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      /  [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
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Spectre660 
[X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 4-Mar-2020 11:49:21
#1 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 4-Jun-2005
Posts: 3918
From: Unknown

[X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE

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Hypex 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 4-Mar-2020 14:38:57
#2 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 6-May-2007
Posts: 11180
From: Greensborough, Australia

@Spectre660

The speed could be improved. I bet the X5000 UBoot firmware running on an X1000 would blitz right through.

I wonder if the x86 emulator could be sped up? Again, does an X5000 take ten seconds to bring the video card up? My XE had it up in a second, even if it was an old and therefore simple card.

The easy way it crashes should be fixed. The crash handler could also do better and read debug symbols. Useless in firmware though with no symbols.

Being able to detect USB devices yes.

A menu like in UBoot that saves changes to NVRAM.

Proper auto boot off disk controllers that doesn't need manual scripts.

Better CLI editing. It's slow. And has overwrite bugs.

Boot speed takes too long. My XE has Workbench on screen a whole minute before my X1000 is thinking about it. For a newer machine with faster hardware that's way too slow.

My shortlist for mow.

Last edited by Hypex on 04-Mar-2020 at 02:42 PM.

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billt 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 4-Mar-2020 16:35:56
#3 ]
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Joined: 24-Oct-2003
Posts: 3205
From: Maryland, USA

@Hypex

Is source for the x1000 CFE available to work on? Too bad they didn't go Uboot, whihc was available for the PA6T PU. I believe it has since been removed from the Uboot source tree, but could be brought back if someone was interested enough...

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amigadave 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 4-Mar-2020 16:43:19
#4 ]
Super Member
Joined: 18-Jul-2005
Posts: 1731
From: Lake Shastina, Northern Calif.

@Spectre660

No mention of fixing CFE to allow Polaris video cards to work in X1000 machines? Or is the problem that prevents Polaris video cards from working in the X1000 somewhere else (I don't know where it would be besides the firmware for the motherboard)? Is there a way for an average programmer to learn what is needed to know from Radeon and Varisys, to attempt fixing the Polaris video card problem? If it is not fixed, then all X1000 owners will be stuck with older Radeon HD video cards, with no possibility of using current, or future Radeon HD video card models.

It would be really nice to see A-Eon provide support for the X1000 still, even though they are focused on their other hardware that is still being produced and sold.

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Spectre660 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 4-Mar-2020 17:16:51
#5 ]
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Joined: 4-Jun-2005
Posts: 3918
From: Unknown

@amigadave

The Original thread that I linked to was started by "Cyborg" Who is Costel Mincea, a Director of Hyperion .
So good time to get the attention of someone with the right resources on the Polaris situation if it is not already in the works . The wording of the thread implies that he might be in a position to get some CFE work done.

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BSzili 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 5-Mar-2020 10:36:13
#6 ]
Regular Member
Joined: 16-Nov-2013
Posts: 447
From: Unknown

@Spectre660

Does he have the sources for the X1000 CFE?

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Spectre660 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 5-Mar-2020 11:10:25
#7 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 4-Jun-2005
Posts: 3918
From: Unknown

@BSzili

Sounds like he does.

Post

Quote:
As I feel the need right now, one important remark: I am currently tinkering around for fun, I don't get any money (it would be nice) or anything for it and was not commissioned by anyone. The fact that I care about what could possibly disturb others about CFE is due to a fit of altruism and no obligation to derive from it.

I like to do what I can, but I promise nothing. Everything depends on time and motivation. Nevertheless or precisely because of this, please always come up with your suggestions and wishes so that I also have something to choose from



Last CFE Update info
From 2012
Quote:
The firmware update was mainly to correct a graphics glitch on the early start up screen with 9250 gfx cards for a dual booting configuration. However, it also (fortunately) fixed a problem with RadeonHD 6xxx series cards. See the Dual gfx card docs for more information..



Quote:

BSzili wrote:
@Spectre660

Does he have the sources for the X1000 CFE?



