Difference between revisions of "BeagleBoardUbuntu"

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[[Category: Linux]]
 
[[Category: Linux]]
 
[[Category: OMAP]]
 
[[Category: OMAP]]
Ubuntu 9.04 Alpha seems to be working quite well so here's a quick doc.  Eventually this will probably be moved to ubuntu's wiki...
+
[[Category:Development Boards]]
 +
[[Category: BeagleBoard]]
 +
''(For BeagleBoardAngstrom, click [[BeagleBoardAngstrom|here]].)''
 +
''(Should [[Beagleboard:Ubuntu On BeagleBone Black]] be merged into this page?)''
  
This page is about running a (ARM EABI) [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] distribution at [[BeagleBoard]]. BeagleBoard will boot the (ARM EABI) Ubuntu distribution from [[BeagleBoard#MMC.2FSD_boot|SD card]].
+
This page is about running a Linux distribution (ARM [https://wiki.debian.org/ArmEabiPort EABI]) [http://www.ubuntu.com/ Ubuntu] on the [[BeagleBoard]]. BeagleBoard will boot the (ARM EABI) Ubuntu distribution from the [[BeagleBoard#MMC.2FSD_boot|SD card]]. Since much of this page is generic, it has also been extended to help support devices such as the [[PandaBoard]] and [[BeagleBone]].
  
Note: Ubuntu 9.04 isn't officially released as of this edit date, although ubuntu development is in the alpha-5 stage, things could still stop working.
+
* For the best experience, make sure you have an LCD/HDMI monitor attached to the BeagleBoard's HDMI port, 2 GB/4 GB/8 GB SD card, and a known good USB 2.0 hub with mouse and keyboard.
  
= Recommended Beagle Software =  
+
= Help =
  
xloader xxxx  Upgrade
+
If you need any help:
  
U-Boot 2009.01 Upgrade: http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Upgrade_U-Boot
+
*Kernel related help:
 +
** [https://groups.google.com/group/beagleboard Email Beagleboard user group] *Recommended method
 +
** ''#beagle'': Beagle IRC on Freenode, accessible also by [http://beagleboard.org/discuss web interface] ([http://www.beagleboard.org/irclogs/index.php logs])
 +
** Kernel Trees
 +
*** [https://github.com/RobertCNelson/stable-kernel/tree/v3.7.x Stable (3.7.x) branch]
 +
*** [https://github.com/RobertCNelson/linux-dev Development Kernel source code]
  
= Ubuntu Rootfs Install =
+
*Ubuntu related help:
Use Oliver's <ogra> script located here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/RootfsFromScratch
+
** ''#ubuntu-arm'': Ubuntu's ARM IRC on Freenode ([http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/ logs] -> year -> month -> day -> #ubuntu-arm.html)
  
==PC: Build Root File System==
+
*When requesting help, please provide some debugging information:
Requirements:
+
** U-Boot Version installed on board
sudo apt-get install qemu
+
** Kernel Version: uname -a
 +
** pastebin dmesg
 +
*** Copy from serial port or use "dmesg | pastebinit" (sudo apt-get install pastebinit)
  
wget http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/main/d/debootstrap/debootstrap_1.0.12_all.deb
+
= Required Beagle Software =
sudo dpkg -i debootstrap_1.0.12_all.deb
 
wget http://people.ubuntu.com/~ogra/arm/build-arm-rootfs
 
sudo chmod u+x build-arm-rootfs
 
  
General
+
Mainline U-Boot:
sudo ./build-arm-rootfs --fqdn <hostname> --login <rootuser> --password <rootuserpasswd> --imagesize <qemu image size> --seed <packages>
+
* All older BeagleBoard (classic) Ax, Bx, Cx and Dx boards are required to upgrade to at least these U-Boot versions
 +
* XM Boards have no NAND, so MLO/u-boot.img is always required on the first partition
 +
* Directions: [http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Upgrade_X-loader_and_U-boot Upgrade X-loader and U-Boot]
  
lxde Destktop
+
= Omap Serial Changes =
sudo ./build-arm-rootfs --fqdn beagleboard --login ubuntu --password temppwd --imagesize 2G --seed lxde,gdm
 
  
Xubuntu Desktop
+
boot.scr/boot.cmd changes:
sudo ./build-arm-rootfs --fqdn beagleboard --login ubuntu --password temppwd --imagesize 2G --seed xubuntu-desktop
 
  
Ubuntu Desktop
+
With 2.6.35:
  sudo ./build-arm-rootfs --fqdn beagleboard --login ubuntu --password temppwd --imagesize 3G --seed ubuntu-desktop
+
  console=ttyS2,115200n8
  
==PC: Format SD Card==
+
With 2.6.36/37+:
 +
console=ttyO2,115200n8
  
You will need a 1GB SD card or greater.
+
Serial console login: /etc/init/ttyO2.conf
  Standard System : ~xxxMB
+
start on stopped rc RUNLEVEL=[2345]
+ Desktop environment (GNOME) : ~x.xGB
+
stop on runlevel [!2345]
 +
 +
respawn
 +
  exec /sbin/getty 115200 ttyO2
 +
 
 +
 
 +
= Method 1: Download a Complete Pre-Configured Image =
 +
 
 +
==Demo Image==
 +
 
 +
* These demonstration images contain a custom Mainline based kernel with experimental enhancements to the boards supported. They are usually updated about once a month, as new features/enhancements get added by the community. Currently, this image ships with two kernels "armv7" which is for mainline omap3+ devices (BeagleBoard/PandaBoard) and the "bone" which is specifically for the BeagleBone. The kernel is stress-tested by a farm of Panda/Beagles running 24/7 under a heavy load (building gcc trunk/mainline kernel).
 +
 
