Difference between revisions of "BeagleBoardUbuntu"

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[[Category:Development Boards]]
 
[[Category:Development Boards]]
 
[[Category: BeagleBoard]]
 
[[Category: BeagleBoard]]
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]].
+
''(For BeagleBoardAngstrom, click [[BeagleBoardAngstrom|here]].)''
 +
''(Should [[Beagleboard:Ubuntu On BeagleBone Black]] be merged into this page?)''
  
Note: for the best experience, make sure you have an LCD attached to the HDMI port, 2GB/4GB/8GB SD card, and a known good usb2.0 hub with mouse and keyboard.
+
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]].
 +
 
 +
* 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 =
 
= Help =
Line 12: Line 15:
  
 
*Kernel related help:
 
*Kernel related help:
** [http://groups.google.com/group/beagleboard Email Beagleboard user group] *Recommended method
+
** [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])
+
** ''#beagle'': Beagle IRC on Freenode, accessible also by [http://beagleboard.org/discuss web interface] ([http://www.beagleboard.org/irclogs/index.php logs])
** [https://launchpad.net/~beagleboard-kernel Launchpad Project "Beagleboard Kernel"]
+
** Kernel Trees
*** [https://code.launchpad.net/~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/2.6-stable Stable Kernel 2.6.33 src]
+
*** [https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7-multiplatform/ v3.17.x kernel branch]
*** [https://code.launchpad.net/~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/2.6.34-devel Development Kernel src]
+
*** [https://github.com/RobertCNelson/linux-dev Development Kernel source code]
** [http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntuKernel Kernel Testing Results]
 
  
 
*Ubuntu related help:
 
*Ubuntu related help:
** ''#ubuntu-arm'': Ubuntu's arm irc on freenode ([http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/ logs] -> year -> month -> day -> #ubuntu-arm.html)
+
** ''#ubuntu-arm'': Ubuntu's ARM IRC on Freenode ([http://irclogs.ubuntu.com/ logs] -> year -> month -> day -> #ubuntu-arm.html)
  
*When asking for help, please provide some debugging information:
+
*When requesting help, please provide some debugging information:
 
** U-Boot Version installed on board
 
** U-Boot Version installed on board
 
** Kernel Version: uname -a
 
** Kernel Version: uname -a
Line 28: Line 30:
 
*** Copy from serial port or use "dmesg | pastebinit" (sudo apt-get install pastebinit)
 
*** Copy from serial port or use "dmesg | pastebinit" (sudo apt-get install pastebinit)
  
= Recommended Beagle Software =  
+
= Required Beagle Software =  
  
X-loader/MLO (1.4.4ss) & U-Boot (2010.03) (Zippy1 & Zippy2 Support)
+
Mainline U-Boot:
* All Bx, C2/3/4 Boards should upgrade there MLO and U-Boot versions.
+
* 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]
 
* Directions: [http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Upgrade_X-loader_and_U-boot Upgrade X-loader and U-Boot]
  
=Demo Image=
+
= Omap Serial Changes =
== Lucid 10.04 ==
+
 
 +
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).
  
Built with:
+
* '''Advanced Users only''': Beagle xM: Kernel source, used in these demo images: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7-multiplatform
  sudo ./rootstock --fqdn beagleboard --login ubuntu --password temppwd --imagesize 2G \
+
  git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7-multiplatform.git
  --seed wget,nano,linux-firmware,wireless-tools,usbutils --dist lucid --serial ttyS2 \
+
cd armv7-multiplatform
--script fixup.sh --components "main universe multiverse" \
+
git checkout origin/v3.17.x -b tmp
--kernel-image http://rcn-ee.net/deb/kernel/beagle/lucid/v2.6.32.11-l13/linux-image-2.6.32.11-l13_1.0lucid_armel.deb
+
./build_kernel.sh
 +
* '''Advanced Users only''': BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black:  Kernel v3.14.x source, used in these demo images: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/ti-linux-kernel-dev/tree/ti-linux-3.14.y
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/ti-linux-kernel-dev.git
 +
  cd ti-linux-kernel-dev
 +
git checkout origin/ti-linux-3.14.y -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:
 +
*2014-10-29
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.17.1-armv7-x3 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
 +
** OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
 +
*2014-08-13
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.16.0-armv7-x4 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone63 kernel
 +
** OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.16.0-armv7-lpae-x2 kernel
 +
*2014-07-06
 +
** repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
 +
** Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.15.3-armv7-x4 kernel
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone59 kernel
 +
** OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.15.3-armv7-lpae-x5 kernel
 +
 
 +
Services Active:
 +
Note: Depending on your internal network these may work out of the box
 +
Apache, Port 80: http://arm.local/ (Bone: via usb) http://192.168.7.2
 +
SSH, Port 22: ssh ubuntu@arm.local (Bone: via usb) ubuntu@192.168.7.2
 +
Getty, Serial Port
 +
 
 +
Default user: ubuntu pass: temppwd
  
 
Get prebuilt image:
 
Get prebuilt image:
 +
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/rootfs/trusty/ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz
  
  wget http://rcn-ee.net/deb/rootfs/ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel.tar.7z
+
Verify Image with:
  mirrors (updating):
+
  md5sum ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz
  wget http://ynezz.ibawizard.net/beagleboard/ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel.tar.7z
+
  cf3b267b62c17ff59440a11370d66479 ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz
wget http://vivaphp.net/beagle/ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel.tar.7z
 
wget http://174.120.189.162/~amit/download/ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel.tar.7z
 
