Subject: Linux for RouterBoard532 - CPU MIPS32 4Kc - IDT 79RC32434.

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 11:33:45 -0300

Hi,

I´d just bought Routerboard532 (
http://www.routerboard.com/rb500.html ) and I want to port
linux to this board. The vendor has just an linux image on
the web site.

Anyone could help me we some info or "HOWTO" ?

Board Info: 

- CPU MIPS32 4Kc - IDT 79RC32434;

- 32MB DDR onboard memory chip;

- 64MB onboard NAND memory chip;

- One IDT Korina 10/100 Mbit/s Fast Ethernet port supporting
Auto-MDI/X
Two VIA VT6105 10/100 Mbit/s Fast Ethernet ports supporting
Auto-MDI/X.

Best Regards,

Alessandro Cordova

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From: Jan-Benedict Glaw <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 16:58:09 +0200

On Sat, 2005-04-16 11:33:45 -0300, [email-masked] <[email-masked]>
> linux to this board. The vendor has just an linux image on

No need to "port" Linux to this board, since obviously the vendor
already did this for you. Just ask him for all the sources needed for
the bootloader and at least the kernel stuff. He needs to supply these
to you, as forced by the GPLv2...  In the above link, the vendor already
states that a Debian reference image as well as sources are available.
Just ask them for this!

MfG, JBG

-- 
Jan-Benedict Glaw       [email-masked]    . +49-172-7608481             _ O _
"Eine Freie Meinung in  einem Freien Kopf    | Gegen Zensur | Gegen Krieg  _ _ O
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ret = do_actions((curr | FREE_SPEECH) & ~(NEW_COPYRIGHT_LAW | DRM | TCPA));

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From: Stanislaw Skowronek <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2005 17:21:28 +0200 (MET DST)

> He needs to supply these to you, as forced by the GPLv2...

You don't even need to point that out. IDT is quite pleasant to work with
as a company, I can say that even as a hobbyist. They don't make problems
about Linux kernel source. I just wonder why don't they let us merge it.

Stanislaw

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From: Wolfgang Denk <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 2005 00:59:26 +0200

> linux to this board. The vendor has just an linux image on

This is not correct. If you just scroll  down  the  page  you  listed
yoursself,   then   you   should   easily  find  the  section  titled
"RouterBOARD 500 GNU/Linux support files" which includes  a  link  to
"Patch for Linux 2.4.29 kernel".

> Anyone could help me we some info or "HOWTO" ?

Download the patch, download the corresponding  kernel  source  tree,
apply  patch,  copy  "config.mipsel"  to  ".config"  to get a default
configuration, build the kernel, download it, run it.

So far I haven't been able to find out how to pass  kernel  arguments
with their boot loader, so you may have to hack rc32434/rb500/prom.c

I used the mips_4KCle packages of the ELDK to build the kernel and to
provide a root filesystem over NFS - this worked fine. There are some
problems (like not being able to switch the CPU clock and NAND  flash
support not working at all), but it boots and runs.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: [email-masked]
The IQ of the group is the lowest IQ of a member of the group divided
by the number of people in the group.

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From: John Tully <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 18 Apr 2005 17:54:05 +0300

I work for MikroTik and we make the RB500.  We are trying to add more 
documentation to make it easy to do more things with Linux.  At the moment, 
the CF image at least lets you quickly start on developing Linux 
applications.  Allot of what you need can be figured out from the kernel 
patch on the specs page for the RB500 at www.routerboard.com , but that is 
not so much fun.  We will add more documentation on the NAND device and 
such features.  So, please check the site and I can also write to this list 
as we add more info.

John
www.mikrotik.com

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From: Wolfgang Denk <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 01:17:17 +0200

> such features.  So, please check the site and I can also write to this list 

Thanks. Just two more questions now:

* Are you working on a 2.6.x version ?

* Is the NAND flash support supposed to be working?  All  I  can  get
  from it is only error messages.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: [email-masked]
Anyone can count the seeds in an apple.
No one can count the apples in a seed.

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From: John Tully <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:35:28 +0300

>* Are you working on a 2.6.x version ?

No, maybe you would like to work on that.

>   from it is only error messages.

Yes, it works.  I will try to organize some more docs on this in a week or so.

John
www.mikrotik.com