 +
* '''Advanced Users only''': Beagle xM: Kernel source, used in these demo images: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7-multiplatform
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7-multiplatform.git
 +
cd armv7-multiplatform
 +
git checkout origin/v3.13.x -b tmp
 +
./build_kernel.sh
 +
* '''Advanced Users only''': BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black:  Kernel v3.8.x source, used in these demo images: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/linux-dev/tree/am33x-v3.8
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/linux-dev.git
 +
cd linux-dev
 +
git checkout origin/am33x-v3.8 -b tmp
 +
./build_kernel.sh
 +
* '''Advanced Users only''': Userspace, used in these demo images:
 +
https://github.com/RobertCNelson/omap-image-builder
  
Starting with an empty SD card and using gparted, create:
+
=== Trusty 14.04 ===
50 MiB Primary Partition, fat32
+
Image Updated:
Rest as ext2/ext3
+
*2014-04-18
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.10-armv7-x11 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
 +
*2014-02-16
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.3-armv7-x10 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
 +
*2014-01-24
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.0-armv7-x9 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel
  
Gparted Example: http://nishanthmenon.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-boot-beagle.html
+
Services Active:
 +
Note: Depending on your internal network these may work out of the box
 +
Apache, Port 80: http://arm/ (Bone: via usb) http://192.168.7.2
 +
SSH, Port 22: ssh ubuntu@arm (Bone: via usb) ubuntu@192.168.7.2
 +
Getty, Serial Port
  
==PC: Setup SD uboot/uImage Partition==
+
Default user: ubuntu pass: temppwd
  
Mount your SD card fat32 partition. (/media/disk/)
+
Get prebuilt image:
 +
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/rootfs/trusty/ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
  
Note: Depending on how your system mounts the cards, you may have to run as sudo.
+
Verify Image with:
 +
md5sum ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
 +
90d61e843d61c9edf68c56749b2110b6  ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
  
cd /media/disk/
+
Unpack Image:
  wget http://www.rcn-ee.com/deb/kernel/CC-v2.6.28-79d042a-oer14
+
  tar xf ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
  mv CC-v2.6.28-9a6536c-oer8 uImage
+
cd ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18
 +
 
 +
If you don't know the location of your SD card:
 +
  sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --probe-mmc
 +
 
 +
You should see something like:
 +
 
 +
Are you sure? I don't see [/dev/idontknow], here is what I do see...
 
   
 
   
  ext3
+
  fdisk -l:
  wget http://www.rcn-ee.com/deb/kernel/ubuntu-ext3.scr
+
  Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes '''<- x86 Root Drive'''
mv ubuntu-ext3.scr boot.scr
+
Disk /dev/sdd: 3957 MB, 3957325824 bytes '''<- MMC/SD card'''
 
   
 
   
  ext2
+
  lsblk:
  wget http://www.rcn-ee.com/deb/kernel/ubuntu-ext2.scr
+
NAME  MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
  mv ubuntu-ext2.scr boot.scr
+
sda      8:0    0 465.8G  0 disk
 +
├─sda1  8:1    0 446.9G  0 part /  '''<- x86 Root Partition'''
 +
├─sda2  8:2    0    1K  0 part
 +
└─sda5  8:5    0  18.9G  0 part [SWAP]
 +
sdd      8:48  1  3.7G  0 disk
 +
├─sdd1  8:49  1    64M  0 part
 +
└─sdd2  8:50  1  3.6G  0 part
 +
 
 +
* In this example, we can see via mount, '''/dev/sda1''' is the x86 rootfs, therefore '''/dev/sdd''' is the other drive in the system, which is the MMC/SD card that was inserted and should be used by ./setup_sdcard.sh...
 +
 
 +
Install Image:
 +
 
 +
Quick install script for [board]
 +
sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot board
 +
 
 +
[board] options:
 +
*BeagleBone/Black    - bone
 +
 
 +
So for the BeagleBone:
 +
sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot bone
 +
 
 +
Quick install script for [board] (using new --dtb option)
 +
sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb board
 +
 
 +
board options:
 +
*BeagleBoard Ax/Bx/Cx/Dx    - omap3-beagle
 +
*BeagleBoard xM            - omap3-beagle-xm
 +
 
 +
So for the BeagleBoard xM:
 +
sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb omap3-beagle-xm
 +
 
 +
Advanced: Build Image:
 +
 
 +
Built with a fork of project-rootstock (ARM native mode, runs directly on BeagleBoard), using a script from omap-image-builder:
 +
 
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/omap-image-builder.git
 +
cd omap-image-builder
 +
git checkout v2014.04.1 -b tmp
 +
touch release
 +
./rcn-ee_image.sh
 +
 
 +
=== Saucy 13.10 ===
 +
 
 +
Image Updated:
 +
*2014-04-18
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.10-armv7-x11 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
 +
*2014-02-16
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.3-armv7-x10 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
 +
*2014-01-24
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.0-armv7-x9 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel
 +
 
 +
Get prebuilt image:
 +
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/rootfs/saucy/ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
 +
 
 +
Verify Image with:
 +
md5sum ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
 +
317358714495afd79b7fb843dd427e0d  ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
 +
 
 +
Unpack image:
 +
tar xf ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
 +
cd ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18
 +
 
 +
Then follow the directions shown above with the other images...
 +
 
 +
== Flasher ==
 +
 
 +
=== eMMC: BeagleBone Black ===
 +
 
 +
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or the win32 image program linked to on CircuitCo's wiki page.  First press and hold the boot select button (next to the microSD card), then apply power (same procedure as the official CircuitCo images). The board should boot into Ubuntu and begin flashing the eMMC, once completed all 4 LED's should be full ON.  Simply remove power, remove the microSD card and Ubuntu will now boot directly from eMMC.
 +
 
 +
Script for reference: (this is the script that writes to the eMMC)
 +
https://github.com/RobertCNelson/boot-scripts/blob/master/tools/beaglebone-black-eMMC-flasher.sh
 +
 
 +
BTW: we are only writing about 500 megabytes to the eMMC, so the script will only take about 5-6 Minutes after power on.
 +
 