  
Unpack it: (sudo apt-get install p7zip-full for 7za)
+
Unpack Image:
 +
tar xf ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz
 +
cd ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29
  
7za x ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel.tar.7z
+
If you don't know the location of your SD card:
  tar xf ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel.tar
+
  sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --probe-mmc
cd ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel
 
  
Quick Install script for Beagle Bx, C2 & C3
+
You should see something like:
./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle
 
  
Quick Install script for Beagle C4 (forces 720Mhz)
+
Are you sure? I don't see [/dev/idontknow], here is what I do see...
  ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle_c4
+
 +
  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
  
*Hotfix for users with cards that are mounted as "/dev/mmcblk0p1" that will be included in the next upload (most netbooks with integrated mmc card..)
+
* 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...
wget http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/image-builder/download/head:/setup_sdcard.sh-20100409005705-0qmm36b13opq2x2z-1/setup_sdcard.sh
 
  
*Additional Options
+
Install Image:
** --rootfs <ext3 default>
 
** --swap_file <swap file size in MB's>
 
  
md5sum: 71c9f2372283752a7f410075001c1d76 ubuntu-10.04-minimal-armel.tar.7z
+
Quick install script for [board]
 +
  sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb board
  
== Lucid 10.04 Xfce4 ==
+
board options:
 +
*BeagleBoard Ax/Bx/Cx/Dx    - omap3-beagle
 +
*BeagleBoard xM            - omap3-beagle-xm
 +
*BeagleBone/Black          - beaglebone
 +
*OMAP5432 uEVM              - omap5-uevm
  
Notes: 2GB+ SD card, boot scripts are stored in first partition..
+
So for the BeagleBoard xM:
 +
sudo ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb omap3-beagle-xm
  
Give it time, it'll take 1-2 minutes to load oem-config the first time... (watch the led's)
+
Advanced: Build Image:
  
Built with: (RootStock + lots of tweaks)
+
Built with a fork of project-rootstock (ARM native mode, runs directly on BeagleBoard), using a script from omap-image-builder:
--kernel-image http://rcn-ee.net/deb/lucid/v2.6.33.4-l3/linux-image-2.6.33.4-l3_1.0lucid_armel.deb
 
  
Get prebuilt image:
+
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/omap-image-builder.git
 +
cd omap-image-builder
 +
git checkout v2014.10 -b tmp
  
wget http://rcn-ee.net/deb/rootfs/ubuntu-10.04-xfce4-armel.tar.7z
+
Stable:
mirrors (will take some time to update):
 
wget http://ynezz.ibawizard.net/beagleboard/ubuntu-10.04-xfce4-armel.tar.7z
 
wget http://vivaphp.net/beagle/ubuntu-10.04-xfce4-armel.tar.7z
 
  
md5sum: e9be639e03c18e9b766504ab648d8993 ubuntu-10.04-xfce4-armel.tar.7z
+
  ./RootStock-NG.sh -c rcn-ee_console_ubuntu_stable_armhf
  
Unpack it: (sudo apt-get install p7zip-full for 7za)
+
== Flasher ==
  
7za x ubuntu-10.04-xfce4-armel.tar.7z
+
=== eMMC: BeagleBone Black ===
tar xf ubuntu-10.04-xfce4-armel.tar
 
cd ubuntu-10.04-xfce4-armel
 
  
Quick Install script for Beagle Bx, C2/C3/C4
+
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager 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.
  ./setup_sdcard.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle --swap_file 100
 
  
Required Options
+
Script for reference: (this is the script that writes to the eMMC)
* --swap_file 100 (atleast 100MB's, otherwise oem-config will run out of memory and crash etc..)
+
https://github.com/RobertCNelson/boot-scripts/blob/master/tools/eMMC/init-eMMC-flasher-v3.sh
Additional Options
 
* --rootfs <ext3 default> (ext3/ext4/btrfs)
 
  
Known Problem
+
BTW: we are only writing about 500 megabytes to the eMMC, so the script will only take about 5-6 Minutes after power on.
* oem-config needs swap, “–swap_file 100″
 
* gdm theme doesn’t scale correctly to login: select “auto login” during user configuration
 
* Network Manger loads in background but a doesn’t seem to load a xfce4 gui: “sudo nm-applet”
 
  
= NetInstall Method =
+
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...)
  
The NetInstall Method, allows you to install Ubuntu directly onto your Beagle by pre-populating a boot image that will perform the complete install.
+
User: ubuntu
 +
pass: temppwd
  
Recommended:
+
Image Updated:
* 2GB+ SD card
+
*2014-10-29
* USB Ethernet/Wifi
+
** BeagleBone Black: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
 +
*2014-08-13
 +
** BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone63 kernel
 +
*2014-07-06
 +
** repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
 +
** BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone59 kernel
 +
** NOTE: You'll need to hold the BOOT button on powerup...
  
