we try this one out somehow?

Ulno

Antartica · 10-27-2009, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ulno

There is quite some fuzz about this controller starting around 2.6.6 (http://www.tcn.semiconductors.philip.../UM10077_1.pdf).
Most of the links I find, mention a drivers/usb/host/isp1362-hcd.c - is this available in your kernel?

Unfortunately it isn't. And I've downloaded 2.6.31 with debian patches and it is't there either. That means that it is not merged into mainline kernel.

After some searches, it seems that it is included in the blackfin uClinux distribution, and from time to time, someone ports it to some other project.

That means that there is some work to do for it to work (it would be a lot of luck for it to work at the first try of porting). That complicates the console availability again

.

Update: Relevant messages about the port of the driver: http://marc.info/?l=linux-usb-devel&...sp1362&q=b&w=4
Update2: Sources for the original isp1362 driver (2.6.6, x86; seems that the blackfin one was based in this one) http://sourceforge.net/projects/isp1362-hcd/

P.S.: About my CF card: I've realized that nalim reported that he launched the kexec from the internal flash. In the previous test, I launched the kexec from the CF card and it corrupted the CF card contents. Perhaps it was important to avoid using the CF card when doing the kexec... tomorrow I'll try the kexec from internal flash.

Update (20091028): tested kexec from the internal flash. Same result as launching from the CF excepting that the CF is not corrupted.

Antartica · 10-30-2009, 06:28 AM

Ok, I'll be trying a new approach.

I've started coding a "tty" serial driver for 2.6.21 that instead of blasting the bytes to a serial port, it will draw them into the iliad screen.

Hopefully at the end of next week I'll have enough of it done to know it it is a practical approach.

Wish me luck!

.

zerospinboson · 10-30-2009, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antartica

Ok, I'll be trying a new approach.

I've started coding a "tty" serial driver for 2.6.21 that instead of blasting the bytes to a serial port, it will draw them into the iliad screen.

Hopefully at the end of next week I'll have enough of it done to know it it is a practical approach.

Wish me luck!

.

I wish you luck

alegeott · 10-31-2009, 05:37 AM

I don't have much free time in this period, but I hope I can at least begin to see how the Iliad operates from Monday. Good work!

ulno · 11-10-2009, 07:49 PM

Just my (small) results. Currently, I am toying around with getting 2.6.32-rc6 compiled. I compile with

make ARCH=arm MACH=PELCO_ILIAD CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi- zImage

the kernel.

However, in the end I always get
arm-none-eabi-ld: no machine record defined

There is a lot about this in google, but nothing which helps. Maybe I need really the totally customized build environment? Just thought I should be able to take any cross compiler for this.

Any ideas/pointers?

Ulno

Antartica · 11-11-2009, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ulno

Just my (small) results. Currently, I am toying around with getting 2.6.32-rc6 compiled. I compile with

make ARCH=arm MACH=PELCO_ILIAD CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi- zImage

the kernel.

However, in the end I always get
arm-none-eabi-ld: no machine record defined

There is a lot about this in google, but nothing which helps. Maybe I need really the totally customized build environment? Just thought I should be able to take any cross compiler for this.

Any ideas/pointers?

Ulno

I think that this message is the answer you're looking for:

http://sourceware.org/ml/binutils/2005-08/msg00357.html

Basically it is that the file defining your architecture doesn't has the MACHINE_START macro and subsequent definitions.

I've looked how nalim did it (in a nutshell: copying the machine configuration for the HTC universal and adapting it with iliad's configuration).

Steps he took:

1. In arch/arm/march-pxa he modified Kconfig adding

Code:

source "arch/arm/mach-pxa/irex_er0100/Kconfig"

2. In arch/arm/mach-pxa he added a subdirectory named "irex_er0100", and inside it a Kconfig file with the following contents:

Code:

menuconfig MACH_PXA_IREX_ER0100
        bool "iRex ER0100"
        select PXA25x
        select BOARD_IRQ_MAP_BIG
        help
                Say Y here if you intend to run this kernel on a
                iRex ER0100 (iLiad). Currently there is only basic support
                for this eReader.

config PXA_IREX_ER0100_PCMCIA
    tristate "iRex PCMCIA"
    depends on MACH_PXA_IREX_ER0100 && PCMCIA_PXA2XX
    help
      This enables support for using PCMCIA (CompactFlash) cards
      on "iRex ER0100". You will also need to enable PXA2xx PCMCIA
      support in the PCMCIA/Cardbus support menu.

config PXA_IREX_ER0100_BUTTON
    tristate "iRex Button Driver"
    depends on MACH_PXA_IREX_ER0100
    help
      This enables support for buttons on "iRex ER0100".

config PXA_IREX_ER0100_BATTERY
    tristate "iRex Battery Driver"
    depends on MACH_PXA_IREX_ER0100
    help
      This enables support for battery on "iRex ER0100".