 +
Notes:
 +
* If only two LED's stay lit and nothing happens, the board has crashed due to lack of power. Retry with a 5Volt DC power supply connected.
 +
* If the 4 LED's blink a constant pattern, the eMMC write has failed. First REMOVE ALL capes, then retry again.
 +
** (error -84: which may mean you've reached the max number of erase/write cycles...)
 +
 
 +
User: ubuntu
 +
pass: temppwd
 +
 
 +
Image Updated:
 +
*2014-04-18
 +
** BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
 +
*2014-02-16
 +
** BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
 +
*2014-01-24
 +
** BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel
 +
 
 +
Get prebuilt image:
 +
  wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/flasher/trusty/BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
 
 +
Verify Image with:
 +
md5sum BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
d6dcc916032c68af4593ebb3834895d0  BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
 
 +
Follow the "standard" update procedure.
 +
http://circuitco.com/support/index.php?title=Updating_The_Software
 +
 
 +
Linux:
 +
unxz BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
sudo dd if=./BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
 +
 
 +
== raw microSD img ==
 +
 
 +
=== BeagleBoard xM ===
 +
 
 +
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or the win32 image program linked to on CircuitCo's wiki page.  First press and hold the boot select button (next to microSD card), then apply power (same procedure as the official CircuitCo images).  The board should boot into Ubuntu.
 +
 
 +
User: ubuntu
 +
pass: temppwd
 +
 
 +
Auto partition resize:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools
 +
git pull
 +
./grow_partition.sh
 +
sudo reboot
 +
 
 +
Image Updated:
 +
*2014-04-18
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.10-armv7-x11 kernel
 +
*2014-02-16
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.3-armv7-x10 kernel
 +
 
 +
Get prebuilt image:
 +
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
 
 +
Verify Image with:
 +
md5sum bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
e9a51385074d5df57f7c7d78ea984a39  bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
 
 +
Linux:
 +
unxz bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
sudo dd if=./bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
 +
 
 +
=== BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black ===
 +
 
 +
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or the win32 image program linked to on CircuitCo's wiki page.  First press and hold the boot select button (next to microSD card), then apply power (same procedure as the official CircuitCo images).  The board should boot into Ubuntu.
 +
 
 +
User: ubuntu
 +
pass: temppwd
 +
 
 +
Auto partition resize:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools
 +
git pull
 +
./grow_partition.sh
 +
sudo reboot
 +
 
 +
Image Updated:
 +
*2014-04-18
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
 +
*2014-02-16
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
 +
*2014-01-24
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel
 +
 
 +
Get prebuilt image:
 +
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
 
 +
Verify Image with:
 +
  md5sum bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
df74a955c1cbbfc360f759b2a375fb36  bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
 
 +
Linux:
 +
unxz bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
 +
sudo dd if=./bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
 +
 
 +
= Method 2: Use the NetInstall method=
 +
 
 +
You will need a 1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB SD card or greater.
 +
Standard system : ~700&nbsp;MB
 +
 
 +
Report Bugs/Issues to: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall/issues
 +
(anywhere else will be ignored..)
 +
 
 +
Download the netinstall script:
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall.git
 +
cd netinstall
 +
 
 +
Currently supported Ubuntu distributions:
 +
--distro oneiric (11.10)
 +
--distro precise-armhf (12.04)
 +
--distro quantal (12.10)
 +
--distro raring (13.04)
 +
--distro saucy (13.10)
 +
 
 +
Device: <board> selection:
 +
*BeagleBoard Ax/Bx/Cx  - omap3-beagle
 +
*BeagleBoard xMA/B/C  - omap3-beagle-xm
 +
*BeagleBone Ax        - am335x-bone-serial
 +
*BeagleBone (DVI cape) - am335x-bone-video
 +
*BeagleBone Black      - am335x-boneblack
 +
*PandaBoard Ax    - omap4-panda
 +
*PandaBoard A4+    - omap4-panda-a4
 +
*PandaBoard ES    - omap4-panda-es
 +
 
 +
Installation script for new <board> selection: (slowly migrating all devices to this method)
 +
sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb <board> --distro <distro>
 +
 
 +
So for the xM: with quantal:
 +
sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb omap3-beagle-xm --distro quantal
 +
 
 +
*Other Options:
 +
**--firmware : installs firmware
 +
**--serial-mode : debian-installer uses Serial Port
  
Need a different resolution or other setting in the *.scr's? See : http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#U-Boot_Script_Files
+
Place SD card into BeagleBoard and boot:
  
Note: CC-v2.6.28-9a6536c-oer8 uImage was built with most/all available usb wifi/ethernet adapter built in to get the beagleboard to connect to the internet. For most people this is all you'll need, however it is recommended to install one of the kernel image deb packages. (script is provided.)
+
Configure the network:
 +
usb0: USB net <- (usually the OTG port)
 +
eth0: USB net <- (usually the smsc95xx adapter on the BeagleBoard and PandaBoard)
 +
  wlan0: Wifi <- Your USDB-Wi-Fi device..  
  
==PC: Setup SD ext2/ext3 Partition==
+
See my notes for my testing procedure: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall/blob/master/test.Ubuntu
  
Mount your SD ext2/ext3 partition. (/media/disk/)
+
Troubleshooting: If booting fails..
 +
*Hold the user button down to force booting from MMC
 +
*Upgrade X-loader and U-boot [http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Upgrade_X-loader_and_U-boot Upgrade X-loader and U-Boot]
 +
*Clear U-boot's Environment Variables in NAND:
 +
nand erase 260000 20000
  
  sudo tar xfp armel-rootfs-[date].tgz -C /media/disk
+
NetInstall assumptions:
 +
  Assume asll <default>'s... Thanks you preseed.conf!!!
  
