[gentoo-embedded] "Gentoo on the Marvell Sheevaplug" Code Listing 3.6 question

[gentoo-embedded] "Gentoo on the Marvell Sheevaplug" Code Listing 3.6 question

[jesse]

Howdy. I'd like to know how Gentoo devs build the files in Code Listing
3.6 in http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/sheevaplug/install.xml ? I'd
like to build those files myself, and would love to see your recipe,
even if it's very rough. I'm especially interested in what tools you
used. Thanks.

Cheers,
Jesse Adelman
San Francisco, CA

Re: [gentoo-embedded] "Gentoo on the Marvell Sheevaplug" Code Listing 3.6 question

[Angelo Arrifano]

On 26-06-2010 01:00, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
> Howdy. I'd like to know how Gentoo devs build the files in Code Listing
> 3.6 in http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/sheevaplug/install.xml ? I'd
> like to build those files myself, and would love to see your recipe,
> even if it's very rough. I'm especially interested in what tools you
> used. Thanks.

* uImage_kwplug is just Linux - the kernel. The sources are mainly
available on kernel.org. You need a cross compiler to build them for
this particular Marvell CPU. Look on Gentoo documentation how to build a
cross compiler and how to compile the kernel.

* sheevaplug.initramfs - This is just the bootable userspace. Since we
are at Gentoo, I guess it was produced using our cross-compiler
toolchain which is embedded in the Gentoo's package manager. Look on our
documentation how to build a cross compiler and cross compile with emerge.

Keywords: crossdev, emerge, cross root compilation, cross compile kernel

There are no secrets, everything is widely available
Have fun ;)
> 
> Cheers,
> Jesse Adelman
> San Francisco, CA
> 

Re: [gentoo-embedded] "Gentoo on the Marvell Sheevaplug" Code Listing 3.6 question

[jesse]

On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:36 +0200, "Angelo Arrifano" <miknix@gentoo.org>
wrote:
> On 26-06-2010 01:00, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
> > Howdy. I'd like to know how Gentoo devs build the files in Code Listing
> > 3.6 in http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/sheevaplug/install.xml ? I'd
> > like to build those files myself, and would love to see your recipe,
> > even if it's very rough. I'm especially interested in what tools you
> > used. Thanks.
> 
> * uImage_kwplug is just Linux - the kernel. The sources are mainly
> available on kernel.org. You need a cross compiler to build them for
> this particular Marvell CPU. Look on Gentoo documentation how to build a
> cross compiler and how to compile the kernel.
> 
> * sheevaplug.initramfs - This is just the bootable userspace. Since we
> are at Gentoo, I guess it was produced using our cross-compiler
> toolchain which is embedded in the Gentoo's package manager. Look on our
> documentation how to build a cross compiler and cross compile with
> emerge.
> 
> Keywords: crossdev, emerge, cross root compilation, cross compile kernel
> 
> There are no secrets, everything is widely available
> Have fun ;)
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > Jesse Adelman
> > San Francisco, CA
> > 
> 
> 

Thanks, Angelo. I should have been more specific, and narrow. :) I'm
really interested in the initramfs generation. I've got a ARM toolchain
configured (yay qemu-arm and distcc... takes about 48 hours to
emptytree-build a stripped-down userspace given my resources), and have
a chrooted ARM rootfs made, but I'm curious how it was made into an
"initramfs". My plan is to have boot into an SD Card on the sheevaplugs
and guruplugs, but booting the rootfs from tftp like the docs do would
make for easier testing.

Cheers,
Jesse Adelman
San Francisco, CA

Re: [gentoo-embedded] "Gentoo on the Marvell Sheevaplug" Code Listing 3.6 question

[Angelo Arrifano]

