Linux on Virtex board with ARCH=powerpc

Stephen Neuendorffer stephen.neuendorffer at xilinx.com
Wed Jun 25 05:50:51 EST 2008



> -----Original Message-----
> From: linuxppc-embedded-bounces+stephen=neuendorffer.name at ozlabs.org
[mailto:linuxppc-embedded-
> bounces+stephen=neuendorffer.name at ozlabs.org] On Behalf Of Peter
Mendham
> Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 12:21 PM
> To: John Linn
> Cc: linuxppc-embedded at ozlabs.org
> Subject: Re: Linux on Virtex board with ARCH=powerpc
> 
> Hi John,
> 
> Thanks for your reply, that's really helpful.  I'm actually using the
> mainline kernel, rather than the one from the xilinx git tree, but
your
> information has really moved me on.  My first problem was that the
> Xilinx utility (from the git tree) for device tree dts generation
didn't
> insert a "linux,stdout-path" node under "chosen".  I spotted that the
> ml403 example had this, so after adding it I got early console
> messages.  Everything now grinds to a halt after I get the message
"flat
> tree at 0x40ad60" which is just before it calls the kernel, so I
assume
> it's that call that is killing it.  I have "console=ttyUL0" for my
> uartlite, so I should be getting messages, shouldn't I?  Do you know
> where the next execution point is?  Maybe I could find out where it's
> getting stuck.

It's time to look at __log_buf, most likely.
 
> I haven't managed to generate an ACE file, I'm just loading the kernel
> image from xmd ATM, genace won't play ball for me, it complains about
> -board user not being valid, it won't even run on the examples copied
> directly from the user manual.  Anyway, I think genace is a bit OT,
and
> I can manage with xmd for now.

This is fixed in EDK 10.1 SP2, I believe.

> 
> Thanks,
> -- Peter
> 
> John Linn wrote:
> > Hi Peter,
> >
> > I'm not up on what can be done with the simple image you refer to in
1.
> > I'm sure I should be, but there's a lot to learn.
> >
> > With regards to 2, the elf image, zImage (without the elf
extension), is
> > located in arch/powerpc/boot.
> >
> > You can make a SystemACE file from that elf image just as you did in
> > arch/ppc.  We have a default device tree file, ml405.dts, in the
> > arch/powerpc/boot/dts directory for our ml405 board. The kernel
> > configuration has a config, DEVICE_TREE, that specifies the name of
the
> > device tree file. I normally compile the device tree into the kernel
> > which is the default build, make ARCH=powerpc zImage. That image
does
> > not require a boot loader.
> >
> > I inserted the text below from a document that I have about building
the
> > arch/ppc and arch/powerpc kernels.
> >
> > Hope that helps,
> > John
> >
> >
> > Notation
> >
> > The phrase "<ppc or powerpc>" is used throughput the text and means
that
> > one or the other, "ppc" or "powerpc" is to be typed depending on the
> > architecture you are building.
> >
> > Commands that are used in a bash shell are preceded by ">".
> >
> > Getting Ready To Build the Kernel
> >
> > This assumes you installed the ELDK tools and assumes you'll be
using a
> > bash shell.
> >
> >
> >> bash
> >> export CROSS_COMPILE=ppc_4xx-
> >>
> >
> > Setting Up the Kernel Tree
> >
> > If you have previously built this kernel for another architecture,
ppc
> > or powerpc, then the tree needs to be setup correctly for the new
> > architecture.  Assuming you have not previously built it, this does
not
> > need to be done.
> >
> >
> >> make ARCH=<ppc or powerpc> mrproper
> >>
> >
> > Configuring the Kernel
> >
> > The kernel should be configured to run on the ML405 or ML507 board
from
> > Xilinx.
> >
> >
> >> make ARCH=<ppc or powerpc>  ml405_defconfig
> >>
> >
> > or
> >
> >
> >> make ARCH=<ppc or powerpc> ml507_defconfig
> >>
> >
> > Building the Kernel
> >
> > The following command will build the Linux kernel assuming you are
in
> > the root directory of the kernel.  The root directory of the kernel
from
> > the Xilinx Git tree is linux-2.6-xlnx. An elf file, zImage.elf, is
> > created in the arch/ppc/boot/images directory for ppc architecture.
An
> > elf file, zImage, is created in the the arch/powerpc/boot directory
for
> > the powerpc architecture.
> >
> >
> >> make ARCH=<ppc or powerpc> zImage
> >>
> >
> > Building the Kernel With Ramdisk
> >
> > A ram disk image, a file named *.gz, must be placed into the
> > arch/ppc/boot/images or arch/powerpc/boot directory, depending on
the
> > architecture, prior to building the kernel.
> >
> >
> >> make ARCH=<ppc or powerpc> zImage.initrd
> >>
> >
> > An elf file, zImage.initrd.elf, is created in arch/ppc/boot/images
> > directory for the ppc architecture. An elf file file, zImage.initrd,
is
> > created in arch/powerpc/boot directory for the powerpc architecture.
> >
> > Generating An Ace File
> >
> > The elf file generated for the kernel and the bit stream can be
combined
> > to create an ACE file for compact flash.  The following assumes a
bash
> > shell where XMD is accessible and a xilinx probe attached to the
board
> > for which you are generating an ace file.
> >
> >
> >> xmd -tcl genace.tcl -jprog -target ppc_hw -hw <bit file name> -elf
<elf
> >>
> > file name> -board <ml405 or ml507> -ace <desired ace file name>
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: linuxppc-embedded-bounces+john.linn=xilinx.com at ozlabs.org
> > [mailto:linuxppc-embedded-bounces+john.linn=xilinx.com at ozlabs.org]
On
> > Behalf Of Peter Mendham
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 3:02 AM
> > To: linuxppc-embedded at ozlabs.org
> > Subject: Linux on Virtex board with ARCH=powerpc
> >
> > Dear all,
> >
> > I'm trying to boot a 2.6.26-rc6 kernel on a custom Virtex 4 board.
I
> > have used the Xilinx utility to generate a device tree and now want
to
> > generate an image for throwing onto CF for use with a SystemACE
(just
> > like on the the ML3/4xx boards).  I don't want to use a bootloader
(I
> > don't really need one).  I saw something on this list about
simpleImage,
> >
> > "simple" sounded good to me so I thought I'd try that (or did I
> > misinterpret what this is for?).  I also don't want the image to be
too
> > big, I always used to use a zImage under ARCH=ppc. So, two
questions,
> > which hopefully are easy ones:
> > 1. I did what Grant said in a post to this list about simpleImage,
and
> > dumped my dts into arch/powerpc/boot/dts and I called it system.dts
(for
> >
> > now).  I then tried to do make simpleImage.system which ran right
> > through to final link then moaned about a missing simpleboot-system.
> > Where is this supposed to come from?  What am I doing wrong?  I
naively
> > tried copying simpleboot.o to simpleboot-system.o and the error went
> > away.  Hmm.
> > 2. I need an ELF to give to my SystemACE file generator.  This used
to
> > pop up in arch/ppc/boot/images and be called zImage.elf, which made
> > sense to me.  What's the deal now with powerpc?  What should I be
using?
> > Finally, can anyone give me a heads-up on any gotchas with what I'm
> > trying to do.  As you can tell, I don't entirely know what I'm
doing, so
> >
> > any pointers would be gratefully received.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > -- Peter
> >
> >
> > The University of Dundee is a Scottish Registered Charity, No.
SC015096.
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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> 
> The University of Dundee is a Scottish Registered Charity, No.
SC015096.
> 
> 
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