==PC or Beagleboard: System Setup on the (ext2/ext3) Partition==
+
= Method 3: Manual Install (no automatic scripts)=
  
===Enable Network Access===
+
Note, this section used to have a lot of details, but maintenance of the two wiki's became a pain, so for now on we will just link to my other pages:
  
Modify /etc/network/interfaces
+
== Beagle/Beagle xM ==
auto eth0
+
http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/BeagleBoard
iface eth0 inet dhcp
 
  
Manual: From the Command line
+
== BeagleBone ==
  sudo ifconfig eth0 up
+
  http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/BeagleBone
sudo dhclient eth0
 
  
===Login thru Serial Port===
+
== Panda/Panda ES ==
 +
http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/PandaBoard
  
Create file /etc/event.d/ttyS2
+
= Advanced =
  
  # ttyS2 - getty
+
==Install Latest Kernel Image==
  #
+
 
  # This service maintains a getty on tty6 from the point the system is
+
Script:
  # started until it is shut down again.
+
cd /opt/scripts/tools
 +
git pull
 +
 
 +
Stable:
 +
  ./update_kernel.sh
 +
 
 +
Testing:
 +
./update_kernel.sh --beta-kernel
 +
 
 +
Custom: (has to be on rcn-ee.net)
 +
  ./update_kernel.sh --kernel v3.8.13-bone37
 +
 
 +
Reboot with your new Kernel Image.
 +
 
 +
== Upgrade X-loader and U-boot ==
 +
 
 +
*Note: the functionality of the "X-Loader" project has been merged as u-boot spl.
 +
 
 +
Compatibility with older Ax, Bx, Cx, and Dx BeagleBoards
 +
 
 +
Note: Sometimes on these older boards, you just have to clear out the stored U-Boot environment variables in NAND to make this script work:
 +
  nand erase 260000 20000
 +
 
 +
Or: To fully erase the entire NAND:
 +
nand erase.chip
 +
 
 +
Requires MMC card:
 +
 
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/flasher.git
 +
cd flasher
 +
 
 +
For the Beagle Ax/Bx
 +
sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle_bx
 +
 
 +
For the Beagle Cx/Dx
 +
sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle_cx
 +
 
 +
1: Plug-in a serial cable and start the serial terminal program
 +
2: Place MMC card in Beagle
 +
3: Push and hold the user button
 +
4: Plug-in power
 +
5: Wait for U-Boot countdown to finish, then release the user button
 +
6: Wait for flashing/script to end
 +
7: Power down, remove and reformat MMC card to final OS
 +
 
 +
If you don't know the location of your SD card:
 +
sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --probe-mmc
 +
 
 +
You should see something like:
 +
 
 +
  Are you sure? I don't see [/dev/idontknow], here is what I do see...
 
   
 
   
  start on runlevel 2
+
  fdisk -l:
  start on runlevel 3
+
  Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes '''<- x86 Root Drive'''
 +
Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 3957 MB, 3957325824 bytes '''<- MMC/SD card'''
 
   
 
   
  stop on runlevel 0
+
  mount:
  stop on runlevel 1
+
/dev/sda1 on / type ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro,commit=0) '''<- x86 Root Partition'''
  stop on runlevel 4
+
 
  stop on runlevel 5
+
* In this example, we can see via mount, '''/dev/sda1''' is the x86 rootfs, therefore '''/dev/mmcblk0''' is the other drive in the system, which is the MMC/SD card that was inserted and should be used by the ./mk_mmc.sh script.
  stop on runlevel 6
+
 
   
+
== SGX Video Acceleration ==
  respawn
+
 
  exec /sbin/getty -L 115200 ttyS2
+
'''BeagleBone (BBW) & BeagleBone Black (BBB)'''
 +
 
 +
SGX support will most likely be included with Kernel 3.12 (see TI [http://software-dl.ti.com/dsps/dsps_public_sw/gfxsdk/5_01_00_01/index_FDS.html Graphics SDK release 5.01.00.01]), which is being worked on now (January 2014).
 +
 
 +
== Xorg Drivers ==
 +
 
 +
Script:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools/
 +
git pull
 +
 
 +
BeagleBoard/PandaBoard:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools/graphics/
 +
./ti-omapdrm.sh
 +
 
 +
BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools/graphics/
 +
./ti-tilcdc.sh
 +
 
 +
== Building the Kernel ==
 +
 
 +
https://github.com/RobertCNelson/stable-kernel
 +
 
 +
Download Source:
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/stable-kernel.git
 +
 
 +
Build the kernel:
 +
./build_kernel.sh
 +
 
 +
Optionally building the *.deb file:
 +
  ./build_deb.sh
 +
 
 +
= Swapfile =
 +
 
 +
== Using a File for Swap Instead of a Partition ==
 +
 
 +
On the Beagleboard you should expect to require a swap file given the limitation of how little RAM is available (between 256&nbsp;MB and 512&nbsp;MB). Some system programs like apt-get will only run properly when some swap space is present (due to 256&nbsp;MB not being enough RAM).
 +
 
 +
Some images (such as those from Linaro.org) do not come with a swap partition or any swap space allocated.
 +
 
 +
Under Linux, swap space can be either a dedicated partition or a swap file. Both can be mounted as swap which the OS can access.
 +
 
 +
=== Creating a Swapfile ===
 +
 
 +
The following commands will create a 1 GB file, limit access only to root, format it as swap and then make it available to the OS:
 +
 
 +
  sudo mkdir -p /var/cache/swap/ 
 +
  sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/var/cache/swap/swapfile bs=1M count=1024
 +
  sudo chmod 0600 /var/cache/swap/swapfile
 +
  sudo mkswap /var/cache/swap/swapfile
 +
  sudo swapon /var/cache/swap/swapfile
 +
 
 +
To tell the OS to load this swapfile on each start up, edit the /etc/fstab file to include the following additional line:
 +
 
 +
  /var/cache/swap/swapfile    none    swap    sw    0  0
 +
 
 +
To verify that the swapfile is accessilble as swap to the OS, run "top" or "htop" at a console.
 +
 
 +
= Ubuntu Software =
 +
 
 +
== Wi-Fi Networking (command line) ==
 +
 
 +
=== /etc/network/interfaces ===
 +
 
 +
It is relatively easy to configure a Wi-Fi card from the command line.
 +
 
 +
You will need to edit the /etc/network/interfaces file. There are several guides available via Google.
  
