Documentation/arm/SA1100/Assabet - linux - Git at Google

 The Intel Assabet (SA-1110 evaluation) board
 ============================================

 Please see:
 http://developer.intel.com

 Also some notes from John G Dorsey <jd5q@andrew.cmu.edu>:
 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~wearable/software/assabet.html


 Building the kernel
 -------------------

 To build the kernel with current defaults:

 	make assabet_config
 	make oldconfig
 	make zImage

 The resulting kernel image should be available in linux/arch/arm/boot/zImage.


 Installing a bootloader
 -----------------------

 A couple of bootloaders able to boot Linux on Assabet are available:

 BLOB (http://www.lartmaker.nl/lartware/blob/)

    BLOB is a bootloader used within the LART project.  Some contributed
    patches were merged into BLOB to add support for Assabet.

 Compaq's Bootldr + John Dorsey's patch for Assabet support
 (http://www.handhelds.org/Compaq/bootldr.html)
 (http://www.wearablegroup.org/software/bootldr/)

    Bootldr is the bootloader developed by Compaq for the iPAQ Pocket PC.
    John Dorsey has produced add-on patches to add support for Assabet and
    the JFFS filesystem.

 RedBoot (http://sources.redhat.com/redboot/)

    RedBoot is a bootloader developed by Red Hat based on the eCos RTOS
    hardware abstraction layer.  It supports Assabet amongst many other
    hardware platforms.

 RedBoot is currently the recommended choice since it's the only one to have
 networking support, and is the most actively maintained.

 Brief examples on how to boot Linux with RedBoot are shown below.  But first
 you need to have RedBoot installed in your flash memory.  A known to work
 precompiled RedBoot binary is available from the following location:

 ftp://ftp.netwinder.org/users/n/nico/
 ftp://ftp.arm.linux.org.uk/pub/linux/arm/people/nico/
 ftp://ftp.handhelds.org/pub/linux/arm/sa-1100-patches/

 Look for redboot-assabet*.tgz.  Some installation infos are provided in
 redboot-assabet*.txt.


 Initial RedBoot configuration
 -----------------------------

 The commands used here are explained in The RedBoot User's Guide available
 on-line at http://sources.redhat.com/ecos/docs.html.
 Please refer to it for explanations.

 If you have a CF network card (my Assabet kit contained a CF+ LP-E from
 Socket Communications Inc.), you should strongly consider using it for TFTP
 file transfers.  You must insert it before RedBoot runs since it can't detect
 it dynamically.

 To initialize the flash directory:

 	fis init -f

 To initialize the non-volatile settings, like whether you want to use BOOTP or
 a static IP address, etc, use this command:

 	fconfig -i


 Writing a kernel image into flash
 ---------------------------------

 First, the kernel image must be loaded into RAM.  If you have the zImage file
 available on a TFTP server:

 	load zImage -r -b 0x100000

 If you rather want to use Y-Modem upload over the serial port:

 	load -m ymodem -r -b 0x100000

 To write it to flash:

 	fis create "Linux kernel" -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000


 Booting the kernel
 ------------------

 The kernel still requires a filesystem to boot.  A ramdisk image can be loaded
 as follows:

 	load ramdisk_image.gz -r -b 0x800000

 Again, Y-Modem upload can be used instead of TFTP by replacing the file name
 by '-y ymodem'.

 Now the kernel can be retrieved from flash like this:

 	fis load "Linux kernel"

 or loaded as described previously.  To boot the kernel:

 	exec -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000

 The ramdisk image could be stored into flash as well, but there are better
 solutions for on-flash filesystems as mentioned below.


 Using JFFS2
 -----------

 Using JFFS2 (the Second Journalling Flash File System) is probably the most
 convenient way to store a writable filesystem into flash.  JFFS2 is used in
 conjunction with the MTD layer which is responsible for low-level flash
 management.  More information on the Linux MTD can be found on-line at:
 http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/.  A JFFS howto with some infos about
 creating JFFS/JFFS2 images is available from the same site.

