bootmenu initfs flasher updated for OS2008 - Page 8 - maemo.org

dan | # 71 | 2008-01-05, 17:54 | Report

Fanoush and others,

I'm really new to this linux and I barely understand these threads about dual booting.
Can someone point me in the right direction.
I would like to have only the os2008 boot from my removable 16gb card. I don't want or need os2007. Is this possible and will all my apps and updated apps from os2008 work properly? If there is a final version of this coming i will gladly wait. Thanks, lol, Dan

nhanquy | # 72 | 2008-01-08, 18:51 | Report

Originally Posted by dan View Post

Fanoush and others,

I'm really new to this linux and I barely understand these threads about dual booting.
Can someone point me in the right direction.
I would like to have only the os2008 boot from my removable 16gb card. I don't want or need os2007. Is this possible and will all my apps and updated apps from os2008 work properly? If there is a final version of this coming i will gladly wait. Thanks, lol, Dan

Dual booting means you have an option either booting from internal flash or from an SD card. In the case of the N800, the SD card is
also installed internally. It could be your new 16gb! Don't confuse
the internal flash which is very small in size and running OS in compression for space saving.

To be able dual boot you have to format the new card, create partitions on the card, put a new boot loader into flash so the Nokia can do a dual boot, and lastly clone the OS into your SD.

In order to format the card, you have to become (unix super user) root and be able to access to a command window, called xterm.

Some related links:

http://maemo.org/community/wiki/HowTo_EASILY_BecomeRoot
http://maemo.org/community/wiki/HowT..._From_MMC_card
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...975#post111975

Link you can download apps after cloning and booting from your SD:

http://www.internettablettalk.com/wi...08_OS_Software

Please read more!

Last edited by nhanquy; 2008-01-08 at 18:53.

Graham Cobb | # 73 | 2008-01-10, 10:34 | Report

I have been bitten by the N810 device names changing with/without the removable card present but I think I have found a solution. I have put the following code at the top of my bootmenu.conf:

Code:

# Set up card names by model                                                                                                         
# Assume 770                                                                                                                         
INT_CARD=""                                                                                                                          
EXT_CARD="mmcblk0"                                                                                                                   
if grep -q RX-34 /proc/component_version                                                                                             
then #N800                                                                                                                           
INT_CARD="mmcblk0"                                                                                                                   
if grep -q mmcblk1 /proc/partitions                                                                                                  
then # Removable card present                                                                                                        
EXT_CARD="mmcblk1"                                                                                                                   
else # Removable card not present                                                                                                    
EXT_CARD=""                                                                                                                          
fi                                                                                                                                   
fi                                                                                                                                   
if grep -q RX-44 /proc/component_version                                                                                             
then #N810                                                                                                                           
if grep -q mmcblk1 /proc/partitions                                                                                                  
then # Removable card present                                                                                                        
INT_CARD="mmcblk1"                                                                                                                   
EXT_CARD="mmcblk0"                                                                                                                   
else # Removable card not present                                                                                                    
INT_CARD="mmcblk0"                                                                                                                   
EXT_CARD=""                                                                                                                          
fi                                                                                                                                   
fi

This then allows me to create entries that look like:

Code:

MENU_2_NAME="Boot internal MMC card, partiton 2, ext2"                                                                               
MENU_2_ID="mmcint2"                                                                                                                  
MENU_2_DEVICE=${INT_CARD}p2                                                                                                          
MENU_2_MODULES="mbcache ext2"                                                                                                        
MENU_2_FSTYPE="ext2"                                                                                                                 
MENU_2_FSOPTIONS="noatime"                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                     
MENU_3_NAME="Boot removable MMC card, partiton 2, ext2"                                                                              
[ -z "$EXT_CARD" ] && MENU_3_NAME="No removable card -- do not select this"                                                          
MENU_3_ID="mmcext2"                                                                                                                  
MENU_3_DEVICE=${EXT_CARD}p2                                                                                                          
MENU_3_MODULES="mbcache ext2"                                                                                                        
MENU_3_FSTYPE="ext2"                                                                                                                 
MENU_3_FSOPTIONS="noatime"

This has only been tested on my N810 but it works there. Would someone with an N800 like to test it as well?