Note: ubuntu normaly doesn't have a 'root' user, however if you add one, make sure too add ttyS2 to /etc/securetty  (by default ttyS0 & ttyS1 are already there)
+
This is a particularly useful guide https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=202834
  
==Beagleboard: Install Kernel Image==
+
A sample /etc/network/interfaces file for a WPA2 encrypted access point is:
  
===Script File===
+
auto lo
Note: this will be updated from time to time. (tested off course, may need "sudo apt-get install wget")
+
iface lo inet loopback
 +
auto wlan0
 +
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
 +
wpa-driver wext
 +
wpa-ssid <NAME OF AP>
 +
wpa-ap-scan 1
 +
wpa-proto RSN
 +
wpa-pairwise CCMP
 +
wpa-group CCMP
 +
wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
 +
wpa-psk <INSERT KEY XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX>
  
wget http://www.rcn-ee.com/deb/kernel/ubuntu-update-kernel.sh
+
Your Wi-Fi card will automatically load these settings upon startup and initialize wireless network access.
sudo /bin/bash ubuntu-update-kernel.sh
 
  
Note: vmlinuz symbolic link (yes <or> no)... Still not sure this matters, i select <yes>...
+
== Lightweight window managers ==
  
===Manual Method===
+
If you intend to use Ubuntu on the BeagleBoard you can install JWM or IceWM to improve performance.
  
You can open/edit the ubuntu-update-kernel.sh to see latest version.
+
JWM in particular uses little RAM. On a BeagleBoard with 256&nbsp;MB, using JWM will leave about 60&nbsp;MB free in which to run applications.
  
sudo apt-get install uboot-mkimage
+
== Web Apps ==
wget http://www.rcn-ee.com/deb/kernel/beagle/jaunty/v2.6.28-79d042a-oer14/linux-image-2.6.28-oer14_1.0jaunty_armel.deb
 
(or any listed here: http://www.rcn-ee.com/deb/kernel/beagle/jaunty/ )
 
sudo dpkg -i linux-image*
 
  
Extract linux-image's vmlinuz-* (we need this to create the uImage, uboot uses to boot)
+
=== Midori ===
dpkg -x linux-image* ./temp
+
Given that the BeagleBoard has fewer resources than a desktop a lightweight browser is more responsive. Midori is a lightweight browser that still supports flash, etc. It is available from the standard repositories:
 +
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midori_%28web_browser%29
  
Mount fat32 partition
+
== Surveillance ==
sudo mount /dev/mmcblk0p1 /mnt
 
  
Build uboot compatible image and copy to fat32 boot partition
+
=== Motion ===
sudo mkimage -A arm -O linux -T kernel -C none -a 0x80008000 -e 0x80008000 -n "Linux" -d ./temp/boot/vmlinuz-*  /mnt/uImage
+
If you have a video source (webcam, IP cam, etc.) which appears as /dev/video0, etc. then you can use the Linux surveillance software "motion" to monitor the video stream and record periods of activity.
  
unmount fat32 partition
+
Motion is also available from the standard repositories:
sudo umount /mnt
+
http://www.debian-administration.org/article/An_Introduction_to_Video_Surveillance_with_%27Motion%27
 +
Using a 960x720 resolution webcam with a 15&nbsp;fps rate under the UVC driver the Rev C BeagleBoard under Xubuntu reports ~60% CPU utilisation.
  
Clean up
+
To make the BeagleBoard automatically start recording on boot, do the following:
rm -rfd temp
 
  
Reboot with your new uImage
+
* Auto Login - run "gdmsetup" from a terminal and select a user to automatically login
 +
* Sessions - make sure you don't save any previous X Windows sessions so that it doesn't prompt you for which one you want
 +
* motion.conf - edit /etc/motion/motion.conf to use the settings you want (that is, video output directory, record only video, record in MPEG-4, set frame rate, etc). Do this with "sudo medit /etc/motion/motion.conf" at a prompt.
 +
* Boot script - create a new script in /etc/rc2.d called "S65motion_client" and set permissions appropriately ("sudo chmod 777 /etc/rc2.d/S65motion_client"). Then edit the file so it contains the following lines:
  
= Advanced =
+
#! /bin/sh
== Upgrade U-Boot ==
+
/usr/bin/motion -c /etc/motion/motion.conf
  
Using gparted, create a new 50MB Primary fat32 Partition on a blank SD card, or use your existing fat32 partition.
+
This will now launch the motion client as root when you boot up.
  
wget http://www.angstrom-distribution.org/demo/beagleboard/u-boot.bin
+
Also note that unless your BeagleBoard can remember the time (battery backed up clock installed), the timestamps will not be correct until you update the time. If your BeagleBoard has an Internet connection this can be achieved using the ntpdate application.
cp u-boot.bin /media/disk
 
  
Tested with (U-Boot 2009.01-00013-g52eddcd (Feb 03 2009 - 22:25:11))
+
== Robotics ==
Archive: http://rcn-ee.homeip.net:81/dl/omap/uboot/u-boot-beagle-04feb2009.bin
 