Script Source: https://code.launchpad.net/~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/debian-di
+
Get prebuilt image:
 +
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/flasher/trusty/BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  
Install bzr
+
Verify Image with:
  sudo apt-get install bzr
+
  md5sum BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
bca8b065610b4a095c1f0a94a0e9e305  BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  
Download debian-di script
+
Follow the "standard" update procedure.
  bzr branch lp:~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/debian-di
+
  http://elinux.org/Beagleboard:Updating_The_Software
  
Discover SD/MMC Partition
+
Linux:
  sudo fdisk -l
+
unxz BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
  sudo dd if=./BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
  
Run Script
+
== raw microSD img ==
cd debian-di
 
./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --distro lucid --firmware
 
  
*Options:
+
=== BeagleBoard (classic) ===
**--distro : lucid
 
**--firmware : install firmware for WiFi devices
 
**--serial-mode : force NetInstall to use Serial Port
 
  
Note: The default options work for most people, but if you'd like to tweak boot settings, edit these before running the script.
+
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager
+
 
NetInstall boot Settings:
+
User: ubuntu
gedit ./debian-di/scripts/dvi.cmd
+
pass: temppwd
gedit ./debian-di/scripts/serial.cmd
 
 
Normal Boot Settings:
 
gedit ./debian-di/scripts/dvi-normal-lucid.cmd
 
gedit ./debian-di/scripts/serial-normal-lucid.cmd
 
  
Place SD card into Beagle and Boot
+
Auto partition resize:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools
 +
git pull
 +
./grow_partition.sh
 +
sudo reboot
  
Troubshooting: If boot fails..
+
Image Updated:
*Upgrade X-loader and U-boot [http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntu#Upgrade_X-loader_and_U-boot Upgrade X-loader and U-Boot]
+
*2014-10-29
*Clear U-boot's Environment Variables in nand:
+
** Beagle: v3.17.1-armv7-x3 kernel
nand erase 260000 20000
+
*2014-08-13
 +
** Beagle: v3.16.0-armv7-x4 kernel
  
NetInstall assumptions:
+
Get prebuilt image:
  Continue with out Kernel Modules <yes>
+
  wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
Partition <Guided - use the largest continuous free space>
 
  
= RootStock: Build an Ubuntu root file system =
+
Verify Image with:
 +
md5sum bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
84620d025359aa5e6f6d5ba0d3da8f42  bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  
== Ubuntu Version's ==
+
Linux:
This guide only covers the latest Ubuntu stable (lucid) release and notes for the testing (lucid+1) distsNotes for older release's can be found here:
+
unxz bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
  sudo dd if=./bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
  
* Jaunty, aka Ubuntu 9.04, is the very-old-stable version (armv5 optimized)
+
=== BeagleBoard xM ===
** TODO: http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntuJaunty
 
* Karmic, aka Ubuntu 9.10, is the old-stable version  (armv6 optimized)
 
** http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntuKarmic
 
* Lucid, aka Ubuntu 10.04 is the stable version (armv7 optimized)
 
** TODO: http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntuLucid
 
* Maverick, aka Ubuntu 10.10 is the development version. Currently listed here as 'testing'. (armv7 optimized)
 
** TODO: http://elinux.org/BeagleBoardUbuntuMaverick
 
  
== Install RootStock ==
+
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager
  
This is based off Ubuntu's RootStock Project; [https://launchpad.net/project-rootstock RootStock] script.
+
User: ubuntu
 +
pass: temppwd
  
Debian Squeeze
+
Auto partition resize:
  (unsupported as tested on 4/28/2010, qemu segfaults)
+
  cd /opt/scripts/tools
 +
git pull
 +
./grow_partition.sh
 +
sudo reboot
  
Karmic (9.10)
+
Image Updated:
sudo apt-get install (FIXME: rootstock minimum requirements)
+
*2014-10-29
bzr branch lp:project-rootstock
+
** Beagle xM: v3.17.1-armv7-x3 kernel
cd project-rootstock
+
*2014-08-13
bzr revert -r 94  (Commit 95, isn't supported by Karmic's QEMU)
+
** Beagle xM: v3.16.0-armv7-x4 kernel
*qemu: unknown parameter 'aio' in 'file=/tmp/tmp.QxNNQAxEyv/qemu-armel-201004221701.img,aio=native,cache=none'
+
*2014-07-06
 +
** repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
 +
** Beagle xM: v3.15.3-armv7-x4 kernel
  
Lucid (10.04)
+
Get prebuilt image:
sudo apt-get install rootstock
+
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  
== RootStock ==
+
Verify Image with:
 +
md5sum bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
422be4c6276e79c03456db7a49f8112d  bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  
=== RootStock: Useful seed Packages ===
+
Linux:
 +
unxz bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
sudo dd if=./bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
  
Useful Packages:
+
=== BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black ===
linux-firmware,wireless-tools :wifi adapters..
 
ntpdate :sync real time clock from network
 
  
GUI's (broken bug: FIXME)
+
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager
xfce4: xfce4,gdm,xubuntu-gdm-theme,xubuntu-artwork
 
  
=== RootStock: Running ===
+
User: ubuntu
 +
pass: temppwd
  
Rootstock Command line:
+
Auto partition resize:
  sudo ./rootstock --fqdn <hostname> --login <rootuser> --password <rootuserpasswd> --imagesize <qemu image size> \
+
  cd /opt/scripts/tools
  --seed <packages> --dist <jaunty/karmic/lucid> --serial <ttySx> --kernel-image <http>
+
  git pull
 +
./grow_partition.sh
 +
  sudo reboot
  
