Topic: Updated U-boot (with deb file)
Hello All,
Something I wanted to do is also update u-boot, and I have inital working status on that!
I have been wokring with the 2017-09 code base. To get that, use these commands:
git clone git://git.denx.de/u-boot.git
cd u-boot
git fetch origin c98ac3487e413c71e5d36322ef3324b21c6f60f9
git reset --hard FETCH_HEAD
make menuconfig
make
This produces the "u-boot.img" and the "SPL" (it is called SPL when compiled, that is equivalent to "u-boot.spl")
I have the config file, and a working SPL and u-boot.img file here:
EDIT: This is no longer here, I have made a seperate git hub
Note that this u-boot.img looks for a file "extlinux/extlinux.conf" in the boot partitions to know what to load and boot, so I added that file there.
The big reason I wanted to do this is that not only does this support ext4, but it can search for boot files on the MMC card, SATA card, and USB drive with little intervention. It also supprts the raw "vmlinuz" and "initrd.img" files that are produces from compiling the kernel. This makes it much easier to support a MMC only or SATA drive, and in addition, make it easier to boot off of a USB or SD card.
I will warn you, this is very much in a "beta" status. But the Video output works (though you will have to manually set it and save the env, or else it will default to serial), and I would like to get this functioning like the original u-boot.
But I also wanted to put this out there because as of now, I cannot access the EEPROM located within the Novena. I will be working later on to try to get it to work, but if I dont, I wanted to hear some thoughts on where to put the new ENV file. Right now, I am making it a second partition on the MMC card that holds the env files (you can disable any environment in the menuconfig part, or it will fail and use the default env). However, I am leaning towards making the SD card have two boot partitions, one is a FAT partition that only contains the u-boot.img and the boot env, and another that is ext4 and can be a / partition for an only SD card novena, or also a /boot for one with a SATA (I think the /boot can also be only on the SATA, but I haven't tested, I just got it to work). I like that idea because it becomes much easier to remotely update.
Does anyone have any thoughts for that?