ftp://ftp.armedslack.org/armedslack/armedslack-12.2/INSTALL_SHEEVAPLUG.TXT
##################################################################################
# Document: INSTALL_SHEEVAPLUG.TXT
# Purpose : How to install Slackware ARM on the Marvell SheevaPlug
# Author : Stuart Winter <[email protected]>
# Date : 16-May-2009
##################################################################################
#
# References:
# http://computingplugs.com/index.php/Booting_entirely_off_an_external_USB_device
# http://www.cyrius.com/debian/kirkwood/sheevaplug/unpack.html
# http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/sheevaplug/install.xml
##################################################################################
1.0 Assumptions
-----------
Several assumptions -- in the form of IP addresses and
directory paths -- are made to help writing the examples
for this documentation. These values are easy to modify
to suit your environment.
Environment:
- You have a host machine running an existing Slackware system. Any other
Unix/Linux system will suffice, but each Linux distribution is different so
you'll have to make some adjustments.
This machine will house the Slackware ARM tree, NFS & TFTP server.
- Your host machine has Internet access, or some method of obtaining
the Slackware ARM tree.
- You have a secure (you trust the people using it)
LAN, on 192.168.1.0/24
- Your host machine has the IP 192.168.1.1
- You can NFS export the Slackware ARM tree
- You can run a TFTP daemon on your host
- You want to use /export to house the Slackware ARM tree.
Marvell SheevaPlug:
- You want to install the OS onto a USB flash stick, or a USB
hard drive.
You have at least an 8GB hard disk or USB flash stick - a full
installation of Slackware is approximately 4GB.
- You want to retain the stock Ubuntu installation.
2.0 Configuring your environment
----------------------------
2.1 NFS export
----------
On your Slackware host, add a line similar to the example
below:
/export/armedslack 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0(ro,nohide,root_squash,sync,no_subtree_check)
If you don't have an NFS server already running:
# chmod +x /etc/rc.d/{rc.rpc,rc.nfsd}
# /etc/rc.d/rc.nfsd restart
If you have an NFS server already running:
# exportfs -va
2.2 Setting up your TFTP boot server
--------------------------------
Slackware ships a tftpd (TFTP boot daemon) in the 'tftp-hpa'
package which can be found in the 'n/' package series.
Ensure that inetd is running:
# chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.inetd
# /etc/rc.d/rc.inetd restart
By default, the line in /etc/inetd.conf that loads the TFP server
is commented out.
# tftp dgram udp wait root /usr/sbin/in.tftpd in.tftpd -s /tftpboot -r blksize
Uncomment that line.
Note:
If you want to use a directory other than /tftpboot to house
the data, you may do so - but note that the instructions in this
document refer to /tftpboot, so please remember to adjust the paths
as you go.
Cause inetd to re-load its configuration file:
# killall -HUP inetd
2.3 Downloading Slackware ARM
--------------------------
Assumptions:
[ ] Your current user has read/write/execute access to /export
Make the directory that we'll download Slackware ARM into:
# mkdir -p /export/armedslack
# cd /export/armedslack
Download:
The easiest way to download Slackware ARM is to use rsync.
# rsync \
--exclude '*/source/*' \
--delete -Pavv \
ftp.armedslack.org::armedslack/armedslack-12.2 .
Download speed will depend on the bandwidth speed of your
Internet connection. Whilst it is possible to use the
FTP installation inside the installer, it's recommended to
download the full tree first, as in this example, and
install off an NFS host on your LAN.
The full download will be approximately 2GB.
You may choose a mirror site - some are listed on the
Slackware ARM web page: http://www.armedslack.org
2.4 Populating the /tftpboot directory
----------------------------------
Assumptions:
[ ] Your current user has read/write/execute access to /tftpboot
To begin the installation on the SheevaPlug unit, we'll boot
the Linux Kernel and Initial RAM disk via TFTP.
It *is* possible to place these two files onto an ext2 or FAT
partition on USB stick/drive (even the one you'll be installing
Slackware onto), but during development I've found it beneficial
to have the images available by TFTP -- as you'll read later,
the SheevaPlug can have trouble making a USB device 'ready'
enough to boot from.