Basic Lucid (10.04) Beagleboard minimal image:
+
Image Updated:
sudo ./rootstock --fqdn beagleboard --login ubuntu --password temppwd --imagesize 2G \
+
*2014-10-29
--seed wget,nano,linux-firmware,wireless-tools,usbutils --dist lucid --serial ttyS2 \
+
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
--components "main universe multiverse" \
+
*2014-08-13
--kernel-image http://rcn-ee.net/deb/lucid/v2.6.33.4-l3/linux-image-2.6.33.4-l3_1.0lucid_armel.deb
+
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone63 kernel
 +
*2014-07-06
 +
** repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
 +
** BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone59 kernel
 +
** Black: NOTE: You'll need to hold the BOOT button on powerup...
  
Upon Completion, you should have:
+
Get prebuilt image:
  armel-rootfs-<date>.tgz  -> Root file System, dump to ext2/3 partition of SD card
+
  wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
vmlinuz-2.6.<version>    -> Boot Image, use mkimage to create uImage and dump to the first fat16 partition of SD card
 
initrd.img-2.6.<version> -> Boot initramfs, use mkimage to create uInitrd and dump to the first fat16 partition of SD card
 
  
== Partition SD Card ==
+
Verify Image with:
You will need a 1GB SD card or greater.
+
md5sum bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  Standard Console System : ~286MB
+
  bf9a9c1004a64ea4fa2efdafae110523 bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  + Desktop environment (lxde,gdm) : ~479MB
 
  
Starting with an empty SD card and using gparted, create:
+
Linux:
  50 MiB Primary Partition, fat16/fat32
+
  unxz bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  Rest as ext2/ext3/ext4/btrfs
+
  sudo dd if=./bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
  
Gparted Example: http://nishanthmenon.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-boot-beagle.html
+
=== OMAP5432 uEVM ===
  
For Reference:
+
This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager
Disk /dev/sdd: 2038 MB, 2038431744 bytes
 
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 247 cylinders
 
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
 
Disk identifier: 0x0008e471
 
 
    Device Boot      Start        End      Blocks  Id  System
 
/dev/sdd1              1          6      48163+  6  FAT16
 
/dev/sdd2              7        247    1935832+  83  Linux
 
  
== Copy Root File System to SD Card ==
+
User: ubuntu
 +
pass: temppwd
  
Mount your SD card's larger root file system partition (assuming /dev/sdX2) and 'untar' the rootfs into it.
+
Auto partition resize:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools
 +
git pull
 +
./grow_partition.sh
 +
sudo reboot
  
mkdir -p ./tmp
+
Image Updated:
sudo mount /dev/sdX2 ./tmp
+
*2014-10-29
sudo tar xfp armel-rootfs-*.tgz -C ./tmp
+
** OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
sudo umount ./tmp
+
*2014-08-13
 +
** OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.16.0-armv7-lpae-x2 kernel
 +
*2014-07-06
 +
** repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
 +
** OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.15.3-armv7-lpae-x5 kernel
  
== Boot Partition ==
+
Get prebuilt image:
 +
wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  
Requirements:
+
Verify Image with:
 +
md5sum omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
fea29fe814278d970a66c712c2fb28bc  omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
  
  sudo apt-get install uboot-mkimage
+
Linux:
 +
unxz omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
 +
  sudo dd if=./omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX
  
=== U-Boot uImage ===
+
= Method 2: Use the NetInstall method=
  
U-Boot needs a compatible kernel image to bootTo do this, we are using mkimage from (uboot-mkimage) to create an image from the vmlinuz kernel file.
+
You will need a 1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB SD card or greater.
 +
  Standard system : ~700&nbsp;MB
  
mkimage -A arm -O linux -T kernel -C none -a 0x80008000 -e 0x80008000 -n "Linux" -d ./vmlinuz-* ./uImage
+
Report Bugs/Issues to: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall/issues
 +
(anywhere else will be ignored..)
  
=== U-Boot uInitrd ===
+
Download the netinstall script:
 +
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall.git
 +
cd netinstall
  
This step is Optional, but it helps with the lucid and Lucid++ experience.
+
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)
  
  mkimage -A arm -O linux -T ramdisk -C none -a 0 -e 0 -n initramfs -d ./initrd.img-* ./uInitrd
+
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
  
=== U-Boot Boot Scripts ===
+
Installation script for new <board> selection: (slowly migrating all devices to this method)
The version of U-Boot installed or recommended to install uses boot scripts by default. This allows users to easily switch between multiple SD cards with different OS's with different parameters installed. Ubuntu/Debian requires a slight modification to the bootargs line vs. Angstrom, 'ro' vs 'rw'.
+
  sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb <board> --distro <distro>
  
fixrtc: (only uInitrd) Resets RTC based on last mount
+
So for the xM: with quantal:
  buddy=${buddy}: (both) Kernel Zippy1/2 Support
+
  sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --dtb omap3-beagle-xm --distro quantal
  
create ubuntu.cmd
+
*Other Options:
setenv bootcmd 'mmc init; fatload mmc 0:1 0x80300000 uImage; bootm 0x80300000'
+
**--firmware : installs firmware
setenv bootargs console=tty0 console=ttyS2,115200n8 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootwait ro vram=12M omapfb.mode=dvi:1280x720MR-16@60 buddy=${buddy}
+
**--serial-mode : debian-installer uses Serial Port
boot
 
