How to show kernel boot information instead Amazon boot picture?

[madtrapper]

Some trick in rc files?

[knc1]

It is usually a kernel option.

The kernel has to be up and running (and interesting message long past) by the time it gets to any rc files.

Plus -
the only time the kernel boots is after the kindle has been completely powered down (showing a blank screen).

otherwise - all you will see is the kernel resume messages.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by madtrapper

Some trick in rc files?

You need a serial port connection to view the kernel boot messages. The PW has internal solder pads for that.

With your "leet skillz", you may be able to add eink support to a custom kernel and make it do what you want. Or just view dmesg output (or other logs) after it boots.

[madtrapper]

I already have a USB-serial line hook up with my kindle and can see kernel boot up message, just wandering it would be fun if it shows on e-ink screen.

Early printk should help after kernel load e-ink driver.

[twobob]

perhaps you could just construct a rough image and swap it in at boot time.
(via some image creating lib in c perhaps for example)

For the record messing with those images made my K5 flaky, "full disclosure" and all.

Good luck

[ixtab]

You could create an init script which periodically reads the output of dmesg and/or showlog, reformats it and uses eips to draw it on the screen. You'll still need to get rid of the original boot screen, but that's (probably) just disabling a few lines in other init files.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by ixtab

You could create an init script which periodically reads the output of dmesg and/or showlog, reformats it and uses eips to draw it on the screen. You'll still need to get rid of the original boot screen, but that's (probably) just disabling a few lines in other init files.

You need to filter what you send to eips to remove characters that make it fail. One of my published scripts did that (an early attempt at a simple, text-only onscreen terminal).

For early boot messages, you would need to add your code to the initial ramdisk in the kernel partition.

[knc1]

"Early console" will write to a frame buffer.

But you would have to be sure the e-ink drivers where built into the kernel because "early console" and "early printk" start being used before the kernel can load modules.

[geekmaster]

And beware that custom kernel mods will cause firmware updates to fail due to unexpected kernel CRC. You would have to flash the old kernel back before an update. Then after updating to new official firmware, you may need to patch and flash a new kernel version to match any kernel modules on the new main partition.

Also beware that modifying the startup image could prevent a firmware update.

Or just live with your custom firmware that cannot be updated...