This page group together all the common U-Boot informations (ie: not related with a specific board)

Sources are available in the Git repository: u-boot-lacie.git. At least, the following branches should be availables:

• stable is used to build the images distributed via a FTP repository.
• master is a development branch, holding the patches waiting to be merged mainline.

Checkout command:

git clone http://git.lacie-nas.org/u-boot-lacie.git

or

git clone git://lacie-nas.org/u-boot-lacie.git

To compile U-Boot images, you could use the following commands (toolchain path, cross-compiler and board names to be replaced):

PATH=/usr/local/x-tools/arm-2010q1/bin/:$PATH CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi- make netspace_v2_config
PATH=/usr/local/x-tools/arm-2010q1/bin/:$PATH CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi- make u-boot.kwb

For the supported boards, some pre-compiled U-Boot images are availables in the FTP repository.

• The LaCie stock U-Boot comes with a huge limitation. At reset, U-Boot reinitialize the boot environment variables (stored in Flash) with some built-in values. This includes the boot commands sequence. As a consequence, the LaCie system layout (or partition map) can't be changed. By default, U-Boot will load the Linux kernel from partition 10 (update) or from partition 6 as a fallback (default).

• Save flash size (a LaCie U-Boot image size is ~450KB against ~230KB for a mainline one).

• Boot reliably from USB.

• Some command line enhancements: history, completion, scripting …

• Be able to add a new feature.

This section present step by step how to update the stock U-Boot with a mainline version. A Network Space v2 board is used but the process should work with all the other LaCie boards supported by U-Boot mainline.

• Create a work directory

$ mkdir /tmp/tools && cd /tmp/tools

• Get CLUNC

$ wget ftp://lacie-nas.org/tools/clunc-1.1.tar.gz
$ tar xf clunc-1.1.tar.gz

• Get U-Boot netconsole utility

$ wget ftp://lacie-nas.org/tools/u-boot-netconsole.tar.gz
$ tar xf u-boot-netconsole.tar.gz

• Setup and enable a TFTP server. The configuration really depends on your OS. For example, a Linux distribution could be use inetd (the configuration file is /etc/inetd.conf).

• Install the new u-boot image into the TFTP root directory (could be /var/tftpboot).

$ wget ftp://ftp.lacie-nas.org/u-boot/u-boot-netspace_v2.kwb -O /var/tftpboot/u-boot-netspace_v2.kwb

Both a serial or a network console can be used to connect to U-Boot. For this how-to, the netconsole way is preferred because it is cheaper. The user don't have to build/buy a serial cable.

$ cd /tmp/tools/clunc-1.1
$ ./clunc -i <NAS_IP>
Marvell>> version
U-Boot 1.1.4 (Jan 17 2011 - 21:48:29) Marvell version: 3.4.16  LaCie 1.5.9 256MB

Marvell>> bubt u-boot-netspace_v2.kwb
Using egiga0 device
TFTP from server 192.168.0.13; our IP address is 192.168.0.15
Filename 'u-boot-netspace_v2.kwb'.
Load address: 0x2000000
Loading: ##########################################
done
Bytes transferred = 214220 (344cc hex)
Un-Protect Flash Monitor space

**Warning**
If U-Boot Endiannes is going to change (LE->BE or BE->LE), Then Env parameters should be overriden..
Override Env parameters? (y/n) n
Erase 0 - 125 sectors...
.................................................................
.............................................................
Copy to Flash... done
Protect Flash Monitor space

Marvell>> reset

U-Boot mainline don't provide a magic packet mechanism to configure the IP address. Instead DHCP is used. It means that CLUNC becomes useless from this point. Ensure that the NAS is connected to your local network and that a DHCP server is running.

Some possible ways to retrieve the NAS IP address:

• Use an utility like dhcpdump.
• Look in the DHCP server log.
• Configure and run your own DHCP server.

Example with dhcpdump:

$ sudo dhcpdump -i eth0

... snip ...

  TIME: 2011-07-15 16:31:50.686
    IP: 0.0.0.0 (2:50:43:7e:8d:94) > 255.255.255.255 (ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff)
    OP: 1 (BOOTPREQUEST)
 HTYPE: 1 (Ethernet)
  HLEN: 6
  HOPS: 0
   XID: 437e9de1
  SECS: 6
 FLAGS: 0
CIADDR: 0.0.0.0
YIADDR: 0.0.0.0
SIADDR: 0.0.0.0
GIADDR: 0.0.0.0
CHADDR: 02:50:43:7e:8d:94:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00
 SNAME: .
 FNAME: .
OPTION:  53 (  1) DHCP message type         3 (DHCPREQUEST)
OPTION:  57 (  2) Maximum DHCP message size 576
OPTION:  54 (  4) Server identifier         192.168.0.254
OPTION:  50 (  4) Request IP address        192.168.0.15
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The IP address is 192.168.0.15

The netconsole configuration rely on some environment variables: ipaddr, ncip, stdin, stdout and stderr (for more information, please refer to the file README.NetConsole included in U-Boot sources). After the update, this variables will be initialized with the default (or built-in) values and the netconsole is configured to broadcast UDP messages.

<note important> netcat don't handle the UDP broadcast messages. The dedicated U-Boot tools netconsole and ncb must be used. </note>

• Run netconsole and interrupt boot process (Ctrl-C):

$ cd /tmp/tools/u-boot-netconsole
$ ./netconsole 192.168.0.15
^C  
ns2> version
arm-none-eabi-gcc (Sourcery G++ Lite 2010q1-188) 4.4.1
GNU ld (Sourcery G++ Lite 2010q1-188) 2.19.51.20090709

• Here is a default environment sample:

ns2> print
autoload=no
baudrate=115200
bootargs=console=ttyS0,115200
bootcmd=dhcp && run netconsole; if run usbload || run diskload; then bootm; fi
bootdelay=3
bootfile=uImage
diskload=ide reset && ext2load ide 0:1 $loadaddr /boot/$bootfile
dnsip=212.27.40.240
ethact=egiga0
ethaddr=02:50:43:92:75:b8
gatewayip=192.168.0.254
ipaddr=192.168.0.15
loadaddr=0x800000
netconsole=set stdin $stdin,nc; set stdout $stdout,nc; set stderr $stderr,nc;
netmask=255.255.255.0
stderr=serial,nc
stdin=serial,nc
stdout=serial,nc
usbload=us
Environment size: 604/4092 bytes

• Modify the U-Boot environment.

• Use GPIO button. The button command allow to check the GPIO button status.

<<released>>
ns2> button
ns2> echo $?
0

<<pressed>>
ns2> button
ns2> echo $?
1

ns2> tftpboot 0x800000 u-boot-netspace_v2.kwb
Using egiga0 device
TFTP from server 192.168.0.13; our IP address is 192.168.0.17
Filename 'u-boot-netspace_v2.kwb'.
Load address: 0x800000
Loading: ##########################################
done
Bytes transferred = 214220 (344cc hex)
ns2> sf probe 0
SF: Detected MX25L4005 with page size 64 KiB, total 512 KiB
ns2> sf erase 0 0x50000
ns2> sf write 0x800000 0 0x50000
ns2> reset
resetting ...

• U-Boot project