  
With optional uInitrd:
+
Place SD card into BeagleBoard and boot:
create ubuntu.cmd:
 
setenv bootcmd 'mmc init; fatload mmc 0:1 0x80300000 uImage; fatload mmc 0:1 0x81600000 uInitrd; bootm 0x80300000 0x81600000'
 
setenv bootargs console=tty0 console=ttyS2,115200n8 root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 rootwait ro vram=12M omapfb.mode=dvi:1280x720MR-16@60 fixrtc buddy=${buddy}
 
boot
 
  
Use mkimage create to actual *.scr file for U-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..
  
mkimage -A arm -O linux -T script -C none -a 0 -e 0 -n "Ubuntu 10.04" -d ./ubuntu.cmd ./ubuntu.scr
+
See my notes for my testing procedure: https://github.com/RobertCNelson/netinstall/blob/master/test.Ubuntu
  
=== Copy to Boot Partition ===
+
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
  
Mount your SD card fat16/fat32 partition (assuming /dev/sdX1) and copy the uImage, boot.scr, and optional uInitrd to the first partition.
+
NetInstall assumptions:
 +
Assume asll <default>'s... Thanks you preseed.conf!!!
  
mkdir -p ./tmp
+
= Method 3: Manual Install (no automatic scripts)=
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 ./tmp
 
sudo cp ./uImage ./tmp/uImage
 
sudo cp ./uInitrd ./tmp/uImage
 
 
Beagle:
 
sudo cp ./ubuntu.scr ./tmp/boot.scr
 
 
IGEPv2:
 
sudo cp ./ubuntu.scr ./tmp/boot.ini
 
 
sudo umount ./tmp
 
  
== Ubuntu Bugs & Tweaks ==
+
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:
  
===Enable Network Access===
+
== Beagle/Beagle xM ==
 +
http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/BeagleBoard
  
Modify /etc/network/interfaces
+
== BeagleBone ==
auto eth0
+
http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/BeagleBone
iface eth0 inet dhcp
 
  
Manual: From the Command line
+
== BeagleBone Black ==
  sudo ifconfig -a
+
  http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/BeagleBone+Black
sudo dhclient ethX (or wlanX/etc..)
 
  
Additional Network Setup Information can be found [[BeagleBoardUbuntuNetwork|HERE]]
+
== Panda/Panda ES ==
 +
http://eewiki.net/display/linuxonarm/PandaBoard
  
 
= Advanced =
 
= Advanced =
Line 321: Line 409:
 
==Install Latest Kernel Image==
 
==Install Latest Kernel Image==
  
===Script File===
+
Script:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools
 +
git pull
  
example: http://www.rcn-ee.net/deb/lucid/v2.6.33.4-l3/
+
Stable:
   
+
  ./update_kernel.sh
wget http://rcn-ee.net/deb/lucid/v2.6.33.4-l3/install-me.sh
 
/bin/bash install-me.sh
 
  
Reboot with your new uImage
+
Testing:
 +
./update_kernel.sh --beta-kernel
  
== Upgrade X-loader and U-boot ==
+
Custom: (has to be on rcn-ee.net)
 +
./update_kernel.sh --kernel v3.8.13-bone37
  
Compatible with Bx,C2/3/4
+
Reboot with your new Kernel Image.
  
Requires MMC card..
+
== Upgrade X-loader and U-boot ==
  
bzr branch lp:~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/omap-flasher
+
*Note: the functionality of the "X-Loader" project has been merged as u-boot spl.
cd omap-flasher
 
./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX
 
  
1: Place MMC card in Beagle
+
Compatibility with older Ax, Bx, Cx, and Dx BeagleBoards
2: Push/Hold User Button
 
3: Apply Power
 
4: After U-boot loads, let off User Button
 
5: Wait for Flashing to end
 
6: Power down, remove/edit boot.scr from MMC card
 
 
 
Depending on what's in NAND, you might still have to stop and do this:
 
  
 +
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
 
  nand erase 260000 20000
reset
 
  
What the script does:
+
Or: To fully erase the entire NAND:
fatload mmc 0:1 0x80200000 x-load.bin.ift
+
  nand erase.chip
nandecc hw
 
  nand erase 0 80000
 
nand write 0x80200000 0 20000
 
nand write 0x80200000 20000 20000
 
nand write 0x80200000 40000 20000
 
nand write 0x80200000 60000 20000
 
 
fatload mmc 0:1 0x80300000 u-boot.bin
 
nandecc sw
 
nand erase 80000 160000
 
nand write 0x80300000 80000 160000
 
nand erase 260000 20000
 
reset
 
  
== SGX Video Acceleration ==
+
Requires MMC card:
  
Use a "corporate email" and download the latest (3.01.00.02):
+
  git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/flasher.git
  http://software-dl.ti.com/dsps/dsps_public_sw/sdo_sb/targetcontent/gfxsdk/latest/index_FDS.html
+
cd flasher
  
