Can't Boot Linux

[DaveH]

I have a problem with a SheevaPlug here. It's currently set up with the multi-boot environment given elsewhere in the forums. It goes through the motions and gets to

## Booting image at 00800000 ...
   Image Name:   Linux-2.6.30.2
   Created:      2009-07-23   1:53:36 UTC
   Image Type:   ARM Linux Kernel Image (uncompressed)
   Data Size:    2620440 Bytes =  2.5 MB
   Load Address: 00008000
   Entry Point:  00008000
   Verifying Checksum ... OK
OK

Starting kernel ...

Uncompressing Linux...................................................................................
................................. done, booting the kernel.

at which point it sits forever. I've tried it with an SD card image and that gets to a similar point. The same SD card in one of my other plugs boots just fine, and all the messages up to the point of freeze are the same on both plugs:

SDHC found. Card desciption is:
Manufacturer:       0x02, OEM "TM"
Product name:       "SA08G", revision 0.4
Serial number:      2633636436
Manufacturing date: 11/2009
CRC:                0x00, b0 = 0

1811960 bytes read
## Booting image at 00800000 ...
   Image Name:   Debian kernel 2.6.30-2-kirkwood
   Created:      2010-05-23  14:49:27 UTC
   Image Type:   ARM Linux Kernel Image (uncompressed)
   Data Size:    1811896 Bytes =  1.7 MB
   Load Address: 00008000
   Entry Point:  00008000
   Verifying Checksum ... OK
OK

Starting kernel ...

Uncompressing Linux...................................................................................
................................. done, booting the kernel.

Any ideas?

[NewIT_Marcus]

The differences in the parts of the bootlog that you have copied and pasted show that there are differences in your kernels. Therein lies the reasons why something's not working, but I don't completely understand what you are saying is not working (is it the NAND boot that isn't working or the SD card boot?)

Anyway, the problem is either your environment variables (which you haven't shared), or the kernel itself. My bet would be mainlineLinux and/or ArcNumber.

[DaveH]

Sorry, it was the end of a long day, I wasn't as clear as I might have been. The SD card boot is what I get from either system, but one hangs at that point and the other continues successfully. The first boot example is what it gets without an SD card and is whatever the system arrived with. (It's just occurred to me that I ought to check whether the pre-programmed image is UBIFS, will look back at the order when I can find it.)

I'm going to start again this evening and compare the good and bad plugs, but the bad one has this environment

baudrate=115200
loads_echo=0
ipaddr=10.4.50.165
serverip=10.4.50.5
rootpath=/mnt/ARM_FS/
netmask=255.255.255.0
console=console=ttyS0,115200 mtdparts=nand_mtd:0xc0000@0(uboot)ro,0x1ff00000@0x100000(root)
CASset=min
MALLOC_len=1
ethprime=egiga0
bootargs_end=:::DB88FXX81:eth0:none
image_name=uImage
ethmtu=1500
mvPhoneConfig=mv_phone_config=dev0:fxs,dev1:fxs
mvNetConfig=mv_net_config=(00:11:88:0f:62:81,0:1:2:3),mtu=1500
usb0Mode=host
yuk_ethaddr=00:00:00:EE:51:81
nandEcc=1bit
netretry=no
rcvrip=169.254.100.100
loadaddr=0x02000000
autoload=no
ethact=egiga0
ethaddr=00:50:43:01:49:7A
bootargs_root=ubi.mtd=1=root=ubi0:rootfs rootfstype=ubifs
standalone=fsload=0x2000000 $(image_name);setenv bootargs $(console) root=/dev/mtdblock0 rw ip=$(ipadd
r):$(serverip)$(bootargs_end) $(mvPhoneConfig); bootm 0x2000000;
bootargs_root_nand=ubi.mtd=1=root=ubi0:rootfs rootfstype=ubifs
bootcmd_nand=setenv bootargs $(bootargs_console) $(mtdpartitions) $(bootargs_root_nand); nand read.e 0
x00800000 0x00100000 0x00400000; bootm 0x00800000
bootargs_root_mmc=root=/dev/mmcblk0p2=rootdelay=5
real_bootcmd=run bootcmd_mmc; run bootcmd_nand
bootcmd_mmc=setenv bootargs $(bootargs_console) $(bootargs_root_mmc); mmcinit; ext2load mmc 0:1 0x8000
00 /uImage; bootm 0x00800000
bootcmd=run bootcmd_mmc; run bootcmd_nand
arcNumber=2097
stdin=serial
stdout=serial
stderr=serial
nandEnvBase=a0000
mainlineLinux=yes
enaMonExt=no
enaCpuStream=no
enaWrAllo=no
pexMode=RC
disL2Cache=no
setL2CacheWT=yes
disL2Prefetch=yes
enaICPref=yes
enaDCPref=yes
sata_dma_mode=yes
netbsd_en=no
vxworks_en=no
bootdelay=3
disaMvPnp=no
enaAutoRecovery=yes
pcieTune=no

Environment size: 1618/131068 bytes

[NewIT_Marcus]

At first glance, the environment variables look correct.

I still don't understand the circumstances that produced the 2 portions of boot log that you posted, but the key difference shouts very loud; different kernels. So from the looks of things you need to put the "good" kernel into the location that the "bad" kernel is being loaded from.

[DaveH]

The two different boot logs were done with the SD card out (so it was attempting an internal NAND boot) and then with the SD card in, so yes, I was trying to run two different kernels on the same plug. Both hung at the point where it said "booting the kernel". I then took the SD card and put it into another plug and that gave the same messages as the bad plug but continued with the actual boot. So I've got a known good SD image that isn't booting on that particular plug.

I guess the other important bit of information that wasn't clear is that this was out-of-the-box. With hindsight, I should have powered it up and let it boot as delivered to prove it was OK, but instead I just went straight for customising it.

Can you confirm the environment variables for a system delivered configured for NAND boot using Ubuntu 9.04 with UBIFS so I can go right back to square one. I acquired it at the end of March this year but only took it out of the box yesterday in case there have been different versions.

ETA: U-Boot version is 3.4.23 in case that's relevant

[NewIT_Marcus]

All relevant information that you need about environment variables can be found here:

http://www.newit.co.uk/forum/index.php/board,9.0.html

[DaveH]

I made progress with the UBIFS stuff, in that it got further, but then objected that it couldn't find the root fs, various sweary messages from UBI: about lack of layout volumes and ending with a kernel panic. However, that inspired me that the thing was working, and I went back to the working plug and did a line-by-line copy of its environment to the bad one and now it has booted successfully. Some of the lines look wrong, but my understanding of the way it works, I don't think it's using those lines anyway.

Once I've finished setting up the SD card image (seeing as this is a replacement for a failed NSLU2 set-up that I want on-line quickly), I'll come back and work out what went wrong and why what I've got works. Thanks for the pointers.

[DaveH]

Just to close this one off, I think the Linux image on the offending plug SD card wasn't quite right. I've taken it back to square one and used the installer to reflash the u-boot stuff, and started with a fresh SD image and it all seems to be quite happy now.

Now, if only we could have a Power over Ethernet version of the plug...

[mabuhay]

Now, if only we could have a Power over Ethernet version of the plug...

Great idea!
...using a battery is also a good idea, but of course not as nice as power over ethernet
http://www.sheevaplug.de/forum/35-hardware/2079-meine-guruplug-bleibt-nun-20-grad-kalt-guruplug-heat-mod.html#2166