 For instance, a sample JFFS2 image can be retrieved from the same FTP sites
 mentioned below for the precompiled RedBoot image.

 To load this file:

 	load sample_img.jffs2 -r -b 0x100000

 The result should look like:

 RedBoot> load sample_img.jffs2 -r -b 0x100000
 Raw file loaded 0x00100000-0x00377424

 Now we must know the size of the unallocated flash:

 	fis free

 Result:

 RedBoot> fis free
   0x500E0000 .. 0x503C0000

 The values above may be different depending on the size of the filesystem and
 the type of flash.  See their usage below as an example and take care of
 substituting yours appropriately.

 We must determine some values:

 size of unallocated flash:	0x503c0000 - 0x500e0000 = 0x2e0000
 size of the filesystem image:	0x00377424 - 0x00100000 = 0x277424

 We want to fit the filesystem image of course, but we also want to give it all
 the remaining flash space as well.  To write it:

 	fis unlock -f 0x500E0000 -l 0x2e0000
 	fis erase -f 0x500E0000 -l 0x2e0000
 	fis write -b 0x100000 -l 0x277424 -f 0x500E0000
 	fis create "JFFS2" -n -f 0x500E0000 -l 0x2e0000

 Now the filesystem is associated to a MTD "partition" once Linux has discovered
 what they are in the boot process.  From Redboot, the 'fis list' command
 displays them:

 RedBoot> fis list
 Name              FLASH addr  Mem addr    Length      Entry point
 RedBoot           0x50000000  0x50000000  0x00020000  0x00000000
 RedBoot config    0x503C0000  0x503C0000  0x00020000  0x00000000
 FIS directory     0x503E0000  0x503E0000  0x00020000  0x00000000
 Linux kernel      0x50020000  0x00100000  0x000C0000  0x00000000
 JFFS2             0x500E0000  0x500E0000  0x002E0000  0x00000000

 However Linux should display something like:

 SA1100 flash: probing 32-bit flash bus
 SA1100 flash: Found 2 x16 devices at 0x0 in 32-bit mode
 Using RedBoot partition definition
 Creating 5 MTD partitions on "SA1100 flash":
 0x00000000-0x00020000 : "RedBoot"
 0x00020000-0x000e0000 : "Linux kernel"
 0x000e0000-0x003c0000 : "JFFS2"
 0x003c0000-0x003e0000 : "RedBoot config"
 0x003e0000-0x00400000 : "FIS directory"

 What's important here is the position of the partition we are interested in,
 which is the third one.  Within Linux, this correspond to /dev/mtdblock2.
 Therefore to boot Linux with the kernel and its root filesystem in flash, we
 need this RedBoot command:

 	fis load "Linux kernel"
 	exec -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000 -c "root=/dev/mtdblock2"

 Of course other filesystems than JFFS might be used, like cramfs for example.
 You might want to boot with a root filesystem over NFS, etc.  It is also
 possible, and sometimes more convenient, to flash a filesystem directly from
 within Linux while booted from a ramdisk or NFS.  The Linux MTD repository has
 many tools to deal with flash memory as well, to erase it for example.  JFFS2
 can then be mounted directly on a freshly erased partition and files can be
 copied over directly.  Etc...


 RedBoot scripting
 -----------------

 All the commands above aren't so useful if they have to be typed in every
 time the Assabet is rebooted.  Therefore it's possible to automate the boot
 process using RedBoot's scripting capability.

 For example, I use this to boot Linux with both the kernel and the ramdisk
 images retrieved from a TFTP server on the network:

 RedBoot> fconfig
 Run script at boot: false true
 Boot script:
 Enter script, terminate with empty line
 >> load zImage -r -b 0x100000
 >> load ramdisk_ks.gz -r -b 0x800000
 >> exec -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000
 >>
 Boot script timeout (1000ms resolution): 3
 Use BOOTP for network configuration: true
 GDB connection port: 9000
 Network debug at boot time: false
 Update RedBoot non-volatile configuration - are you sure (y/n)? y

 Then, rebooting the Assabet is just a matter of waiting for the login prompt.


