I'm working on a Cyclone V SOC FPGA from Altera with a double Cortex-A9 processor. The embedded system (linux 4.15.7) is created with Buildroot-2018.02. U-boot is used to load the system i-e FPGA.rbf file, device tree blob and zImage and everything works fine.
I want now to integrate the RBF file to my linux and program the FPGA from Linux. I found several methods and the one I understand is the most common is to use CONFIGFS with a device-tree overlay.
So I changed my device tree to integrate the overlay, the u-boot boot script to disable FPGA load and also the following options in the linux ".config" file with make linux-xconfig :
+CONFIG_OF_OVERLAY=y
+CONFIG_ALTERA_STAPL=y
+CONFIG_CONFIGFS_FS=y
+CONFIG_SAMPLES=y
+CONFIG_SAMPLE_CONFIGFS=m
These options are the state were I am now after several try.
After a make and a reboot, once the kernel is loaded, I enter the following command in the console :
mkdir /config
mount -t configfs none /config
At this state, I'm expecting to see some device tree files in the /config folder but there wasn't any, only one rdma_cm folder :
# ls /config
rdma_cm
I continued my reading on this topic and found that I must enable the CONFIG_OF_CONFIGFS option in my linux kernel.
PROBLEM: This option is not available in my linux kernel. Also, file drivers/of/configfs.c is no here too. I've searched in vain to find how to enable device tree overlay for my kernel version.
How can I configure my kernel to make device-tree available in configfs ?
I had the same problem as you. So I had to make a device driver by myself.
This device driver is tentative and I expect Linux mainline to officially support Device Tree Overlay ConfigFS.
The device driver I made is available at the following URL.
https://github.com/ikwzm/dtbocfg
If you are using Debian, you can build the Debian Package of the device driver with the following URL.
https://github.com/ikwzm/dtbocfg-kmod-dpkg
If you want to try Device Tree Overlay using this device driver, please refer to the following URL.
https://github.com/ikwzm/FPGA-SoC-Linux
https://github.com/ikwzm/FPGA-SoC-Linux-Example-1-DE10-Nano
Related
I am working on a project with SAMA5D3-xplained board with CortexA5 processor and embedded Linux. I would like to send and receive some data via UART during U-Boot is running and before a kernel is loaded to the RAM. I have no idea what I should do. Should I add the second UART to U-Boot device tree source file? Should I change something in a board configuration file? Do you have any ideas on what steps I should take to achieve my goal? Thank you in advance for any help.
EDIT
I would like to use UART from U-Boot C code, not from U-Boot commands. I need to communicate with one of a peripheral device before the kernel is loaded to the RAM.
I assume that you are using the upstream U-Boot from https://source.denx.de/u-boot/u-boot.git.
The device-tree arch/arm/dts/at91-sama5d3_xplained.dts already contains the definitions for six different uarts called serial0 - serial5. serial0 is set in the /chosen node as the standard serial connection. You should be able to see all six devices with the 'dm tree' command.
The currently used UART can be switched by setting the stdin and stdout environment variables.
If you do not want to switch these variables, because you still want output on the default UART you will have to access the device driver. Unfortunately drivers/serial/serial-uclass.c does not yet export functions for this. But _serial_putc(), __serial_getc(), and __serial_tstc() should give you an idea how this is done.
I created an small embedded WinUSB device which offers 2 bulk endpoints. This device can communicate with Linux and with Windows10 without installing driver, or a .inf file.
Now we want to use the same API with a embedded Linux. The USB-Gadget mode offers Serial CDC/ACM and RNDIS-Ethernet and many more.
I was able to create a USB-Gadget with the gadgetfs which had only bulk ep. I could communicate with Linux and Windows host. The USB-Device had /dev/ttyGS0 to communicate. But in Windows I had to install WinUSB driver manually.
I work with yocto to create embedded kernel.
I added some line of code here: /linux-imx/drivers/usb/gadget/legacy/serial.c , f_serial.c, u_serial.h to add additional variable os_desc and parameter use_winusb. But the resulting g_serial still creates a COM-Port in Windows10 or a no WinUSB device. For our device we need WinUSB-Device only.
The RNDIS Gadget does has WinUSB support. So I tried to create a own USB-Gadget device with https://github.com/libusbgx/libusbgx. But if I use the USBG_F_SERIAL function type then it can't create WinUSB. See error:
Error setting function OS desc
Error: USBG_ERROR_NOT_FOUND : Not found (file or directory removed)
If I use USBG_F_RNDIS, it works, and with manipulated USB descriptor it'll recognized by Windows as WinUSB device. But Linux implement's it as USB-ETH ethernet device. The USB-Device get's no /dev/ttyGS0 serial connection to communicate.
I'm reading the Linux kernel driver source now, to find the position, where I can simply ann this WinUSB os-descriptor stuff into the USBG_F_SERIAL type. But I think it'll take month to get through.
Any solution would be ok. Patch for the Linux driver sources g_serial or how to configure a USB-Gadgetfs would be great. Any hint, where to put additional code would also be fine.
