I finally found the time to cleanup the sources of the A1 Linux kernel, but unfortunately I don't have my A1 ready to hand at the moment. Thus I need some testers for a 2.6.28-rc8 kernel.

It should be possible to boot the kernel by using the SLB, thus please add something like this to your a1boot.conf file:
Quote:

Linux-2.6.28-rc8 cuImage-2.6.28-rc8 initcall_debug driver_debug debug console=tty0 root=/dev/hdxy ide_core.ignore_cable=0 ide_core.ignore_cable=1 single

Note that the "ide=reverse" option was removed (AFAIK), so the kernel may not be able to access partitions on a harddrive connected to a SiI controller. Also please do not forget the "single" boot option, as I just need to know, if the kernel boots till the root login prompt (IIRC the X server had some problems with newer kernels on the A1, too and I don't want to kill your installations).

If possible, please dump the kernel log to a file (dmesg >/path/to/logfile) and post it here afterwards (after you rebooted with an older working kernel). I recommend to use at least Debian Etch or Lenny for testing.

Thanks and a happy new year!

edit:
I updated the kernel source to the 2.6.28 release. Let's see, if that changes something. Can somebody test this kernel, please?

Last edited by Geri on 07-Jan-2009 at 10:59 AM.
Last edited by Geri on 06-Jan-2009 at 05:15 PM.

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

nice to hear again from you

I am DL the test kernel at the moment but I only have a Sarge installation to test it.

thanks for your continuous efforts and "Gutes Neues"

EDIT: do I need all the files present in .boot ? pb is that my boot partition is only 12Mo so not everything will fit !

for the moment I am unable to boot, I always get bad magic number and file or image not found.
I use the following line in a1boot.conf :
Linux-2.6.28-rc8 /boot/cuImage-2.6.28-rc8 initcall_debug driver_debug debug console=tty0 root=/dev/hda2 ide_core.ignore_cable=0 ide_core.ignore_cable=1 single

and those files :
cuImage-2.6.28-rc8
vmlinux-2.6.28-rc8
System.map-2.6.28-rc8

Last edited by lionstorm on 03-Jan-2009 at 02:15 PM.
Last edited by lionstorm on 03-Jan-2009 at 02:10 PM.

@lionstorm

Quote:

lionstorm wrote: @Geri nice to hear again from you

Yeah, I wasn't very active here in the last months.

Quote:

I am DL the test kernel at the moment but I only have a Sarge installation to test it.

That should be enough to capture the kernel log.

Quote:

thanks for your continuous efforts and "Gutes Neues"

Thanks!

Quote:

EDIT: do I need all the files present in .boot ? pb is that my boot partition is only 12Mo so not everything will fit !

No no, the cuImage* file will do it.

Quote:

for the moment I am unable to boot, I always get bad magic number and file or image not found. I use the following line in a1boot.conf : Linux-2.6.28-rc8 /boot/cuImage-2.6.28-rc8 initcall_debug driver_debug debug console=tty0 root=/dev/hda2 ide_core.ignore_cable=0 ide_core.ignore_cable=1 single and those files : cuImage-2.6.28-rc8 vmlinux-2.6.28-rc8 System.map-2.6.28-rc8

So U-boot can't even load the kernel. I thought I set the kernel start address high enough to not conflict with the load address used by the SLB. I'll recompile the kernel with a higher start address. Maybe this helps.
Thanks for testing!

edit:
I just checked the kernel archive and I found out that I included the wrong image. I'll upload a new archive tomorrow.

Last edited by Geri on 03-Jan-2009 at 06:32 PM.

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

A new archive is available for download (stripped down in size and with the correct kernel image). The old link still works.

Thanks for testing!

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

now it is slightly better : it boots but got stuck forever after successfully uncompressing the kernel image.
the cursor is blinking but it does not go any further...