Copy the Kernel and Initial RAM disk images into the tftpboot
directory:
# mkdir -p /tftpboot/armedslack
# cd /export/armedslack/armedslack-12.2/
Copy the Slackware ARM installer:
# cp -fa isolinux/uinitrd-kirkwood.img /tftpboot/armedslack/
The Linux Kernel:
# cp -fa kernels/kirkwood/uImage* /tftpboot/armedslack/
The Initial RAM disk, used for booting the OS after installation
(This shouldn't be needed, but if your SheevaPlug cannot make
the USB device 'ready' at the U-Boot console, we still have
the option to boot the initrd & Kernel from the network/tftp)
# cp -fa kernels/kirkwood/uinitrd* /tftpboot/armedslack/
2.4.1 Adding the U-Boot update to the /tftpboot directory
---------------------------------------------------
If your version of U-Boot is earlier than
"U-Boot 1.1.4 (Nov 4 2009 - 12:58:36) Marvell version: 3.4.23"
then you must upgrade. The newer releases fix a number of bugs
in the USB and SD Card support.
The release of U-Boot running on your SheevaPlug can be found
by entering "version" at the U-Boot Prompt:
Marvell>> version
U-Boot 1.1.4 (Nov 4 2009 - 12:58:36) Marvell version: 3.4.23
This copy of U-Boot and was taken from the PlugComputer.org forum:
http://plugcomputer.org/plugforum/index.php?action="">
# cd /tftpboot
# wget ftp://ftp.armedslack.org/armedslack/armedslack-devtools/sheevaplug/u-boot/releases/U-Boot_SheevaPlug_1.1.4_Dec_27_2009_Marvell_v3.4.27.bin
# mv -fv U-Boot_SheevaPlug*.bin u-boot.bin
3.0 Connecting to the SheevaPlug via the Serial Port
------------------------------------------------
1. Create a udev rules file for the SheevaPlug:
Create a udev rules file to create a /dev/sheevaplug device.
When you power cycle the SheevaPlug, often the /dev/ttyUSB device numbers
will change which means you have to update your terminal program's
settings; this way you don't need to.
Paste the following into a root shell on your host:
echo '
# /etc/udev/rules.d/10-sheevaplug.rules
# Attach /dev/sheevaplug to the 2nd USB port on the SheevaPlug.
# by Jim Hawkins <[email protected]>
#
ACTION="" SUBSYSTEM=="tty", SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{bInterfaceNumber}=="01", ATTRS{interface}=="SheevaPlug JTAGKey FT2232D B", SYMLINK+="sheevaplug"
' > /etc/udev/rules.d/10-sheevaplug.rules
2. Load the Kernel modules required:
# modprobe usbserial vendor=0x9e88 product=0x9e8f
# modprobe ftdi_sio vendor=0x9e88 product=0x9e8f
3. Configure your terminal software with the following settings:
In Slackware you could use these programs which allow terminal
emulation to tty:
'minicom' in the 'a/minicom' package
'screen' in the 'ap/screen' package
Note: I find it easier to use 'screen' because when you power cycle the
SheevaPlug, the ttyUSB device (that /dev/sheevaplug symlinks to)
is removed from /dev by udev. This causes the program to either
quit or hang up, making you have to reconnect. I find it faster
to press the up arrow in my shell, and re-run screen, than having
to do combinations in minicom.
In Windows, you could use the bundled 'HyperTerm' utility
but you'd need to download the USB drivers from the Marvell website
first.
Serial Device: /dev/sheevaplug
Baudrate: 115200bps
Databits: 8
Parity: None
Stopbits: 1
Hardware Flow Control: No
Software Flow Control: No
Start minicom with the -s switch:
# minicom -s
and configure the serial settings.
To use 'screen':
# screen /dev/sheevaplug 115200,-crtscts
4. Connect the USB serial cable that comes with the SheevaPlug
to your PC.
5. Connect your USB stick or hard disk to the unit.
If the hard disk has an external power supply, power on the drive
now and wait for it to spin up.
6. Power on the SheevaPlug unit.
7. Open the connection to the SheevaPlug serial port
Example:
# screen /dev/sheevaplug 115200,-crtscts
8. You should see the output from the SheevaPlug appearing in
your terminal window.
9. You will see a prompt saying you can press any key to interrupt
the boot process. Press ENTER a few times and you will be dropped
into the U-Boot console, and sit at the 'Marvell>>' prompt.