On 26-06-2010 01:42, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
> On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:36 +0200, "Angelo Arrifano" <miknix@gentoo.org>
> wrote:
>> On 26-06-2010 01:00, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
>>> Howdy. I'd like to know how Gentoo devs build the files in Code Listing
>>> 3.6 in http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/sheevaplug/install.xml ? I'd
>>> like to build those files myself, and would love to see your recipe,
>>> even if it's very rough. I'm especially interested in what tools you
>>> used. Thanks.
>>
>> * uImage_kwplug is just Linux - the kernel. The sources are mainly
>> available on kernel.org. You need a cross compiler to build them for
>> this particular Marvell CPU. Look on Gentoo documentation how to build a
>> cross compiler and how to compile the kernel.
>>
>> * sheevaplug.initramfs - This is just the bootable userspace. Since we
>> are at Gentoo, I guess it was produced using our cross-compiler
>> toolchain which is embedded in the Gentoo's package manager. Look on our
>> documentation how to build a cross compiler and cross compile with
>> emerge.
>>
>> Keywords: crossdev, emerge, cross root compilation, cross compile kernel
>>
>> There are no secrets, everything is widely available
>> Have fun ;)
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Jesse Adelman
>>> San Francisco, CA
>>>
>>
>>
> 
> Thanks, Angelo. I should have been more specific, and narrow. :) I'm
> really interested in the initramfs generation. I've got a ARM toolchain
> configured (yay qemu-arm and distcc... takes about 48 hours to
> emptytree-build a stripped-down userspace given my resources), and have
> a chrooted ARM rootfs made, but I'm curious how it was made into an
> "initramfs".

A initramfs is just a cpio archive of your rootfs. You will have to take
special attention to the init process and what init will spawn. Also
take care of required virtual filesystems like proc, and make available
required devices nodes like console and ttys.

Again, Google for "make initramfs". I came up with this one:
http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Initramfs

If UBoot supports it, you can also try to create an initrd. You can
produce compressed initrds using several tools like mkcramfs, mksquashfs
etc..

> My plan is to have boot into an SD Card on the sheevaplugs
> and guruplugs, but booting the rootfs from tftp like the docs do would
> make for easier testing.

Just configure your initramfs/initrd to mount the SD card and then
pivot_root into the SD card. There are plenty of examples on the
internet, specially with busybox.

Regards,
> 
> Cheers,
> Jesse Adelman
> San Francisco, CA

Re: [gentoo-embedded] "Gentoo on the Marvell Sheevaplug" Code Listing 3.6 question

[jesse]

On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:01 +0200, "Angelo Arrifano" <miknix@gentoo.org>
wrote:
> On 26-06-2010 01:42, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
> > On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:36 +0200, "Angelo Arrifano" <miknix@gentoo.org>
> > wrote:
> >> On 26-06-2010 01:00, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
> >>> Howdy. I'd like to know how Gentoo devs build the files in Code Listing
> >>> 3.6 in http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/sheevaplug/install.xml ? I'd
> >>> like to build those files myself, and would love to see your recipe,
> >>> even if it's very rough. I'm especially interested in what tools you
> >>> used. Thanks.
> >>
> >> * uImage_kwplug is just Linux - the kernel. The sources are mainly
> >> available on kernel.org. You need a cross compiler to build them for
> >> this particular Marvell CPU. Look on Gentoo documentation how to build a
> >> cross compiler and how to compile the kernel.
> >>
> >> * sheevaplug.initramfs - This is just the bootable userspace. Since we
> >> are at Gentoo, I guess it was produced using our cross-compiler
> >> toolchain which is embedded in the Gentoo's package manager. Look on our
> >> documentation how to build a cross compiler and cross compile with
> >> emerge.
> >>
> >> Keywords: crossdev, emerge, cross root compilation, cross compile kernel
> >>
> >> There are no secrets, everything is widely available
> >> Have fun ;)
> >>>
> >>> Cheers,
> >>> Jesse Adelman
> >>> San Francisco, CA
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> > 
> > Thanks, Angelo. I should have been more specific, and narrow. :) I'm
> > really interested in the initramfs generation. I've got a ARM toolchain
> > configured (yay qemu-arm and distcc... takes about 48 hours to
> > emptytree-build a stripped-down userspace given my resources), and have
> > a chrooted ARM rootfs made, but I'm curious how it was made into an
> > "initramfs".
> 
> A initramfs is just a cpio archive of your rootfs. You will have to take
> special attention to the init process and what init will spawn. Also
> take care of required virtual filesystems like proc, and make available
> required devices nodes like console and ttys.
> 
> Again, Google for "make initramfs". I came up with this one:
> http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Initramfs
> 
> If UBoot supports it, you can also try to create an initrd. You can
> produce compressed initrds using several tools like mkcramfs, mksquashfs
> etc..
> 
> > My plan is to have boot into an SD Card on the sheevaplugs
> > and guruplugs, but booting the rootfs from tftp like the docs do would
> > make for easier testing.
> 
> Just configure your initramfs/initrd to mount the SD card and then
> pivot_root into the SD card. There are plenty of examples on the
> internet, specially with busybox.
> 
> Regards,
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > Jesse Adelman
> > San Francisco, CA
> 
> 