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Hypex 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 4:07:50
#8 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 6-May-2007
Posts: 11180
From: Greensborough, Australia

@billt

AFAIK the sources are locked up. There was a request to access the sources so RX cards would work in CFE. But who chose CFE would likely have been PA Semi who would have ported it to the original Electra board, which is the base board design Varisys would have used in the original Nemo hardware. So Varisys would have relied on that CFE port to test it. Then Amiga support would have been added. So AmigaBoot could load off FFS from the firmware.

The problem here is that Apple bought up PA Semi and Varisys were bought out later. So this CFE then becomes the property of the parent company, as I understand it. Like all things Amiga it's in a legal mess. Because there is also the code core OS4 developers would have written to support booting OS4.

Perhaps at this point a UBoot port would be best if possible. Then it needs the OS4 code added. The problem here is that the interface was CFE and had CFE variables. Plus it needs to operate as OpenFirmware internally as well to run the OS4 boot loader. Even if sources exist, it's not an easy fix.

Last edited by Hypex on 06-Mar-2020 at 04:18 AM.

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Hypex 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 4:25:56
#9 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 6-May-2007
Posts: 11180
From: Greensborough, Australia

@All

I've been reminded of other issues as well collected in this list:
a) Real Linux and Amiga OS CD Boot
b) Not corrupting FAT16 large mem cards
c) Surely booting from USB (reading amiga.of from USB with no stop)
d) Surely any USB port for kb and mouse
e) Surely better hardcoded pic and please, please line editing
d) Real support for boot of Linux CD OR at least
real support for amigaboot.inf on EXT3, FAT16 eliminating crazy hidden partitions
e) More and usefull commands, shorter and easier switches I mean DOS beyond v1.0 :)

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billt 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 5:26:56
#10 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 24-Oct-2003
Posts: 3205
From: Maryland, USA

@Hypex

Eh, yea. CFE is a BSD-style license from Broadcom, so sources are not required to be passed on.

I have a copy of uboot including the PAsemi Electra board port. Same board as their CFE port supported. I can post that to sourceforge next to the a1xe uboot sources. Has other boards and CPUs in it too, could possibly trim things down at some point. I wish I had time to be useful with such things myself...
https://sourceforge.net/projects/uboot-pa6t/

Last edited by billt on 06-Mar-2020 at 05:43 AM.

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Rob 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 19:34:14
#11 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 20-Mar-2003
Posts: 6344
From: S.Wales

@Hypex

Support for M.2 NVME via PCIe adapters would be nice but not something I'd hold out for given that Costel makes no promises and some of the other requests may be more pressing.

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tonyw 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 22:13:07
#12 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 8-Mar-2003
Posts: 3240
From: Sydney (of course)

@billt

I would rather go U-Boot to remove the "black sheep" from our list of platforms.


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Hyperion Support Forum: http://forum.hyperion-entertainment.biz/index.php

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amigadave 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 23:17:40
#13 ]
Super Member
Joined: 18-Jul-2005
Posts: 1731
From: Lake Shastina, Northern Calif.

@billt

Quote:

billt wrote:
@Hypex

Eh, yea. CFE is a BSD-style license from Broadcom, so sources are not required to be passed on.

I have a copy of uboot including the PAsemi Electra board port. Same board as their CFE port supported. I can post that to sourceforge next to the a1xe uboot sources. Has other boards and CPUs in it too, could possibly trim things down at some point. I wish I had time to be useful with such things myself...
https://sourceforge.net/projects/uboot-pa6t/



Since I'm not qualified to know the answer to this question, maybe you can enlighten me. Is it likely that someone outside of Hyperion can work on the uboot firmware for PAsemi Electra board, to make it work on the X1000 systems, or would that require knowledge and AmigaOS4 source code, to allow replacing our current CFE firmware with a modified uboot firmware file? My interest is primarily to get uboot, in hopes that it will fix the current problem preventing X1000 owners from being able to use Polaris based Radeon video cards. Maybe A-Eon does not need any help or permission from Hyperion to replace CFE on the X1000 with uboot? I don't know how these things work, or what is involved in modifying the PA6T uboot for some Electra evaluation board, to get it to work on the X1000's motherboard and boot up AmigaOS4, but I'm thinking that it should be a separate thing, that is not dependent upon Hyperion, which simply gets the hardware ready to boot up any OS that is run, after the hardware is initialized by the uboot process.