I wanted to change the kernel, but fortunately found this:
https://blog.soutade.fr/post/2016/07/create-your-own-usb-gadget-with-gadgetfs.html
This code made it easy to add WinUSB features.
Source of modified Version for WinUSB: https://github.com/rundekugel/gadgetfsd/tree/WinUSB
I have a custom i.MX6Q-based board with working U-Boot and Linux (Ubuntu) setups. The micro and board have support for USB-OTG and one serial port; currently, the serial port serves the console for both U-Boot and Linux. However, we may need to use the serial port for another purpose, but we don't want to lose the console for U-Boot and Linux. Is it possible to use the USB-OTG port for the system console for both U-Boot and Linux?
I've done some research and found a couple of promising articles here and here, though the second article says this tidbit:
Unfortunately it won't work as system console as the gadget driver is loaded as a module, but we can use it for serial console.
I'm not sure I understand this, but it sounds like the method won't meet my needs, which is to use USB-OTG for both U-Boot and Linux system consoles. I did try these methods, but without luck, which may mean that U-Boot and Linux aren't built properly for the desired functionality.
So here are my questions:
Can this work for U-Boot?
Can this work for Linux?
Am I insane for contemplating this path?
For either, any guidance (e.g. tutorials, examples, etc.) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Can this work for U-Boot?
Yes, at least since U-Boot version 2008.10, the README file has stated:
Define the below if you wish to use the USB console.
CONFIG_USB_DEVICE
Define this to build a UDC device
CONFIG_USB_TTY
Define this to have a tty type of device available to
talk to the UDC device
CFG_CONSOLE_IS_IN_ENV
Define this if you want stdin, stdout &/or stderr to
be set to usbtty.
Note that these configuration symbols are not accessible using the menuconfig, and must be enabled in a configuration file.
Currently at least five boards use this U-Boot capability, based on the occurrence of CONFIG_USB_TTY in files in include/configs/, for example include/configs/ti_omap4_common.h.
This USB configuration requires non-default definitions for the stdin and stdout environment variables. Refer to the README documentation for the details.
Can this work for Linux?
Yes, Linux (at least since version 4.5) can have a serial console on a USB connection, either a USB-to-serial adapter on a host port or a USB serial gadget on a device port (using CDC/ACM).
For instance, in drivers/usb/gadget/Kconfig there's the selection:
config U_SERIAL_CONSOLE
bool "Serial gadget console support"
depends on USB_G_SERIAL
help
It supports the serial gadget can be used as a console.
In the Linux 5.7.8 kernel only two boards have default configurations that use this capability, for example see arch/arm/configs/aspeed_g4_defconfig.
Besides a proper configuration to build the necessary drivers, a serial-gadget console requires (1) the kernel parameter specification (e.g. console=ttyGS0,...), and (2) a login session initiated by a getty command (e.g. in the inittab file).
Am I insane for contemplating this path?
No comment.
Beware that should you encounter a kernel boot issue, the Linux serial-gadget console does not support earlycon nor earlyprintk capability.
Personally I prefer to use a serial link that is persistent regardless of the target board's state. That ensures the terminal emulator program does not complain about lost connections.
Addendum
Unfortunately this Linux console on a USB serial gadget does not display boot messages generated by the kernel (before the login prompt), even if all drivers are statically linked in to the kernel image.
Although the syslog has messages like
console [ttyGS0] enabled
g_serial gadget: g_serial ready
...
gs_open: ttyGS0 ((ptrval),(ptrval))
before the salient Freeing unused kernel memory message, the host side does not receive any console messages until userspace is active.
This shortcoming is also reported in this guide: https://linux-sunxi.org/USB_Gadget/Serial
I working on Odroid XU3 with the ubuntu platform. For the DS5 software to crosscompile for profiling , I need to build Linux kernel with specific configuration. I am new to this stuff, but I have created the UImage of the kernel on the host machine for the Arm processor. I need to ask how one can get that kernel copy in the target platform i.e. Odroid.
Because for the profiling I need to have gatord and kernel with specific configuration installed on the target machine. I am done with gatord and build the kernel on host. Just need to copy it on target. But it is not happening using the sdcard of the odroid. Please let me know.
So if you have created uImage that seems like you have U-Boot as a bootloader on your target board. U-Boot in its turns can download kernel uImages via TFTP. I haven't worked with such devices as yours, but if it has Ethernet port, you could use it.
Also you have to know the U-Boot commands (fortunatelly there are a lot of information can be found over Internet, just ask google.)
I am trying to bring up the kernel and RFS generated by buildroot on a Raspberry Pi board. I am able to bring up the minimal kernel and access shell via a serial cable.
I could see some .ko files that looks like peripheral drivers rpi-firmware package that is downloaded by buildroot. Is it possible to integrate those into the kernel image ? if so , how?
Figured it out. I just have to enable the required drivers from the linux configuration menu (make linux-menuconfig) .
If I enable them as modules, they will be copied into a folder in /lib. Otherwise, they will be integrated in the zImage