 Nicolas Pitre
 nico@fluxnic.net
 June 12, 2001


 Status of peripherals in -rmk tree (updated 14/10/2001)
 -------------------------------------------------------

 Assabet:
  Serial ports:
   Radio:		TX, RX, CTS, DSR, DCD, RI
    PM:			Not tested.
   COM:			TX, RX, CTS, DSR, DCD, RTS, DTR, PM
    PM:			Not tested.
   I2C:			Implemented, not fully tested.
   L3:			Fully tested, pass.
    PM:			Not tested.

  Video:
   LCD:			Fully tested.  PM
 			(LCD doesn't like being blanked with
 			 neponset connected)
   Video out:		Not fully

  Audio:
   UDA1341:
    Playback:		Fully tested, pass.
    Record:		Implemented, not tested.
    PM:			Not tested.

   UCB1200:
    Audio play:		Implemented, not heavily tested.
    Audio rec:		Implemented, not heavily tested.
    Telco audio play:	Implemented, not heavily tested.
    Telco audio rec:	Implemented, not heavily tested.
    POTS control:	No
    Touchscreen:		Yes
    PM:			Not tested.

  Other:
   PCMCIA:
    LPE:			Fully tested, pass.
   USB:			No
   IRDA:
    SIR:			Fully tested, pass.
    FIR:			Fully tested, pass.
    PM:			Not tested.

 Neponset:
  Serial ports:
   COM1,2:	TX, RX, CTS, DSR, DCD, RTS, DTR
    PM:			Not tested.
   USB:			Implemented, not heavily tested.
   PCMCIA:		Implemented, not heavily tested.
    PM:			Not tested.
   CF:			Implemented, not heavily tested.
    PM:			Not tested.

 More stuff can be found in the -np (Nicolas Pitre's) tree.
	The Intel Assabet (SA-1110 evaluation) board
	============================================

	Please see:
	http://developer.intel.com

	Also some notes from John G Dorsey <jd5q@andrew.cmu.edu>:
	http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~wearable/software/assabet.html


	Building the kernel
	-------------------

	To build the kernel with current defaults:

	make assabet_config
	make oldconfig
	make zImage

	The resulting kernel image should be available in linux/arch/arm/boot/zImage.


	Installing a bootloader
	-----------------------

	A couple of bootloaders able to boot Linux on Assabet are available:

	BLOB (http://www.lartmaker.nl/lartware/blob/)

	BLOB is a bootloader used within the LART project. Some contributed
	patches were merged into BLOB to add support for Assabet.

	Compaq's Bootldr + John Dorsey's patch for Assabet support
	(http://www.handhelds.org/Compaq/bootldr.html)
	(http://www.wearablegroup.org/software/bootldr/)

	Bootldr is the bootloader developed by Compaq for the iPAQ Pocket PC.
	John Dorsey has produced add-on patches to add support for Assabet and
	the JFFS filesystem.

	RedBoot (http://sources.redhat.com/redboot/)

	RedBoot is a bootloader developed by Red Hat based on the eCos RTOS
	hardware abstraction layer. It supports Assabet amongst many other
	hardware platforms.

	RedBoot is currently the recommended choice since it's the only one to have
	networking support, and is the most actively maintained.

	Brief examples on how to boot Linux with RedBoot are shown below. But first
	you need to have RedBoot installed in your flash memory. A known to work
	precompiled RedBoot binary is available from the following location:

	ftp://ftp.netwinder.org/users/n/nico/
	ftp://ftp.arm.linux.org.uk/pub/linux/arm/people/nico/
	ftp://ftp.handhelds.org/pub/linux/arm/sa-1100-patches/

	Look for redboot-assabet*.tgz. Some installation infos are provided in
	redboot-assabet*.txt.