=== Kernel Modules ===
+
For the Beagle Ax/Bx
''An older version of these instructions was adapted for the IGEPv2 platform - if you are following this tutorial and have an IGEPv2, consider using http://wiki.jmaustin.org/wiki/IgepSGXUbuntu instead''
+
sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle_bx
  
Use the "build_sgx_module.sh" script in 2.6-stable, module source is now in the *.bin
+
For the Beagle Cx/Dx
 +
sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --mmc /dev/sdX --uboot beagle_cx
  
  https://code.launchpad.net/~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/2.6-stable
+
  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
  
Directions: (2.6.34+ this will change..)
+
If you don't know the location of your SD card:
  bzr branch lp:~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/2.6-stable
+
  sudo ./mk_mmc.sh --probe-mmc
cd 2.6-stable
 
./build_kernel.sh
 
./build_sgx_modules.sh
 
  
Copy the *.uImage and extract the matching *.modules.tar.gz from the deploy directory to your SD card.
+
You should see something like:
  
Copy the GFX_Linux_SDK.tar.gz examples to either your SD card or another media (large file) then boot your omap board.
+
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'''
  
Run depmod:
+
* 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.
sudo depmod -a omaplfb
 
  
Tweak System Libraries:
+
== SGX Drivers ==
sudo ln -sf /usr/lib/libXdmcp.so.6.0.0 /usr/lib/libXdmcp.so.0
 
sudo ln -sf /usr/lib/libXau.so.6.0.0 /usr/lib/libXau.so.0
 
  
=== Startup Script ===
+
=== SGX BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black ===
  
For 3.01.00.02
+
NNote, these are FBDEV only, no xorg/x11/etc...
  
Copy /opt/pvr/pvr script:
+
Install sgx modules (3.14.x ti kernel):
 +
sudo apt-get install ti-sgx-es8-modules-`uname -r`
 +
sudo depmod -a `uname -r`
 +
sudo update-initramfs -uk `uname -r`
  
Lucid:
+
Build SGX userspace (must be done on an x86, due to the TI 5.01.01.01 blob extractor)
  sudo cp /opt/pvr/pvr /etc/init.d/pvr
+
  git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/ti-linux-kernel-dev.git
  sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/pvr
+
cd ti-linux-kernel-dev/
  sudo update-rc.d pvr defaults
+
  git checkout origin/ti-linux-3.14.y -b tmp-sgx
 +
  ./sgx_create_package.sh
  
Note, if your updating..
+
Copy ./deploy/GFX_5.01.01.01.tar.gz to BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black and install
  cat /opt/pvr/pvr | sudo tee /etc/init.d/pvr > /dev/null
+
sudo tar xfv GFX_5.01.01.01.tar.gz -C /
 +
  cd /opt/gfxinstall/
 +
sudo ./sgx-install.sh
 +
sudo reboot
  
=== Test SGX with a DEMO ===
+
Verify omaplfb & pvrsrvkm loaded
 +
debian@arm:~$ lsmod | grep omaplfb
 +
omaplfb                12065  0
 +
pvrsrvkm              178782  1 omaplfb
  
In GFX_Linux_SDK:
+
SGX Demos
  cd OGLES/SDKPackage/Binaries/CommonX11/Demos/ChameleonMan
+
  cd /opt/gfxsdkdemos/ogles2/
  ./OGLESChameleonMan
+
  sudo ./OGLES2ChameleonMan
  
=== Trouble Shooting ===
+
== Xorg Drivers ==
  
  sudo rm /etc/powervr-esrev
+
Script:
sudo depmod -a omaplfb
+
  cd /opt/scripts/tools/
  sudo /etc/init.d/pvr restart
+
  git pull
  
== DSP ==
+
BeagleBoard/PandaBoard:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools/graphics/
 +
./ti-omapdrm.sh
  
This is still a major work in progress...
+
BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black:
 +
cd /opt/scripts/tools/graphics/
 +
./ti-tilcdc.sh
  
== Xorg omapfb Drivers ==
+
= Swapfile =
  
By default Ubuntu will try to use the FBDEV video driver, however for the beagleboard we can take advantage of a more software optimized driver (still not using the sgx video hardware) using the NEON extensions of the Cortex-A8 core.
+
== Using a File for Swap Instead of a Partition ==
  
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep FBDEV
+
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).
(II) FBDEV: driver for framebuffer: fbdev
 
(II) FBDEV(0): using default device
 
(II) FBDEV(0): Creating default Display subsection in Screen section
 
(==) FBDEV(0): Depth 16, (==) framebuffer bpp 16
 
(==) FBDEV(0): RGB weight 565
 
  
Login into Ubuntu and open a new terminal, xorg has to be running..
+
Some images (such as those from Linaro.org) do not come with a swap partition or any swap space allocated.
  
xvinfo -display :0.0
+
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.
X-Video Extension version 2.2
 
screen #0
 
  no adaptors present
 
  
=== Drivers ===
+
=== Creating a Swapfile ===
  
Note: These are built with neon optimizations: http://git.debian.org/?p=collab-maint/xf86-video-omapfb.git;a=blob;f=debian/rules;h=c2f0d5391c96c5abb60b1e691ad86bb27e0c17d8;hb=HEAD  (line 48/49)
+
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:
  