3.1 Configuring the SheevaPlug
--------------------------
1. Set or request an IP address for the SheevaPlug:
The SheevaPlug U-Boot console needs an IP address temporarily
to contact the TFTP boot server.
If you are running a DHCP server on your network, you may prefer
to request an IP address by DHCP.
However, after following the instructions here and updating U-Boot,
the MAC address of the SheevaPlug will change - so if you were planning
on binding a MAC to an IP address in your /etc/dhcpd.conf, don't just yet!
To set an IP statically:
Marvell>> setenv ipaddr 192.168.1.20
To request an IP via DHCP:
Marvell>> dhcp
2. Set the IP address of the TFTP server:
This is the IP address of your Slackware x86 host
on which the TFTP daemon runs.
Marvell>> setenv serverip 192.168.1.1
Change the settings so that the SheevaPlug expects to boot a
non-stock Kernel, save the settings & reboot the device:
Marvell>> setenv mainlineLinux yes
Marvell>> setenv arcNumber 2097
Marvell>> saveenv
Marvell>> reset
3.1 Upgrading U-boot on the SheevaPlug
-----------------------------------
If you'd rather not update your version of U-Boot, you can skip this
step and move to Section 4.0. However, if you cannot get the installer
or installed OS to boot, you may want to revisit this and upgrade U-Boot.
** Note: I take no responsibility for any damage done to your SheevaPlug unit!! **
That said, I've upgraded U-Boot on two of my SheevaPlugs and suffered
no ill effects.
1. Upgrade U-Boot:
Marvell>> bubt
You should see an indication that the download is happening,
and will then be prompted as to whether you want to reset
the environment variables:
Respond 'Y' to changing the environment variables
Notes:
[a] Some documents on the web suggest not resetting the environment
variables. However, I've not had any issues doing so on both
of my SheevaPlug units; and it's the only way I've found to get
console output from the Linux Kernel once it's 'live'
(I'm not sure what the setting is that makes it work!).
If you're concerned about this, I'd advise that you setup logging
in your terminal program, and then issue a printenv command at
the U-Boot console, so that you have a backup of the previous
settings.
Marvell>> printenv
[b] If you're returning to this document after having successfully
installed Slackware ARM and want to update to a newer release
of u-boot, then you can answer "n" to changing environment
variables.
"Override Env parameters? (y/n) n"
2. Rebooting the device:
You must now reboot the device to boot into the new version
of U-Boot:
Marvell>> reset
The first time it boots, you'll see this message:
NAND:512 MB
*** Warning - bad CRC or NAND, using default environment
Interrupt the boot sequence again by hitting the ENTER key
a few times, until you're dropped to the U-Boot console.
Note: The MAC address of the Unit will have changed (the SheevaPlug
seems to generate new ones). If you want to set the MAC address
to something in particular:
Marvell>> setenv ethaddr xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
3. Repeat Section 3.1 (Configuring the SheevaPlug settings) to
re-configure the SheevaPlug one final time.
Once you have reset the SheevaPlug, if you upgraded U-Boot
you should notice that you no longer receieve the warning
message about the bad CRC or NAND.
4.0 Slackware ARM installation
--------------------------
Power cycle/reset the SheevaPlug and Interrupt the boot process.
At the U-Boot console:
Marvell>> usb start
If your device says:
(Re)start USB...
USB: scanning bus for devices... 2 USB Device(s) found
scanning bus for storage devices... Device NOT ready
Request Sense returned 05 24 00
1 Storage Device(s) found
Where it says that the device is not ready, reset the device again
and retry. If after four or so goes it still doesn't work, then
it may be that the SheevaPlug simply does not like your device and
you will have to boot from the network.
If the SheevaPlug finds your USB device, it should report something
similar to:
Marvell>> usb start
(Re)start USB...
USB: scanning bus for devices... 2 USB Device(s) found
scanning bus for storage devices... 1 Storage Device(s) found
Marvell>>
4.1 Booting the installer
---------------------
Now download the Kernel and Slackware ARM installer via TFTP:
Marvell>> tftpboot 0x01100000 armedslack/uinitrd-kirkwood.img
Marvell>> tftpboot 0x00800000 armedslack/uImage-kirkwood
Marvell>> setenv bootargs console=ttyS0,115200 nodhcp kbd=uk root=/dev/ram rw
Marvell>> bootm 0x00800000 0x01100000
Note: The second line above ("setenv bootargs..") sets the keyboard
setting to 'uk'. You may choose another such as "us", one one
of the other valid keymaps. The installation will be conducted
through SSH which uses your local keymap, but you may wish to
set this keymap here since you'll need to type a few commands in
once the installer has booted.