  
Insert SD Card, boot Beagleboard and stop U-Boot 1.3.x (OR) 2008+
+
=== ROS ===
mmcinit
+
Willow Garage hosts the open source Robotic Operating System (ROS). While it is natively supported in Ubuntu, the official packages are only for the x86 platform. ROS can be installed from source and is generally easy to do so (although slow).
fatload mmc 0 0x80200000 u-boot.bin
 
nand unlock
 
nand ecc sw
 
nandecc sw
 
nand erase 80000 160000
 
nand write.i 0x80200000 80000 160000
 
reset
 
  
== U-Boot Script Files ==
+
Following the instructions from here will build and install ROS on your BeagleBoard:
  
uboot-mkimage package is required
+
http://www.ros.org/wiki/cturtle/Installation/Ubuntu/SVN
  
contents of ubuntu-ext3.cmd
+
You will need an Internet connection for your BeagleBoard for these scripts to work.
setenv bootcmd 'fatload mmc 0:1 0x80200000 uImage; bootm 0x80200000'
 
setenv bootargs 'console=ttyS2,115200n8 console=tty0 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootdelay=2 rootfstype=ext3 ro omap-dss.def_disp=lcd omapfb.video_mode=1280x720MR-24@60'
 
boot
 
  
Create *.scr file
+
For more information about ROS, see www.ros.org.
mkimage -A arm -O linux -T script -C none -a 0 -e 0 -n "Boot Time Label" -d ubuntu-ext3.cmd ubuntu-ext3.scr
 

Revision as of 19:00, 18 April 2014

(For BeagleBoardAngstrom, click here.) (Should Beagleboard:Ubuntu On BeagleBone Black be merged into this page?)

This page is about running a Linux distribution (ARM EABI) Ubuntu on the BeagleBoard. BeagleBoard will boot the (ARM EABI) Ubuntu distribution from the SD card. Since much of this page is generic, it has also been extended to help support devices such as the PandaBoard and BeagleBone.

  • For the best experience, make sure you have an LCD/HDMI monitor attached to the BeagleBoard's HDMI port, 2 GB/4 GB/8 GB SD card, and a known good USB 2.0 hub with mouse and keyboard.

Help

If you need any help:

  • Ubuntu related help:
    • #ubuntu-arm: Ubuntu's ARM IRC on Freenode (logs -> year -> month -> day -> #ubuntu-arm.html)
  • When requesting help, please provide some debugging information:
    • U-Boot Version installed on board
    • Kernel Version: uname -a
    • pastebin dmesg
      • Copy from serial port or use "dmesg | pastebinit" (sudo apt-get install pastebinit)

Required Beagle Software

Mainline U-Boot:

  • All older BeagleBoard (classic) Ax, Bx, Cx and Dx boards are required to upgrade to at least these U-Boot versions
  • XM Boards have no NAND, so MLO/u-boot.img is always required on the first partition
  • Directions: Upgrade X-loader and U-Boot

Omap Serial Changes

boot.scr/boot.cmd changes:

With 2.6.35:

console=ttyS2,115200n8

With 2.6.36/37+:

console=ttyO2,115200n8

Serial console login: /etc/init/ttyO2.conf

start on stopped rc RUNLEVEL=[2345]
stop on runlevel [!2345]

respawn
exec /sbin/getty 115200 ttyO2


Method 1: Download a Complete Pre-Configured Image

Demo Image

  • These demonstration images contain a custom Mainline based kernel with experimental enhancements to the boards supported. They are usually updated about once a month, as new features/enhancements get added by the community. Currently, this image ships with two kernels "armv7" which is for mainline omap3+ devices (BeagleBoard/PandaBoard) and the "bone" which is specifically for the BeagleBone. The kernel is stress-tested by a farm of Panda/Beagles running 24/7 under a heavy load (building gcc trunk/mainline kernel).
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7-multiplatform.git
cd armv7-multiplatform
git checkout origin/v3.13.x -b tmp
./build_kernel.sh
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/linux-dev.git
cd linux-dev
git checkout origin/am33x-v3.8 -b tmp
./build_kernel.sh
  • Advanced Users only: Userspace, used in these demo images:
https://github.com/RobertCNelson/omap-image-builder

Trusty 14.04

Image Updated:

  • 2014-04-18
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.10-armv7-x11 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
  • 2014-02-16
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.3-armv7-x10 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
  • 2014-01-24
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.0-armv7-x9 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel

Services Active:

Note: Depending on your internal network these may work out of the box
Apache, Port 80: http://arm/ (Bone: via usb) http://192.168.7.2
SSH, Port 22: ssh ubuntu@arm (Bone: via usb) ubuntu@192.168.7.2
Getty, Serial Port

Default user: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/rootfs/trusty/ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
90d61e843d61c9edf68c56749b2110b6  ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz

Unpack Image:

tar xf ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
cd ubuntu-14.04-console-armhf-2014-04-18

If you don't know the location of your SD card:

sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --probe-mmc

You should see something like:

Are you sure? I don't see [/dev/idontknow], here is what I do see...

fdisk -l:
Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes <- x86 Root Drive
Disk /dev/sdd: 3957 MB, 3957325824 bytes <- MMC/SD card

lsblk:
NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0 465.8G  0 disk 
├─sda1   8:1    0 446.9G  0 part /  <- x86 Root Partition
├─sda2   8:2    0     1K  0 part 
└─sda5   8:5    0  18.9G  0 part [SWAP]
sdd      8:48   1   3.7G  0 disk 
├─sdd1   8:49   1    64M  0 part 
└─sdd2   8:50   1   3.6G  0 part 
  • In this example, we can see via mount, /dev/sda1 is the x86 rootfs, therefore /dev/sdd is the other drive in the system, which is the MMC/SD card that was inserted and should be used by ./setup_sdcard.sh...

Install Image:

Quick install script for [board]

sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot board

[board] options:

  • BeagleBone/Black - bone

So for the BeagleBone:

sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot bone

Quick install script for [board] (using new --dtb option)

sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb board

board options:

  • BeagleBoard Ax/Bx/Cx/Dx - omap3-beagle
  • BeagleBoard xM - omap3-beagle-xm

So for the BeagleBoard xM:

sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb omap3-beagle-xm

Advanced: Build Image:

Built with a fork of project-rootstock (ARM native mode, runs directly on BeagleBoard), using a script from omap-image-builder:

git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/omap-image-builder.git
cd omap-image-builder
git checkout v2014.04.1 -b tmp
touch release
./rcn-ee_image.sh

Saucy 13.10

Image Updated:

  • 2014-04-18
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.10-armv7-x11 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
  • 2014-02-16
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.3-armv7-x10 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
  • 2014-01-24
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.0-armv7-x9 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/rootfs/saucy/ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
317358714495afd79b7fb843dd427e0d  ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz

Unpack image:

tar xf ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18.tar.xz
cd ubuntu-13.10-console-armhf-2014-04-18

Then follow the directions shown above with the other images...