Lucid:
+
sudo mkdir -p /var/cache/swap/ 
  sudo apt-get install xserver-xorg-video-omap3
+
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 verify it was correctly installed, reboot and:
+
To tell the OS to load this swapfile on each start up, edit the /etc/fstab file to include the following additional line:
  
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | grep omapfb
+
/var/cache/swap/swapfile    none    swap    sw    0   0
(II) LoadModule: "omapfb"
 
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers//omapfb_drv.so
 
(II) Module omapfb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
 
(II) omapfb: Driver for OMAP framebuffer (omapfb) and external LCD controllers:
 
(WW) Error opening /sys/devices/platform/omapfb/ctrl/name: No such file or directory
 
(II) omapfb(0): VideoRAM: 1800KiB (SDRAM)
 
(II) omapfb(0): Creating default Display subsection in Screen section
 
(**) omapfb(0): Depth 16, (--) framebuffer bpp 16
 
(==) omapfb(0): RGB weight 565
 
(==) omapfb(0): Default visual is TrueColor
 
(--) omapfb(0): Virtual size is 1280x720 (pitch 1280)
 
(**) omapfb(0):  Built-in mode "current"
 
(==) omapfb(0): DPI set to (96, 96)
 
(II) omapfb(0): DPMS enabled
 
(II) omapfb(0): Video plane capabilities:
 
(II) omapfb(0): Video plane supports the following image formats:
 
(II) omapfb(0): XVideo extension initialized
 
  
Login into Ubuntu and open a new terminal, xorg has to be running..
+
To verify that the swapfile is accessilble as swap to the OS, run "top" or "htop" at a console.
  
xvinfo -display :0.0
+
= Ubuntu Software =
X-Video Extension version 2.2
 
screen #0
 
  Adaptor #0: "OMAP XV adaptor"
 
    number of ports: 1
 
    port base: 56
 
    operations supported: PutImage
 
    supported visuals:
 
      depth 16, visualID 0x21
 
    number of attributes: 1
 
    etc..
 
  
== S-Video ==
+
== Wi-Fi Networking (command line) ==
Sorry I don't have an S-Video TV, and this is documented in the source, so it would be really great if someone could fill this section in... --[[User:RobertCNelson|RobertCNelson]] 21:32, 13 July 2009 (UTC)
 
  
=== NTSC ===
+
=== /etc/network/interfaces ===
  
Please use v2.6.29-oer44.1:
+
It is relatively easy to configure a Wi-Fi card from the command line.
  
=== PAL ===
+
You will need to edit the /etc/network/interfaces file. There are several guides available via Google.
  
Please use v2.6.29-oer44.1:
+
This is a particularly useful guide https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=202834
  
== Building Kernel ==
+
A sample /etc/network/interfaces file for a WPA2 encrypted access point is:
  
https://launchpad.net/~beagleboard-kernel
+
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>
  
Register on launchpad.net, install bzr
+
Your Wi-Fi card will automatically load these settings upon startup and initialize wireless network access.
sudo apt-get install bzr
 
  
Download SRC
+
== Lightweight window managers ==
bzr branch lp:~beagleboard-kernel/+junk/2.6-stable
 
  
Build Kernel
+
If you intend to use Ubuntu on the BeagleBoard you can install JWM or IceWM to improve performance.
./build_kernel.sh
 
  
Build SGX Modules
+
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.
./build_sgx_modules.sh
 
 
 
Build Deb File
 
./build_deb.sh
 
 
 
= Ubuntu Software =
 
  
 
== Web Apps ==
 
== Web Apps ==
  
 
=== Midori ===
 
=== Midori ===
Given that the BeagleBoard has fewer resources than a desktop a light weight browser is more responsive. Midori is a light weight browser that still supports flash etc
+
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:
It is available from the standard repositories.
 
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midori_%28web_browser%29
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midori_%28web_browser%29
  
Line 529: Line 587:
  
 
=== Motion ===
 
=== 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.
+
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.
+
Motion is also available from the standard repositories:
 
http://www.debian-administration.org/article/An_Introduction_to_Video_Surveillance_with_%27Motion%27
 
http://www.debian-administration.org/article/An_Introduction_to_Video_Surveillance_with_%27Motion%27
Using a 960x720 resolution webcam with 15 fps rate under the UVC driver the Rev C BeagleBoard under Xubuntu reports ~60% CPU utilisation.
+
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.
  
To make the BeagleBoard automatically start recording on boot do the following:
+
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  
 
* Auto Login - run "gdmsetup" from a terminal and select a user to automatically login  
* Sessions - make sure you don't save any previous xwindows sessions so that it doesn't prompt you for which one you want
+
* 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 - amend /etc/motion/motion.conf to the settings you want (ie video output directory, record only video, record in mpeg4, set frame rate etc). Do this with "sudo medit /etc/motion/motion.conf" at a prompt.
+
* 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 has the following text in it:
+
* 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
 
  #! /bin/sh
Line 547: Line 605:
 
This will now launch the motion client as root when you boot up.
 
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 with the ntpdate app.
+
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.