For those of you who are familiar with the Slackware installer,
you will note that you will not be presented with the option to
select your keymap as soon as the installer has booted. This is
because the cursor keys don't work properly in the menus; but you
can configure it later in the main 'setup' menu.
4.1.3 Starting the network
--------------------
Before you can mount the NFS share, you need to setup networking
in the installer.
# ifconfig eth0
You should see a stanza for eth0.
If you have a DHCP server on your network, you can request an
IP address by dhcp:
# dhcpcd eth0
# ifconfig eth0
Note down the IP address. You'll be SSHing into it soon.
If you don't have a DHCP server then you need to configure the
network address manually:
# ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.20 netmask 255.255.255.0
Remember that you'll need to adjust these network settings for
your own LAN!
Start the SSH server:
# /etc/rc.d/rc.dropbear start
4.2 Begin the setup
---------------
Slackware ARM has an identical installer to Slackware x86, so
the same tools are available, including fdisk.
4.2.1 Connect to the installer via SSH
--------------------------------
Since the SheevaPlug does not have a keyboard, mouse or monitor,
and the installer doesn't yet work over the serial port,
the easiest way to install is over SSH.
On your x86 host PC, ssh into the IP address of the
SheevaPlug:
# ssh [email protected]
Type 'yes' when asked about confirming the identity
of the host.
Press ENTER when prompted for a password -- there is no password.
You will now be logged into the installer running
on the SheevaPlug.
4.2.2 Partitioning your hard disk
---------------------------
You should find your USB stick/drives are identified
as /dev/sda.
Please choose a partitioning scheme. I recommend:
/dev/sda1 -
Size: 100MB
Mount point: /boot
Partition type: 83 "Linux"
Filesystem: ext2
/dev/sda2 -
Size: 800MB
Mount point: Not applicable
Partition tyoe: 82 "Linux Swap"
Tip: If you have small sized storage you may wish to have a small
swap partition. But if you're going to be doing software
development, it's advisable to have a larger swap partition
to 'avoid out of memory' errors.
/dev/sda3 -
Size: Remainder of the disc
Mount point: /
Partition type: 83 "Linux"
Filesystem: ext4 (or your choice)
You are free to choose your own partitioning scheme but
U-Boot is restricted to loading files (the Linux Kernel & Initial RAM disk)
from either ext2 or FAT partitions; therefore it's recommended to
have a small ext2 formatted /boot partition.
You can create the partition table using fdisk or cfdisk.
4.2.3 Start the installer menu
------------------------
In the SSH terminal window, at the SheevaPlug Slackware
installer shell, start up the installer menu:
# TERM=linux setup
The first thing to select is the keymap. Whilst you
will probably be using the SheevaPlug remotely, it's worth
configuring the keymap for when you do connect via the serial
port.
From now on the installer will progress automatically
on to the next steps.
4.2.4 Setting up filesystems
----------------------
The Slackware installer will first present a list of available
"Linux" type partitions, and ask which one should be the root ('/')
partition.
If you are following the partition layout as suggested in this document
then you should choose /dev/sda3, and choose any format you wish.
The next step to "Select other Linux partitions for /etc/fstab"
Here:
- Select /dev/sda1
- Format it
- Select 'ext2' as its filesystem
- Mount point: /boot
4.2.5 Source media selection
----------------------
Choose '3 - Install from NFS (Network Filesystem)'
Enter the IP address: 192.168.1.1
Enter the directory: /export/armedslack/armedslack-12.2/slackware
4.2.6 Package selection
-----------------
Slackware ARM has all of the Slackware packages apart from those
which are x86 only. It's up to you which packages you install,
but we recommend a full installation.
4.2.7 Choosing an X Window Manager
----------------------------
The SheevaPlug unit is headless, but if you want to test graphical
packages on Slackware ARM, you may wish to install the 'tightvnc'
VNC server package from the 'extra' package directory once installation
has finished and you've booted into the new OS.
"tightvnc" uses the system wide X Window Manager settings.
Once the system as booted into the OS, mount the Slackware ARM
NFS mount once again.
