Software requirements
-Cross compiler and git.
On Debian distributions install as:
$: sudo apt-get install gcc-arm-linux-gnueabi
$: sudo apt-get install git
-Hardware requirements
SD card with two partition, 1st for boot and second for rootfs. See section 3. and 4.
for instructions for making the two partition SD card
$: git clone https://github.com/koliqi/imx23-olinuxino
This package contains patches that have initial usb support with kernel linux-3.X,
Freescale imx-bootlets, Freescale utility elftosb2 and patches for imx-bootlets.
Directory tree is as follows:
.
├── bootlets
│ ├── elftosb-0.3
│ │ ├── elftosb2
│ │ └── Makefile
│ ├── imx23_olinuxino_bootlets.patch
│ └── imx-bootlets-src-10.05.02.tar.gz
├── kernel
│ ├── usb_led.patch
│ └── usb.patch
├── README.md
└── rootfs
Switch into directory kernel and download kernel sources:
$: cd imx23-olinuxino/kernel
$: git clone -b patches-3.6-rc1 git://github.com/Freescale/linux-mainline.git
Inside the new created directory linux-mainline, there are files representing patches-3.6-rc1 branch.
Switch into directory linux-mainline to apply patch.
$: cd linux-mainline
$: patch -p1 < ../usb_led.patch
response would be:
patching file arch/arm/boot/dts/imx23-olinuxino.dts
patching file arch/arm/boot/dts/imx23.dtsi
patching file drivers/usb/otg/mxs-phy.c
Start from supplied default mxs_defconfig configuration:
$: make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- mxs_defconfig
$: make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- menuconfig
Select Boot options ---> and select following options:
Boot options ---->
[*] Use appended device tree blob to zImage (EXPERIMENTAL)
[*] Supplement the appended DTB with traditional ATAG information
(console=ttyAMA0,115200 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rw rootwait) Default kernel command string
Enable the smsc95xx driver in the kernel configuration. Save configuration and exit.
Compile kernel
$: make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- zImage modules
Kernel is ready at arch/arm/boot/zImage.
*Create device tree blob .dtb file:
$: make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- imx23-olinuxino.dtb
Join zImage and imx23-olinuxino.dtb into a new file zImage_dtb:
$: cat arch/arm/boot/zImage arch/arm/boot/imx23-olinuxino.dtb > arch/arm/boot/zImage_dtb
If you want to repeat this procedure, start with clean-up:
$: make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- distclean
$: make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- clean
"The iMX23 SoC contains a built-in ROM firmware capable of loading and
executing binary images in special format from different locations including
MMC/SD card and NAND flash." *)
Binary image is called a boot stream (.bs). Boot stream consists of a series of
smaller bootable images (bootlets) that when all together create the binary image
of the kernel. Linking bootlets with kernel and converting from elf format to raw
boot stream is done with utility elftobs. In this package, utility elftobs2 is
located in directory elftosb-0.3.
Switch into directory elftosb-0.3 and make symbolic link into compilers default
PATH:
$: sudo ln -s `pwd`/elftosb2 /usr/sbin/
Check with locate:
$: locate elftosb2
elftosb2 should be located at /usr/sbin/elftosb2.
Next, switch into directory bootlets and untar archive imx-bootlets-src-10.05.02.tar.gz
$: tar xvzf imx-bootlets-src-10.05.02.tar.gz
then go into directory imx-bootlets-src-10.05.02 and apply patches:
$: patch -p1 < ../imx23_olinuxino_bootlets.patch
This patched package require zImage in this directory. We have created
zImage_dtb instead, so make symbolic link as:
$: ln -s ../../kernel/linux-mainline/arch/arm/boot/zImage_dtb ./zImage
Make boot stream file:
$: make CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- clean
$: make CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi-
Final response would be:
To install bootstream onto SD/MMC card, type: sudo dd if=sd_mmc_bootstream.raw of=/dev/sdXY where X is the correct letter for your sd or mmc device (to check, do a ls /dev/sd*) and Y is the partition number for the bootstream
In my system sd device is /dev/sdb1, so writing bootstream file in card is done by:
$: sudo dd if=sd_mmc_bootstream.raw of=/dev/sdb1
Card is ready.
It is good practice to work with multiple consoles. Open one into directory linux-mainline,
second into imx-bootlets-src-10.05.02 and third console for minicom to monitor olinuxino.
If olinuxino failing to boot because of the error:
Undefined Instruction
r14_unHTLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLFC
Probably your toolchain does not support cpu arm926ej-s. Download sources and
compile --with-arch=armv5te --with-tune=arm926ej-s. If you prefer premade binaries,
download arm-none-eabi toolchain. It is proven to work with arm926ej-s.
Add PPA in your system:
$: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:germia/archive3
Refresh list of software available, including the PPA you just added:
$: sudo apt-get update
Install packages:
sudo apt-get install gcc-arm-none-eabi binutils-arm-none-eabi \
newlib-arm-none-eabi \
gdb-arm-none-eabi
Instead of CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabi- write CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi-
and follow instructions in section 1.) and 2.).
Create two partition in your SD card. Boot stream file is going to be installed in 1st
partition (type 53 - OnTrack DM6 Aux3 )and rootfs in second partition (type 83 - Linux).
Here is an example of 2G SD card with two partitions :
Disk /dev/sdb: 1977 MB, 1977614336 bytes
61 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1021 cylinders, total 3862528 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 2048 33297 15625 53 OnTrack DM6 Aux3
/dev/sdb2 33298 3862527 1914615 83 Linux
Insert your SD card into a card reader of your linux developing machine and list partition
tables for all disks:
$: sudo fdisk -l
Identify your SD disk. In this example SD disk is recognized as /dev/sdb.
Unmount all mounted partitions, i.e. sudo umount /dev/sdb2 .
Run fdisk:
$: sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
o Press 'p' to show the partitions on the card
o Press 'd' to delete a partition. Repeat to remove all partitions
o Press 'n' to create a new partition
+ press 'p' to select the primary partitio
+ press '1' for creating partition 1 on the card
+ press Enter to start from first block
+ Type '+16MB' to create the 16MB partitions
o Press 't' to change the newly created partition type
+ Enter '53' for the new partition type
o Press 'n' to create a second partition
+ Press Enter to accept all default setting
o Press 'w' to write the partitions to the card and exit the fdisk
In this example SD disk is recognized as /dev/sdb. Format the second partition on the SD card:
$: sudo mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb2
Make mount point directory /mnt/mmc
$: sudo mkdir /mnt/mmc
Mount the partition /dev/sdb2 on mount point directory /mnt/mmc:
$: sudo mount /dev/sdb2 /mnt/mmc
Copy the rootfs to mount point directory:
$: sudo cp -a <path_to_your_rootfs> /mnt/mmc
Unmount SD disk:
$: sudo umount /dev/sdb2
$: sync
At this point the SD card should be ready for use.
*) i.MX23 Linux BSP User’s Guide, Freescale Rev. 10.05.03, 05/2010