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Rose 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 23:22:33
#14 ]
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Joined: 5-Nov-2009
Posts: 982
From: Unknown

@amigadave

Uboot has been GPL since begining. It's not originally a Hyperion project even thought they love to sit on sources.

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billt 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 6-Mar-2020 23:59:53
#15 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 24-Oct-2003
Posts: 3205
From: Maryland, USA

@amigadave

Uboot is gpl. Now, perhaps something it loads is not, that we do not really know about, such as Hyperion os4 special sauce in a1xe boards. But we can hack with linux as an initial goal, not requiring any special os4 chunk in firmware.

X1000 may have many similarities with Electra, certainly anything in the CPU, which is a lot for this one. But also differences, such as amd sb600 southbridge, xena, not sure what else, perhaps even mapping CPU internal pieces differently... need to determine memory mapping, which may be able to do scanning things in cfe system. Some pieces of core boot could be helpful to glue in too, if they can be made to fit.

Not sure if can get handoff to os4 working without hyperion or exercise team help. Maybe possible, maybe not...

Last edited by billt on 07-Mar-2020 at 01:55 AM.
Last edited by billt on 07-Mar-2020 at 12:03 AM.

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billt 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 7-Mar-2020 2:06:52
#16 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 24-Oct-2003
Posts: 3205
From: Maryland, USA

Its said that enabling dma is high importance on x5000 and tabor. But is a maybe for x1000. Does cfe need to do anything toward that goal?

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BSzili 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 8-Mar-2020 13:48:18
#17 ]
Regular Member
Joined: 16-Nov-2013
Posts: 447
From: Unknown

@Spectre660

That sounds kind of vague to me, but I hope he does have the sources, and the X1000 doesn't go the way of the Pegasos 2.

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K-L 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 8-Mar-2020 20:55:12
#18 ]
Super Member
Joined: 3-Mar-2006
Posts: 1410
From: Oullins, France

@billt

DMA is already enabled on X1000.

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amigadave 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 8-Mar-2020 23:04:13
#19 ]
Super Member
Joined: 18-Jul-2005
Posts: 1731
From: Lake Shastina, Northern Calif.

@K-L

Quote:

K-L wrote:
@billt

DMA is already enabled on X1000.


That is what I thought.

@billt,

I understand that the uboot sources are open, but as you and others have mentioned, getting uboot to initialize the system hardware is one matter that should be possible to accomplish while working from Linux, but the hand-off that allows AmigaOS4.1 to boot after the hardware is initialized, is another matter, and special knowledge of how that is done "Might" be needed, to allow uboot to be ported to the X1000 for running AmigaOS4.1. I hope that it can be done, but more importantly (at least in my opinion), I hope that using uboot instead of CFE, will solve the problem that is currently preventing Radeon's Polaris based video cards from working in the X1000.

Quick question, as I don't use my X1000 to run Linux, but are Polaris video cards also failing when trying to run Linux on the X1000? I'm guessing the answer is yes.

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Spectre660 
Re: [X1000] Errors and improvement ideas for CFE
Posted on 8-Mar-2020 23:23:42
#20 ]
Elite Member
Joined: 4-Jun-2005
Posts: 3918
From: Unknown

@amigadave

With the X1000 Polaris cards seem not to initialize with CFE.
No Initialization = no display.

Also last time I tried (about 18 Months ago), I could not get Linux to boot with a Polaris card on an X5000 . So Polaris probably not working in Linux PowerPC .

On Sam460ex Polaris cards initialize (Tested RX550 & RX560) but no Uboot display.
Blank Screen until Workbench Boots .

On X5000 & Tabor the cards initialize & Show U-boot .

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