3. He also added to the "irex_er0100" directory a Makefile with the following contents (note the he forgot to delete the "HTC" word from the "HTC Universal" Makefile he used as template):

Code:

#
# Makefile for HTC iRex ER0100
#

obj-$(CONFIG_MACH_PXA_IREX_ER0100)              += irex_er0100.o

obj-$(CONFIG_PXA_IREX_ER0100_PCMCIA)     += irex_er0100_pcmcia.o
obj-$(CONFIG_PXA_IREX_ER0100_BUTTON)     += irex_er0100_button.o
obj-$(CONFIG_PXA_IREX_ER0100_BATTERY)     += irex_er0100_battery.o

4. He added the modules he mentioned in the Makefile. The most interesting of those is irex_er0100.c, which has the missing data that your compiler is complaining about:

Code:

//...
// Lots of the file has been cut, see nalim's patch for the rest
///...
MACHINE_START(PXA_IREX_ER0100, "iRex Technologies ER0100 eReader")
        /* Maintainer MV */
        .phys_io        = 0x40000000,
        .io_pg_offst    = (io_p2v(0x40000000) >> 18) & 0xfffc,
//      .boot_params    = 0xa0000100,
    .fixup      = fixup_irex_er0100,
        .map_io         = irex_er0100_map_io,
        .init_irq       = irex_er0100_init_irq,
        .init_machine   = irex_er0100_init,
        .timer          = &pxa_timer,
MACHINE_END

Hope that helps.

About my own work: last week I've been toying with the serial tty drivers, and heavily modified one of them to do some tests; it seems that impersonating a serial with the screen will not be that hard. Hopefully in the next two weeks I'll have some proof of concept code, modifying this time the real serial driver port that is used to receive data from the wacom pen (have some ideas about using it

).

alegeott · 11-11-2009, 05:27 AM

I am pleased to see that the forum is popular, and indeed you get results, but still no communication from iRex.
Finally I am resolved, in agreement with reference professor, to open the device and to extract even a serial port on the Hub (see the photos and the electric scheme about the contacts that are unused: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7416).
To open the device is needed a torx screwdriver (or imbus); I buy a "Beta 1255tx 5" screwdriver. Moreover, for everyday use is of course required a second travel hub: to access the logic board is necessary to break the little box of cast plastic.
The operation should not be too invasive or dangerous, but obviously void your warranty. I think I will post a guide for the whole operation.

10-21-2009, 08:53 AM	#31
Antartica Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 1517132 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: quaderno, remarkable2, yotaphone2, prs950, iliad, onhandpc, newton	Just to post status: I've just installed nalim's kexec-enabled 2.4 kernel in my iliad. Steps followed: 1. In a CF card with a VFAT partition as the first partition (mine was 240MB partition, in a 2GB CF card) copied the relevant files; the CF card with a pcmcia adapter appears as hde in my linux laptop (seen in dmesg): Code: # mount -t vfat /dev/hde1 /media/floppy # cd /media/floppy # unzip /tmp/cf-card-contents.zip config.txt images/zImage.gz images/zImage.gz.md5 # sed -i '/^[^k]/d' config.txt # cd images # cp /shared/Devel/iliad/kernel2.6/nalim/zImage-2.4.19-rmk7-pxa2-irex1.kexec.gz zImage.gz # md5sum zImage.gz > zImage.gz.md5 # cd / # umount /media/floppy 2. The flashing instructions say: put the CF card in the iliad while off, push-and-hold the top-right button, turn on the iliad and after 5 seconds release the button. Doing that, the iliad started, only a few bars and then it rebooted itself, this time doing a normal boot. 3. After that, in the CF card has appeared a file in the root directory with the name "logfile.txt" and the following contents: Code: Flash kernel: Integrity check on kernel:ok. Flash the kernel: -- Kernel flashed OK -- And that's all for today . PS: nrapallo, thanks for the links. I did look at archive.org, but settled for the last page which didn't had anything and didn't searched older pages... I will read the ones you posted . Again, thanks. Last edited by Antartica; 10-21-2009 at 08:58 AM. Reason: sp., URL of nalim's kernel