@lionstorm

Quote:

lionstorm wrote: @Geri now it is slightly better : it boots but got stuck forever after successfully uncompressing the kernel image. the cursor is blinking but it does not go any further...

Can you do a memory dump in the U-boot shell after reset? The following command should show the kernel log im memory:
Quote:

md 3b3ac4

Pressing "ENTER" again dumps the next memory block.
If there is no readable text, then the kernel didn't boot at all.

Thanks again!

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri
images speak better than words

here is one shot where the boot process went a little bit further (the penguin showed up). unfortunately I was not able to make a dump
and this happened only ONE time out of 10 trials
http://www.archive-host.com/compteur.php?url=http://sd-1.archive-host.com/membres/up/6233268124662650/DSCN0652.JPG

EDIT: got the memorydump now :
http://www.archive-host.com/compteur.php?url=http://sd-1.archive-host.com/membres/up/6233268124662650/DSCN0654.JPG


the other 9 trials gave the following :
http://www.archive-host.com/compteur.php?url=http://sd-1.archive-host.com/membres/up/6233268124662650/DSCN0653.JPG

I hope these images are of any help

Last edited by lionstorm on 04-Jan-2009 at 05:51 PM.

@lionstorm

Thanks a lot for the images and all the work!

Looks like the kernel crashes randomly during boot. This behavior sounds familiar.

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

This kernel is like any other kernel version higher than 2.6.8 on my machine. It stops after "hda RDSK" message.

_________________
Rock lobster bit me. My Workbench has always preferences. X1000 + AmigaOS4.1 FE
"Anyone can build a fast CPU. The trick is to build a fast system." -Seymour Cray

@Tomppeli

Quote:

Tomppeli wrote: @Geri This kernel is like any other kernel version higher than 2.6.8 on my machine. It stops after "hda RDSK" message.

So it boots even further on your machine? Does it stop always at the same point? (I'm sure I asked this question before, but please forgive me my oblivion )
I already successfully booted earlier release candidates of the 2.6.28 kernel. Thus I yet have to find out what was changed in the final release version.

edit:
Ah, I see you have an A1SE. I think I compiled a 2.6.9 or 2.6.10 kernel some time ago, but completely forgot to make them available for testing (to isolate the evil code change).

Last edited by Geri on 04-Jan-2009 at 10:45 PM.

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@lionstorm

CuImage is that from CruxPPC Linux?
do you have a Sam440ep?

_________________
http://lifeofliveforit.blogspot.no/
Facebook::LiveForIt Software for AmigaOS

@NutsAboutAmiga

cuImage means "compatibility uImage". It's an U-boot image with an embedded device tree, which allows to boot newer Linux kernels on old U-boot firmwares that don't support device trees. Also the A1 makes use of such images to boot newer kernels.

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

I tried booting it two times more and it stopped after "Freeing unused kernel memory..." both times. Can you make that 2.6.9 available ? I was one time googleing something and I found a discussion forum where they were talking that newer kernels than 2.6.8 had trouble and caused lock ups with DVD drives made by Samsung. (They said some LiteOn's can have same problem, if I can remember. I have LiteOn DVD drive.) That problem existed on all platforms: PPC Mac, any X86-32bit and any x86-64bit. (They said Samsung don't follow standards too accurately.) My Linux partition is on my Samsung HD. And I don't have room on my Seagate ATM. (And last time upgrading to Sarge was too "painful" and long process on my A1 to do it again anyway.) So maybe it's hardware problem in my case. (I remember somebody was using newer kernels on his A1SE succesfully.)

_________________
Rock lobster bit me. My Workbench has always preferences. X1000 + AmigaOS4.1 FE
"Anyone can build a fast CPU. The trick is to build a fast system." -Seymour Cray

@Tomppeli

Quote:

Tomppeli wrote: @Geri I tried booting it two times more and it stopped after "Freeing unused kernel memory..." both times. Can you make that 2.6.9 available ?

Yes, if I find it again! I'll see, if I can do that next week.