	Initial RedBoot configuration
	-----------------------------

	The commands used here are explained in The RedBoot User's Guide available
	on-line at http://sources.redhat.com/ecos/docs.html.
	Please refer to it for explanations.

	If you have a CF network card (my Assabet kit contained a CF+ LP-E from
	Socket Communications Inc.), you should strongly consider using it for TFTP
	file transfers. You must insert it before RedBoot runs since it can't detect
	it dynamically.

	To initialize the flash directory:

	fis init -f

	To initialize the non-volatile settings, like whether you want to use BOOTP or
	a static IP address, etc, use this command:

	fconfig -i


	Writing a kernel image into flash
	---------------------------------

	First, the kernel image must be loaded into RAM. If you have the zImage file
	available on a TFTP server:

	load zImage -r -b 0x100000

	If you rather want to use Y-Modem upload over the serial port:

	load -m ymodem -r -b 0x100000

	To write it to flash:

	fis create "Linux kernel" -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000


	Booting the kernel
	------------------

	The kernel still requires a filesystem to boot. A ramdisk image can be loaded
	as follows:

	load ramdisk_image.gz -r -b 0x800000

	Again, Y-Modem upload can be used instead of TFTP by replacing the file name
	by '-y ymodem'.

	Now the kernel can be retrieved from flash like this:

	fis load "Linux kernel"

	or loaded as described previously. To boot the kernel:

	exec -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000

	The ramdisk image could be stored into flash as well, but there are better
	solutions for on-flash filesystems as mentioned below.


	Using JFFS2
	-----------

	Using JFFS2 (the Second Journalling Flash File System) is probably the most
	convenient way to store a writable filesystem into flash. JFFS2 is used in
	conjunction with the MTD layer which is responsible for low-level flash
	management. More information on the Linux MTD can be found on-line at:
	http://www.linux-mtd.infradead.org/. A JFFS howto with some infos about
	creating JFFS/JFFS2 images is available from the same site.

	For instance, a sample JFFS2 image can be retrieved from the same FTP sites
	mentioned below for the precompiled RedBoot image.

	To load this file:

	load sample_img.jffs2 -r -b 0x100000

	The result should look like:

	RedBoot> load sample_img.jffs2 -r -b 0x100000
	Raw file loaded 0x00100000-0x00377424

	Now we must know the size of the unallocated flash:

	fis free

	Result:

	RedBoot> fis free
	0x500E0000 .. 0x503C0000

	The values above may be different depending on the size of the filesystem and
	the type of flash. See their usage below as an example and take care of
	substituting yours appropriately.

	We must determine some values:

	size of unallocated flash: 0x503c0000 - 0x500e0000 = 0x2e0000
	size of the filesystem image: 0x00377424 - 0x00100000 = 0x277424

	We want to fit the filesystem image of course, but we also want to give it all
	the remaining flash space as well. To write it:

	fis unlock -f 0x500E0000 -l 0x2e0000
	fis erase -f 0x500E0000 -l 0x2e0000
	fis write -b 0x100000 -l 0x277424 -f 0x500E0000
	fis create "JFFS2" -n -f 0x500E0000 -l 0x2e0000

	Now the filesystem is associated to a MTD "partition" once Linux has discovered
	what they are in the boot process. From Redboot, the 'fis list' command
	displays them:

	RedBoot> fis list
	Name FLASH addr Mem addr Length Entry point
	RedBoot 0x50000000 0x50000000 0x00020000 0x00000000
	RedBoot config 0x503C0000 0x503C0000 0x00020000 0x00000000
	FIS directory 0x503E0000 0x503E0000 0x00020000 0x00000000
	Linux kernel 0x50020000 0x00100000 0x000C0000 0x00000000
	JFFS2 0x500E0000 0x500E0000 0x002E0000 0x00000000