Flasher

eMMC: BeagleBone Black

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or the win32 image program linked to on CircuitCo's wiki page. First press and hold the boot select button (next to the microSD card), then apply power (same procedure as the official CircuitCo images). The board should boot into Ubuntu and begin flashing the eMMC, once completed all 4 LED's should be full ON. Simply remove power, remove the microSD card and Ubuntu will now boot directly from eMMC.

Script for reference: (this is the script that writes to the eMMC)

https://github.com/RobertCNelson/boot-scripts/blob/master/tools/beaglebone-black-eMMC-flasher.sh

BTW: we are only writing about 500 megabytes to the eMMC, so the script will only take about 5-6 Minutes after power on.

Notes:

  • If only two LED's stay lit and nothing happens, the board has crashed due to lack of power. Retry with a 5Volt DC power supply connected.
  • If the 4 LED's blink a constant pattern, the eMMC write has failed. First REMOVE ALL capes, then retry again.
    • (error -84: which may mean you've reached the max number of erase/write cycles...)

User: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Image Updated:

  • 2014-04-18
    • BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
  • 2014-02-16
    • BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
  • 2014-01-24
    • BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/flasher/trusty/BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
d6dcc916032c68af4593ebb3834895d0  BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz

Follow the "standard" update procedure.

http://circuitco.com/support/index.php?title=Updating_The_Software

Linux:

unxz BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX

raw microSD img

BeagleBoard xM

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or the win32 image program linked to on CircuitCo's wiki page. First press and hold the boot select button (next to microSD card), then apply power (same procedure as the official CircuitCo images). The board should boot into Ubuntu.

User: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Auto partition resize:

cd /opt/scripts/tools
git pull
./grow_partition.sh
sudo reboot

Image Updated:

  • 2014-04-18
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.10-armv7-x11 kernel
  • 2014-02-16
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.13.3-armv7-x10 kernel

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
e9a51385074d5df57f7c7d78ea984a39  bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz

Linux:

unxz bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./bbxm-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX

BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or the win32 image program linked to on CircuitCo's wiki page. First press and hold the boot select button (next to microSD card), then apply power (same procedure as the official CircuitCo images). The board should boot into Ubuntu.

User: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Auto partition resize:

cd /opt/scripts/tools
git pull
./grow_partition.sh
sudo reboot

Image Updated:

  • 2014-04-18
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone47 kernel
  • 2014-02-16
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone40 kernel
  • 2014-01-24
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone37 kernel

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
df74a955c1cbbfc360f759b2a375fb36  bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz

Linux:

unxz bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./bone-ubuntu-14.04-2014-04-18-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX

Method 2: Use the NetInstall method

You will need a 1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB SD card or greater.

Standard system : ~700 MB

Report Bugs/Issues to: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall/issues (anywhere else will be ignored..)

Download the netinstall script:

git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall.git
cd netinstall

Currently supported Ubuntu distributions:

--distro oneiric (11.10)
--distro precise-armhf (12.04)
--distro quantal (12.10)
--distro raring (13.04)
--distro saucy (13.10)

Device: <board> selection:

*BeagleBoard Ax/Bx/Cx  - omap3-beagle
*BeagleBoard xMA/B/C   - omap3-beagle-xm
*BeagleBone Ax         - am335x-bone-serial
*BeagleBone (DVI cape) - am335x-bone-video
*BeagleBone Black      - am335x-boneblack
*PandaBoard Ax     - omap4-panda
*PandaBoard A4+    - omap4-panda-a4
*PandaBoard ES     - omap4-panda-es

Installation script for new <board> selection: (slowly migrating all devices to this method)

sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb <board> --distro <distro>

So for the xM: with quantal:

sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb omap3-beagle-xm --distro quantal
  • Other Options:
    • --firmware : installs firmware
    • --serial-mode : debian-installer uses Serial Port

Place SD card into BeagleBoard and boot:

Configure the network:

usb0: USB net <- (usually the OTG port)
eth0: USB net <- (usually the smsc95xx adapter on the BeagleBoard and PandaBoard)
wlan0: Wifi <- Your USDB-Wi-Fi device.. 

See my notes for my testing procedure: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall/blob/master/test.Ubuntu

Troubleshooting: If booting fails..

  • Hold the user button down to force booting from MMC
  • Upgrade X-loader and U-boot Upgrade X-loader and U-Boot
  • Clear U-boot's Environment Variables in NAND:
nand erase 260000 20000

NetInstall assumptions:

Assume asll <default>'s... Thanks you preseed.conf!!!

Method 3: Manual Install (no automatic scripts)

Note, this section used to have a lot of details, but maintenance of the two wiki's became a pain, so for now on we will just link to my other pages:

Beagle/Beagle xM

http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/BeagleBoard

BeagleBone

http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/BeagleBone

Panda/Panda ES

http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/PandaBoard

Advanced

Install Latest Kernel Image

Script:

cd /opt/scripts/tools
git pull

Stable:

./update_kernel.sh

Testing:

./update_kernel.sh --beta-kernel

Custom: (has to be on rcn-ee.net)

./update_kernel.sh --kernel v3.8.13-bone37

Reboot with your new Kernel Image.

Upgrade X-loader and U-boot

  • Note: the functionality of the "X-Loader" project has been merged as u-boot spl.