Quote:

I was one time googleing something and I found a discussion forum where they were talking that newer kernels than 2.6.8 had trouble and caused lock ups with DVD drives made by Samsung. (They said some LiteOn's can have same problem, if I can remember. I have LiteOn DVD drive.) That problem existed on all platforms: PPC Mac, any X86-32bit and any x86-64bit. (They said Samsung don't follow standards too accurately.) My Linux partition is on my Samsung HD. And I don't have room on my Seagate ATM. (And last time upgrading to Sarge was too "painful" and long process on my A1 to do it again anyway.) So maybe it's hardware problem in my case. (I remember somebody was using newer kernels on his A1SE succesfully.)

I have a LiteOn CDRW drive in my A1 and never had any problems with it. Maybe you could try out some of the IDE kernel options that are described here. It would be interesting to know for example, if "hdx=cdrom" fixes your problem (where x is the index of your DVD drive).

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

Thanks ! With this hdc=cdrom option my A1 boots into 2.6.18 kernel the first time I have tried ever ! I don't know why but today any kernel versions have probed ide2 quite long and then reported time out. This latest 2.6.28-rc8 kernel still doesn't work.

Last edited by Tomppeli on 05-Jan-2009 at 05:54 PM.

_________________
Rock lobster bit me. My Workbench has always preferences. X1000 + AmigaOS4.1 FE
"Anyone can build a fast CPU. The trick is to build a fast system." -Seymour Cray

@Tomppeli

Quote:

Tomppeli wrote: @Geri Thanks ! With this hdc=cdrom option my A1 boots into 2.6.18 kernel the first time I have tried ever !

Can Linux still read a DVD/CD in this drive?

Quote:

I don't know why but today any kernel versions have probed ide2 quite long and then reported time out.

I see you have a SiI0680 controller. I guess you don't use the onboard IDE controller at all and you have set ide=reverse in the kernel command line, right? You may try out hdx=none for the non existing devices on ide2/3 or ide2/3=noprobe.
AFAIK U-boot doesn't really disable the onboard IDE controller. It only sets an environment variable for OS4, which can't be read by Linux (OS4 devs should correct me, if I say something wrong).

Quote:

This latest 2.6.28-rc8 kernel still doesn't work.

Yes, I have to debug that on my A1.

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

Quote:

Can Linux still read a DVD/CD in this drive?

Yes. But I couldn't unmount that CD in Konqueror.

Quote:

I see you have a SiI0680 controller

Yes, I do.

Quote:

I guess you don't use the onboard IDE controller at all and you have set ide=reverse in the kernel command line, right?

Yes.

I have one strange problem. Sometimes I lose display and my monitor goes into standby mode. (It's not blanker.)

My a1boot.conf:
Kernel-2.6.8-hdd9 /boot/kernel-2.6.8.img root=/dev/hdd9 video=radeon:1024x768-8@60 ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdg=noprobe hdh=noprobe hda=noprobe hdb=noprobe hdc=cdrom mem=512M
Kernel-2.4.26-hdd9 /boot/kernel-2.4.26.img root=/dev/hdd9 video=radeon:1024x768-8@60 ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdc=cdrom l2cr=0x80000000
Kernel-2.6.18-hdd9 /boot/kernel-2.6.18.img root=/dev/hdd9 video=radeon:1024x768-8@60 ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdg=noprobe hdh=noprobe hda=noprobe hdb=noprobe hdc=cdrom mem=512M
Kernel-2.6.28-rc8 /boot/cuImage-2.6.28-rc8 initcall_debug driver_debug debug console=tty0 root=/dev/hdd9 ide_core.ignore_cable=0 ide_core.ignore_cable=1 single ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdg=noprobe hdh=noprobe hda=noprobe hdb=noprobe hdc=cdrom mem=512M

(That 2.4.26 is there for just in case.)

I have "noprobe" for all Amiga partitions.