So, you-all don't use dracut or mkinitrd? Just a list of commands used
to build the stuff you put up for download would be great. Thanks.

Re: [gentoo-embedded] "Gentoo on the Marvell Sheevaplug" Code Listing 3.6 question

[Raúl Porcel]

On 06/26/2010 02:35 AM, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
> On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:01 +0200, "Angelo Arrifano" <miknix@gentoo.org>
> wrote:
>> On 26-06-2010 01:42, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
>>> On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:36 +0200, "Angelo Arrifano" <miknix@gentoo.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>> On 26-06-2010 01:00, jesse@boldandbusted.com wrote:
>>>>> Howdy. I'd like to know how Gentoo devs build the files in Code Listing
>>>>> 3.6 in http://dev.gentoo.org/~armin76/arm/sheevaplug/install.xml ? I'd
>>>>> like to build those files myself, and would love to see your recipe,
>>>>> even if it's very rough. I'm especially interested in what tools you
>>>>> used. Thanks.
>>>>
>>>> * uImage_kwplug is just Linux - the kernel. The sources are mainly
>>>> available on kernel.org. You need a cross compiler to build them for
>>>> this particular Marvell CPU. Look on Gentoo documentation how to build a
>>>> cross compiler and how to compile the kernel.
>>>>
>>>> * sheevaplug.initramfs - This is just the bootable userspace. Since we
>>>> are at Gentoo, I guess it was produced using our cross-compiler
>>>> toolchain which is embedded in the Gentoo's package manager. Look on our
>>>> documentation how to build a cross compiler and cross compile with
>>>> emerge.
>>>>
>>>> Keywords: crossdev, emerge, cross root compilation, cross compile kernel
>>>>
>>>> There are no secrets, everything is widely available
>>>> Have fun ;)
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>> Jesse Adelman
>>>>> San Francisco, CA
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks, Angelo. I should have been more specific, and narrow. :) I'm
>>> really interested in the initramfs generation. I've got a ARM toolchain
>>> configured (yay qemu-arm and distcc... takes about 48 hours to
>>> emptytree-build a stripped-down userspace given my resources), and have
>>> a chrooted ARM rootfs made, but I'm curious how it was made into an
>>> "initramfs".
>>
>> A initramfs is just a cpio archive of your rootfs. You will have to take
>> special attention to the init process and what init will spawn. Also
>> take care of required virtual filesystems like proc, and make available
>> required devices nodes like console and ttys.
>>
>> Again, Google for "make initramfs". I came up with this one:
>> http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/Initramfs
>>
>> If UBoot supports it, you can also try to create an initrd. You can
>> produce compressed initrds using several tools like mkcramfs, mksquashfs
>> etc..
>>
>>> My plan is to have boot into an SD Card on the sheevaplugs
>>> and guruplugs, but booting the rootfs from tftp like the docs do would
>>> make for easier testing.
>>
>> Just configure your initramfs/initrd to mount the SD card and then
>> pivot_root into the SD card. There are plenty of examples on the
>> internet, specially with busybox.
>>
>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Jesse Adelman
>>> San Francisco, CA
>>
>>
> 
> So, you-all don't use dracut or mkinitrd? Just a list of commands used
> to build the stuff you put up for download would be great. Thanks.
> 

Hi Jesse,

For creating the initramfs i simply used catalyst, which is the Gentoo
Release tool. Can't tell you much about the process, since its kinda of
automated.