Compatibility with older Ax, Bx, Cx, and Dx BeagleBoards

Note: Sometimes on these older boards, you just have to clear out the stored U-Boot environment variables in NAND to make this script work:

nand erase 260000 20000

Or: To fully erase the entire NAND:

nand erase.chip

Requires MMC card:

git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/flasher.git
cd flasher

For the Beagle Ax/Bx

sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle_bx

For the Beagle Cx/Dx

sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle_cx
1: Plug-in a serial cable and start the serial terminal program
2: Place MMC card in Beagle
3: Push and hold the user button
4: Plug-in power
5: Wait for U-Boot countdown to finish, then release the user button
6: Wait for flashing/script to end
7: Power down, remove and reformat MMC card to final OS

If you don't know the location of your SD card:

sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --probe-mmc

You should see something like:

Are you sure? I don't see [/dev/idontknow], here is what I do see...

fdisk -l:
Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes <- x86 Root Drive
Disk /dev/mmcblk0: 3957 MB, 3957325824 bytes <- MMC/SD card

mount:
/dev/sda1 on / type ext4 (rw,errors=remount-ro,commit=0) <- x86 Root Partition
  • In this example, we can see via mount, /dev/sda1 is the x86 rootfs, therefore /dev/mmcblk0 is the other drive in the system, which is the MMC/SD card that was inserted and should be used by the ./mk_mmc.sh script.

SGX Video Acceleration

BeagleBone (BBW) & BeagleBone Black (BBB)

SGX support will most likely be included with Kernel 3.12 (see TI Graphics SDK release 5.01.00.01), which is being worked on now (January 2014).

Xorg Drivers

Script:

cd /opt/scripts/tools/
git pull

BeagleBoard/PandaBoard:

cd /opt/scripts/tools/graphics/
./ti-omapdrm.sh

BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black:

cd /opt/scripts/tools/graphics/
./ti-tilcdc.sh

Building the Kernel

https://github.com/RobertCNelson/stable-kernel

Download Source:

git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/stable-kernel.git

Build the kernel:

./build_kernel.sh

Optionally building the *.deb file:

./build_deb.sh

Swapfile

Using a File for Swap Instead of a Partition

On the Beagleboard you should expect to require a swap file given the limitation of how little RAM is available (between 256 MB and 512 MB). Some system programs like apt-get will only run properly when some swap space is present (due to 256 MB not being enough RAM).

Some images (such as those from Linaro.org) do not come with a swap partition or any swap space allocated.

Under Linux, swap space can be either a dedicated partition or a swap file. Both can be mounted as swap which the OS can access.

Creating a Swapfile

The following commands will create a 1 GB file, limit access only to root, format it as swap and then make it available to the OS:

sudo mkdir -p /var/cache/swap/   
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/var/cache/swap/swapfile bs=1M count=1024
sudo chmod 0600 /var/cache/swap/swapfile 
sudo mkswap /var/cache/swap/swapfile 
sudo swapon /var/cache/swap/swapfile 

To tell the OS to load this swapfile on each start up, edit the /etc/fstab file to include the following additional line:

/var/cache/swap/swapfile    none    swap    sw    0   0

To verify that the swapfile is accessilble as swap to the OS, run "top" or "htop" at a console.

Ubuntu Software

Wi-Fi Networking (command line)

/etc/network/interfaces

It is relatively easy to configure a Wi-Fi card from the command line.

You will need to edit the /etc/network/interfaces file. There are several guides available via Google.

This is a particularly useful guide https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=202834

A sample /etc/network/interfaces file for a WPA2 encrypted access point is:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wpa-driver wext
wpa-ssid <NAME OF AP>
wpa-ap-scan 1
wpa-proto RSN
wpa-pairwise CCMP
wpa-group CCMP
wpa-key-mgmt WPA-PSK
wpa-psk <INSERT KEY XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX>

Your Wi-Fi card will automatically load these settings upon startup and initialize wireless network access.

Lightweight window managers

If you intend to use Ubuntu on the BeagleBoard you can install JWM or IceWM to improve performance.

JWM in particular uses little RAM. On a BeagleBoard with 256 MB, using JWM will leave about 60 MB free in which to run applications.

Web Apps

Midori

Given that the BeagleBoard has fewer resources than a desktop a lightweight browser is more responsive. Midori is a lightweight browser that still supports flash, etc. It is available from the standard repositories: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midori_%28web_browser%29

Surveillance

Motion

If you have a video source (webcam, IP cam, etc.) which appears as /dev/video0, etc. then you can use the Linux surveillance software "motion" to monitor the video stream and record periods of activity.

Motion is also available from the standard repositories: http://www.debian-administration.org/article/An_Introduction_to_Video_Surveillance_with_%27Motion%27 Using a 960x720 resolution webcam with a 15 fps rate under the UVC driver the Rev C BeagleBoard under Xubuntu reports ~60% CPU utilisation.

To make the BeagleBoard automatically start recording on boot, do the following:

  • Auto Login - run "gdmsetup" from a terminal and select a user to automatically login
  • Sessions - make sure you don't save any previous X Windows sessions so that it doesn't prompt you for which one you want
  • motion.conf - edit /etc/motion/motion.conf to use the settings you want (that is, video output directory, record only video, record in MPEG-4, set frame rate, etc). Do this with "sudo medit /etc/motion/motion.conf" at a prompt.
  • Boot script - create a new script in /etc/rc2.d called "S65motion_client" and set permissions appropriately ("sudo chmod 777 /etc/rc2.d/S65motion_client"). Then edit the file so it contains the following lines:
#! /bin/sh
/usr/bin/motion -c /etc/motion/motion.conf

This will now launch the motion client as root when you boot up.

Also note that unless your BeagleBoard can remember the time (battery backed up clock installed), the timestamps will not be correct until you update the time. If your BeagleBoard has an Internet connection this can be achieved using the ntpdate application.

Robotics

ROS

Willow Garage hosts the open source Robotic Operating System (ROS). While it is natively supported in Ubuntu, the official packages are only for the x86 platform. ROS can be installed from source and is generally easy to do so (although slow).

Following the instructions from here will build and install ROS on your BeagleBoard:

http://www.ros.org/wiki/cturtle/Installation/Ubuntu/SVN

You will need an Internet connection for your BeagleBoard for these scripts to work.

For more information about ROS, see www.ros.org.