_________________
Rock lobster bit me. My Workbench has always preferences. X1000 + AmigaOS4.1 FE
"Anyone can build a fast CPU. The trick is to build a fast system." -Seymour Cray

@Tomppeli

Quote:

Tomppeli wrote: @Geri Yes. But I couldn't unmount that CD in Konqueror.

I doubt this has to do something with the IDE driver. Could be a permission problem!?

Quote:

I have one strange problem. Sometimes I lose display and my monitor goes into standby mode. (It's not blanker.)

Where does this happen? Only when working in KDE/GNOME or also on a virtual console?

Quote:

My a1boot.conf: Kernel-2.6.8-hdd9 /boot/kernel-2.6.8.img root=/dev/hdd9 video=radeon:1024x768-8@60 ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdg=noprobe hdh=noprobe hda=noprobe hdb=noprobe hdc=cdrom mem=512M Kernel-2.4.26-hdd9 /boot/kernel-2.4.26.img root=/dev/hdd9 video=radeon:1024x768-8@60 ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdc=cdrom l2cr=0x80000000 Kernel-2.6.18-hdd9 /boot/kernel-2.6.18.img root=/dev/hdd9 video=radeon:1024x768-8@60 ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdg=noprobe hdh=noprobe hda=noprobe hdb=noprobe hdc=cdrom mem=512M Kernel-2.6.28-rc8 /boot/cuImage-2.6.28-rc8 initcall_debug driver_debug debug console=tty0 root=/dev/hdd9 ide_core.ignore_cable=0 ide_core.ignore_cable=1 single ide=reverse hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe hdg=noprobe hdh=noprobe hda=noprobe hdb=noprobe hdc=cdrom mem=512M

You can replace "hde=noprobe hdf=noprobe" with "ide2=noprobe". That makes the kernel command line shorter (it has a limit). Just out of interest: what's the reason for the mem=512M boot option?

Quote:

I have "noprobe" for all Amiga partitions.

Hmm, but the 2.6.18 kernel can access FFS/3 and SFS/0 (at least read only) partitions?

Geri

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -

@Geri

Quote:

Only when working in KDE/GNOME or also on a virtual console?

I'm not sure. What's virtual console ?

Quote:

what's the reason for the mem=512M boot option?

Because some kernel versions didn't work and somebody suggested testing different options. I didn't bother to remove that.

Quote:

Hmm, but the 2.6.18 kernel can access FFS/3 and SFS/0

I'm using JXFS.

Quote:

Could be a permission problem!?

Permission problems are so Linux. Luckily Ubuntu doesn't have much permission problems.

Last edited by Tomppeli on 06-Jan-2009 at 09:47 PM.
Last edited by Tomppeli on 06-Jan-2009 at 09:45 PM.

_________________
Rock lobster bit me. My Workbench has always preferences. X1000 + AmigaOS4.1 FE
"Anyone can build a fast CPU. The trick is to build a fast system." -Seymour Cray

@Tomppeli

Quote:

Tomppeli wrote: @Geri I'm not sure. What's virtual console ?

The boot messages are displayed on a virtual console or you can switch to it with Ctrl+Alt+F1 till F6. Ctrl+Alt+F7 switches back to the X server display.

Quote:

Because some kernel versions didn't work and somebody suggested testing different options. I didn't bother to remove that.

It's unnecessary for the 2.6.x kernels.

Quote:

Quote: Hmm, but the 2.6.18 kernel can access FFS/3 and SFS/0 I'm using JXFS.

Okay, then it makes sense somehow.

Quote:

Quote: Could be a permission problem!? Permission problems are so Linux. Luckily Ubuntu doesn't have much permission problems.

BTW are you using the 2.6.18 kernel with Debian Sarge now?

_________________
A1SE: G3@600MHz, 2GB, 1GBit network card
A1XE: G4@933MHz, 2GB, refitted AC'97 codec
microA1: G3@800MHz, 1GB

- A1 Linux support -