Example:
# sh /etc/rc.d/rc.rpc restart
# mount 192.168.1.1:/export/armedslack/armedslack-12.2/ /mnt
# cd /mnt/extra/tightvnc
# installpkg tightvnc-*.tgz
You can now setup the VNC X server by running the "vncserver" command.
4.2.8 No mouse or console fonts to choose from?
-----------------------------------------
If Slackware ARM detects that it is running on a SheevaPlug
it will not prompt you to choose a mouse or out any console
fonts. This is because you cannot use the results of your choices,
so it seems sensible not to offer them!
This doesn't stop you from running the setup tools after the
operating system is running though, should you really want to!
5.0 Booting the Slackware ARM OS
----------------------------
Congratulations!
After you've completed the installation of Slackware ARM, you
should exit the 'setup' menu, drop to the shell and type
# reboot
Once again, interrupt the boot process of the SheevaPlug, and you'll
be dropped into the familiar 'Marvell>>' U-Boot console.
We now need to tell the SheevaPlug how to boot the Operating System.
In section 4.2.2 (Partitioning your hard disk), you chose a disk layout
and chose which filesystem to use. If you followed the example in this
document, you won't need to change anything below.
If you chose your own disk layout, here follows an explanation of the values
contained in the U-Boot configuration below:
The first line:
root=/dev/sda3
This is where Linux will find its root filesystem ('/').
rootfs=ext4
The filesystem (e.g. ext2,ext3,ext4,xfs,reiserfs) used on the root
filesystem.
The second and third lines tell U-Boot to start the USB subsystem;
load the Initial RAM disk off an ext2 filesystem which is the first partition
on the disk;
load the Linux Kernel off an ext2 filesystem which is on the first partition
on the disk.
The fourth line boots the Kernel and Initial RAM disk using the
values configured.
Paste these lines into your SheevaPlug U-Boot console, adjusting
any necessary settings, as described above:
Marvell>> setenv bootargs_console console=ttyS0,115200
Marvell>> setenv bootargs_root 'root=/dev/sda3 waitforroot=10 rootfs=ext4'
Marvell>> setenv bootcmd_usb 'ext2load usb 0:1 0x0800000 /uinitrd-kirkwood ; ext2load usb 0:1 0x00800000 /uImage-kirkwood'
Marvell>> setenv bootcmd 'usb start; setenv bootargs $(bootargs_console) $(bootargs_root); run bootcmd_usb ; bootm 0x00800000 0x0800000 ; reset'
Finally, save the settings and reboot the device:
Marvell>> saveenv
Marvell>> reset
The SheevaPlug will reboot and should begin running the Linux Kernel, and
booting into your new Slackware ARM installation.
5.1 Network booting
---------------
The aim of these instructions are to install Slackware ARM onto a
USB device, and boot from it.
However, if your SheevaPlug unit will not make your USB device 'ready'
at boot time, there seems little that can be done - it's a known
bug in the SheevaPlug.
Network booting can also be a great way to test your new Kernel and
initial RAM disk, knowing that you can safely reboot from the on-disk
copy should the new one not work.
In section 2.4 (Populating the /tftpboot directory), you copied the
Kernel and Initial RAM disk into the x86 host's /tftpboot/armedslack
directory; we can boot the Kernel and Initial RAM disk from the network
and usually Linux will find your USB device and the OS can boot from
the disc.
Interrupt the SheevaPlug's boot sequence:
Marvell>> tftpboot 0x01100000 armedslack/uinitrd-kirkwood
Marvell>> tftpboot 0x00800000 armedslack/uImage-kirkwood
Adjust the 'root=/dev/sda3' and 'rootfs=ext4' to match your setup.
See section 5.0 (Booting the Slackware ARM OS) for an explanation
of the values.
Marvell>> setenv bootargs console=ttyS0,115200 root=/dev/sda3 waitforroot=10 rootfs=ext4
Marvell>> bootm 0x00800000 0x01100000
You could also configure your device to boot from the network
automatically, but that is outside of the scope of this document - although
please email me the instructions if you write some, and I'll include
them here.
7.0 Suggestions/alterations
-----------------------
If you have any suggestions, recommendations or corrections(!) for this document,
please do email me.
Thanks!
Stuart Winter.
--
Stuart Winter
[email protected]