Revision as of 08:33, 30 October 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/v3.17.x -b tmp
./build_kernel.sh
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/ti-linux-kernel-dev.git
cd ti-linux-kernel-dev
git checkout origin/ti-linux-3.14.y -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:

  • 2014-10-29
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.17.1-armv7-x3 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
    • OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
  • 2014-08-13
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.16.0-armv7-x4 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone63 kernel
    • OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.16.0-armv7-lpae-x2 kernel
  • 2014-07-06
    • repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
    • Beagle/Beagle xM: v3.15.3-armv7-x4 kernel
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone59 kernel
    • OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.15.3-armv7-lpae-x5 kernel

Services Active:

Note: Depending on your internal network these may work out of the box
Apache, Port 80: http://arm.local/ (Bone: via usb) http://192.168.7.2
SSH, Port 22: ssh ubuntu@arm.local (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-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz
cf3b267b62c17ff59440a11370d66479  ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz

Unpack Image:

tar xf ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29.tar.xz
cd ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29

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 --dtb board

board options:

  • BeagleBoard Ax/Bx/Cx/Dx - omap3-beagle
  • BeagleBoard xM - omap3-beagle-xm
  • BeagleBone/Black - beaglebone
  • OMAP5432 uEVM - omap5-uevm

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 v2014.10 -b tmp

Stable:

./RootStock-NG.sh -c rcn-ee_console_ubuntu_stable_armhf

Flasher

eMMC: BeagleBone Black

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager 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/eMMC/init-eMMC-flasher-v3.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:

  • 2014-10-29
    • BeagleBone Black: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
  • 2014-08-13
    • BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone63 kernel
  • 2014-07-06
    • repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
    • BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone59 kernel
    • NOTE: You'll need to hold the BOOT button on powerup...

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/flasher/trusty/BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
bca8b065610b4a095c1f0a94a0e9e305  BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Follow the "standard" update procedure.

http://elinux.org/Beagleboard:Updating_The_Software

Linux:

unxz BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./BBB-eMMC-flasher-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX

raw microSD img

BeagleBoard (classic)

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager

User: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Auto partition resize:

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

Image Updated:

  • 2014-10-29
    • Beagle: v3.17.1-armv7-x3 kernel
  • 2014-08-13
    • Beagle: v3.16.0-armv7-x4 kernel

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
84620d025359aa5e6f6d5ba0d3da8f42  bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Linux:

unxz bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./bb-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX

BeagleBoard xM

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager

User: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Auto partition resize:

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

Image Updated:

  • 2014-10-29
    • Beagle xM: v3.17.1-armv7-x3 kernel
  • 2014-08-13
    • Beagle xM: v3.16.0-armv7-x4 kernel
  • 2014-07-06
    • repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
    • Beagle xM: v3.15.3-armv7-x4 kernel

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
422be4c6276e79c03456db7a49f8112d  bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Linux:

unxz bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./bbxm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX

BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager

User: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Auto partition resize:

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

Image Updated:

  • 2014-10-29
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
  • 2014-08-13
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone63 kernel
  • 2014-07-06
    • repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
    • BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black: v3.8.13-bone59 kernel
    • Black: NOTE: You'll need to hold the BOOT button on powerup...

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
bf9a9c1004a64ea4fa2efdafae110523  bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Linux:

unxz bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./bone-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img of=/dev/sdX

OMAP5432 uEVM

This image can be written to a 2GB (or larger) microSD card, via 'dd' on linux or on windows: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Win32DiskImager

User: ubuntu pass: temppwd

Auto partition resize:

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

Image Updated:

  • 2014-10-29
    • OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.14.22-ti-r31 kernel
  • 2014-08-13
    • OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.16.0-armv7-lpae-x2 kernel
  • 2014-07-06
    • repo now enabled (repos.rcn-ee.net/ubuntu)
    • OMAP5432 uEVM: v3.15.3-armv7-lpae-x5 kernel

Get prebuilt image:

wget https://rcn-ee.net/deb/microsd/trusty/omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Verify Image with:

md5sum omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
fea29fe814278d970a66c712c2fb28bc  omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz

Linux:

unxz omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.img.xz
sudo dd if=./omap5-uevm-ubuntu-14.04.1-console-armhf-2014-10-29-2gb.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

BeagleBone Black

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

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 Drivers

SGX BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black

NNote, these are FBDEV only, no xorg/x11/etc...

Install sgx modules (3.14.x ti kernel):

sudo apt-get install ti-sgx-es8-modules-`uname -r`
sudo depmod -a `uname -r`
sudo update-initramfs -uk `uname -r`

Build SGX userspace (must be done on an x86, due to the TI 5.01.01.01 blob extractor)

git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/ti-linux-kernel-dev.git
cd ti-linux-kernel-dev/
git checkout origin/ti-linux-3.14.y -b tmp-sgx
./sgx_create_package.sh

Copy ./deploy/GFX_5.01.01.01.tar.gz to BeagleBone/BeagleBone Black and install

sudo tar xfv GFX_5.01.01.01.tar.gz -C /
cd /opt/gfxinstall/
sudo ./sgx-install.sh
sudo reboot

Verify omaplfb & pvrsrvkm loaded

debian@arm:~$ lsmod | grep omaplfb
omaplfb                12065  0 
pvrsrvkm              178782  1 omaplfb

SGX Demos

cd /opt/gfxsdkdemos/ogles2/
sudo ./OGLES2ChameleonMan

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

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.