	However Linux should display something like:

	SA1100 flash: probing 32-bit flash bus
	SA1100 flash: Found 2 x16 devices at 0x0 in 32-bit mode
	Using RedBoot partition definition
	Creating 5 MTD partitions on "SA1100 flash":
	0x00000000-0x00020000 : "RedBoot"
	0x00020000-0x000e0000 : "Linux kernel"
	0x000e0000-0x003c0000 : "JFFS2"
	0x003c0000-0x003e0000 : "RedBoot config"
	0x003e0000-0x00400000 : "FIS directory"

	What's important here is the position of the partition we are interested in,
	which is the third one. Within Linux, this correspond to /dev/mtdblock2.
	Therefore to boot Linux with the kernel and its root filesystem in flash, we
	need this RedBoot command:

	fis load "Linux kernel"
	exec -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000 -c "root=/dev/mtdblock2"

	Of course other filesystems than JFFS might be used, like cramfs for example.
	You might want to boot with a root filesystem over NFS, etc. It is also
	possible, and sometimes more convenient, to flash a filesystem directly from
	within Linux while booted from a ramdisk or NFS. The Linux MTD repository has
	many tools to deal with flash memory as well, to erase it for example. JFFS2
	can then be mounted directly on a freshly erased partition and files can be
	copied over directly. Etc...


	RedBoot scripting
	-----------------

	All the commands above aren't so useful if they have to be typed in every
	time the Assabet is rebooted. Therefore it's possible to automate the boot
	process using RedBoot's scripting capability.

	For example, I use this to boot Linux with both the kernel and the ramdisk
	images retrieved from a TFTP server on the network:

	RedBoot> fconfig
	Run script at boot: false true
	Boot script:
	Enter script, terminate with empty line
	>> load zImage -r -b 0x100000
	>> load ramdisk_ks.gz -r -b 0x800000
	>> exec -b 0x100000 -l 0xc0000
	>>
	Boot script timeout (1000ms resolution): 3
	Use BOOTP for network configuration: true
	GDB connection port: 9000
	Network debug at boot time: false
	Update RedBoot non-volatile configuration - are you sure (y/n)? y

	Then, rebooting the Assabet is just a matter of waiting for the login prompt.



	Nicolas Pitre
	nico@fluxnic.net
	June 12, 2001


	Status of peripherals in -rmk tree (updated 14/10/2001)
	-------------------------------------------------------

	Assabet:
	Serial ports:
	Radio: TX, RX, CTS, DSR, DCD, RI
	PM: Not tested.
	COM: TX, RX, CTS, DSR, DCD, RTS, DTR, PM
	PM: Not tested.
	I2C: Implemented, not fully tested.
	L3: Fully tested, pass.
	PM: Not tested.

	Video:
	LCD: Fully tested. PM
	(LCD doesn't like being blanked with
	neponset connected)
	Video out: Not fully

	Audio:
	UDA1341:
	Playback: Fully tested, pass.
	Record: Implemented, not tested.
	PM: Not tested.

	UCB1200:
	Audio play: Implemented, not heavily tested.
	Audio rec: Implemented, not heavily tested.
	Telco audio play: Implemented, not heavily tested.
	Telco audio rec: Implemented, not heavily tested.
	POTS control: No
	Touchscreen: Yes
	PM: Not tested.

	Other:
	PCMCIA:
	LPE: Fully tested, pass.
	USB: No
	IRDA:
	SIR: Fully tested, pass.
	FIR: Fully tested, pass.
	PM: Not tested.

	Neponset:
	Serial ports:
	COM1,2: TX, RX, CTS, DSR, DCD, RTS, DTR
	PM: Not tested.
	USB: Implemented, not heavily tested.
	PCMCIA: Implemented, not heavily tested.
	PM: Not tested.
	CF: Implemented, not heavily tested.
	PM: Not tested.

	More stuff can be found in the -np (Nicolas Pitre's) tree.