10-22-2009, 06:00 AM	#33
Antartica Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 1517132 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: quaderno, remarkable2, yotaphone2, prs950, iliad, onhandpc, newton	Another status/howto. To get the kernel 2.6.21-hh17 that nalim patch requires: Code: $ export CVSROOT=:pserver:anoncvs@cvs.handhelds.org:/cvs $ echo password is anoncvs $ cvs login $ cvs export -r K2-6-21-hh17 linux/kernel26 That gets the needed sources. Be warned that they are a very big: Code: $ du -b . \| tail -1 251688350 . Yup, 240MB! Update (20091023): I compiled 2.6.21-hh17 with nalim's patch applied (using the crosscompiler from the unofficial toolchain) and prepared a kexec script to test in the iliad. After executing it I only got a frozen iliad :-/. After a reset it went back to normal. I'll have to investigate it further. Possible problems: 1. Not having the root filesystem installed yet in the CF card (have to put a initrd that does something visually to check this) 2. the compiler version used (nalim used a slightly more recent gcc: 3.4.4 versus my 3.4.2) 3. that my delta hardware revision is "3". Don't know if nalim's one was 3 or 6. Or it can be something else... Update (20091024): It isn't (3); I've compared the initialization routine of nalim's reverse-engineered driver with irex's one and nalim's initialization code corresponds with irex's v3 initialization code, not with v6. Update (20091025): It isn't (1); I've done a small program that puts a splash screen (when in the initrd, with the correct modules installed there, too), and also populated the root filesystem on the CF card, and it didn't work. So, I'll have to try if it is (2). I've seen here that codesourcery's gcc 3.4.4+csl-arm-2005q3 crosscompiler should compile kernel 2.6.21-hh17 correctly both for old ABI and for EABI. Will try that crosscompiler next time... Update (20091026): Finally I've installed debian's lenny crosscompiler. Instructions from here. Steps taken in a debian lenny i386 computer: Code: # echo "deb http://www.emdebian.org/debian/ lenny main" >> /etc/apt/sources.list # apt-get update # apt-get install libc6-arm-cross libc6-dev-arm-cross binutils-arm-linux-gnu gcc-4.3-arm-linux-gnu g++-4.3-arm-linux-gnu Last edited by Antartica; 10-26-2009 at 06:55 AM. Reason: Installing new toolchain

10-26-2009, 06:22 PM	#34
ulno Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Tartu, Estonia/ Arlington, VA, U.S. Device: irex iliad	Serial console - why not via USB serial? Hi guys, feeling guilty in not having kept up with the thread in the last days - have been on the mentor's summit at google. I had some nice talks with some guys and one was suggesting to just use the usb-serial console for kernel output. This should actually work! I just ordered two usb-serial adapters and a null modem cable from ebay. I will report back, if I can get some kernel output (or if not). Cheers, Ulno

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10-27-2009, 06:50 AM	#36
alegeott Member Posts: 15 Karma: 2010 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Near Pavia, Italy Device: Pocketbook Pro 603 (Leggo IBS)	Hi guys Karel write Here that Irex donate 5 iliad to openiliad.com; someone have received them? If yes, who has them? These devices have the serial port enabled? I ask this without malice: simply, I want to see who can do what and if Irex is able to send me another device (other than those presumed to have already won). Thank you.

10-30-2009, 06:28 AM	#40
Antartica Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 1517132 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain Device: quaderno, remarkable2, yotaphone2, prs950, iliad, onhandpc, newton	Ok, I'll be trying a new approach. I've started coding a "tty" serial driver for 2.6.21 that instead of blasting the bytes to a serial port, it will draw them into the iliad screen. Hopefully at the end of next week I'll have enough of it done to know it it is a practical approach. Wish me luck! .

10-31-2009, 05:37 AM	#42
alegeott Member Posts: 15 Karma: 2010 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Near Pavia, Italy Device: Pocketbook Pro 603 (Leggo IBS)	I don't have much free time in this period, but I hope I can at least begin to see how the Iliad operates from Monday. Good work!

11-10-2009, 07:49 PM	#43
ulno Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Tartu, Estonia/ Arlington, VA, U.S. Device: irex iliad	Just my (small) results. Currently, I am toying around with getting 2.6.32-rc6 compiled. I compile with make ARCH=arm MACH=PELCO_ILIAD CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi- zImage the kernel. However, in the end I always get arm-none-eabi-ld: no machine record defined There is a lot about this in google, but nothing which helps. Maybe I need really the totally customized build environment? Just thought I should be able to take any cross compiler for this. Any ideas/pointers? Ulno

11-11-2009, 05:27 AM	#45
alegeott Member Posts: 15 Karma: 2010 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Near Pavia, Italy Device: Pocketbook Pro 603 (Leggo IBS)	I am pleased to see that the forum is popular, and indeed you get results, but still no communication from iRex. Finally I am resolved, in agreement with reference professor, to open the device and to extract even a serial port on the Hub (see the photos and the electric scheme about the contacts that are unused: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7416). To open the device is needed a torx screwdriver (or imbus); I buy a "Beta 1255tx 5" screwdriver. Moreover, for everyday use is of course required a second travel hub: to access the logic board is necessary to break the little box of cast plastic. The operation should not be too invasive or dangerous, but obviously void your warranty. I think I will post a guide for the whole operation.