Maybe Frantisek could consider adding the device name logic to the standard bootmenu.sh and we could all just use the device name variables in our bootmenu.conf?

Graham

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Graham Cobb For This Useful Post:
BoredOOMM, fanoush

fanoush | # 74 | 2008-01-10, 11:36 | Report

Yes, I guess I should add something like this to bootmenu.sh. I was trying to find it in kernel sources and I would rather try to fix this bug in kernel so the names are consistent but it can be done as a temporary workaround. And also having such variables could be useful so one does not need to remeber naming of the slots for various devices. I'll try to add it but I'll try to figure out slot naming from information in /sys/devices/platform/mmc...

But still this bug needs to be fixed. Once you boot from such mismatched device the system device naming is not consistent. With N800 it happens when you only have card in external slot, with N810 in internal slot. Sadly with N810 this is more likely. See output of df after you boot, you may see two partitions mounted from same card but one starting with mmcblk0 and the other with mmcblk1. This may be confusing to some (system) programs and even dangerous. Imagine e.g. formatting external card in file manager and having the other card erased by mistake. Also the usb storage functionality may be confused when trying to unmount the card when you insert usb cable.

fanoush | # 75 | 2008-01-10, 12:08 | Report

Originally Posted by fanoush View Post

But still this bug needs to be fixed.

I have reported it here http://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2747

Zebee | # 76 | 2008-01-12, 20:40 | Report

Originally Posted by fanoush View Post

You can flash full firmware from linux PC via

Code:

flasher-3.0 -f -F RX-34_2008SE_2.2007.50-2_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin -R

You can flash only initfs part by adding --flash-only initfs so whole line is

Code:

flasher-3.0 --flash-only initfs -f -F RX-34_2008SE_2.2007.50-2_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin -R

This will, restore initfs without losing any other data.

I currently have 2008 on the SD card and 2007 on internal. If I boot from SD, then wireless doesn't work as you have noted.

If I flash the initfs with 2008 as above and boot from SD card, will that work or break everything? And then when booted with SD/2008, flash with 2007 and then can boot from internal/2007? (I ask rather than trying for fear of brick...)

Is it possible to redo the initfs from the tablet itself, rather than having to flash from a PC?

Still looking for dual boot os2007/OS2008. Seems that the initfs is the key?

Zebee

fanoush | # 77 | 2008-01-13, 12:10 | Report

Originally Posted by Zebee View Post

I currently have 2008 on the SD card and 2007 on internal. If I boot from SD, then wireless doesn't work as you have noted.

If I flash the initfs with 2008 as above and boot from SD card, will that work or break everything?

You should always have matching kernel and initfs or tablet may not boot. So if you flash initfs for OS2008 you should also flash kernel for OS2008.

Originally Posted by Zebee View Post

Is it possible to redo the initfs from the tablet itself, rather than having to flash from a PC?

Yes, you can flash prepared initfs image from the tablet, just run initfs_flash script with existing jffs2 initfs image.This will skip the wizard and just flash the image (original or with bootmenu, doesn't matter). There should be one or two such images in initfs_flasher directory if you installed bootmenu.

If you combine this with kernel flasher you can do it in one go before rebooting to different OS200x. First flash kernel, then initfs and reboot.

Zebee | # 78 | 2008-01-13, 19:39 | Report

Originally Posted by fanoush View Post

You should always have matching kernel and initfs or tablet may not boot. So if you flash initfs for OS2008 you should also flash kernel for OS2008.

That makes sense (and I should have thought of it, aggh!) THe kernel is /mnt/initfs/linuxrc?

So I need to have a copy of the 2007 kernel image available to 2008 and the 2008 image to 2007. Do they need to be in /mnt/initfs, or can they be elsewhere?

Originally Posted by

Yes, you can flash prepared initfs image from the tablet, just run initfs_flash script with existing jffs2 initfs image.This will skip the wizard and just flash the image (original or with bootmenu, doesn't matter). There should be one or two such images in initfs_flasher directory if you installed bootmenu.

If you combine this with kernel flasher you can do it in one go before rebooting to different OS200x. First flash kernel, then initfs and reboot.

Is there a kernel flasher for the tablet, or only one for the PC? (In my case a linux PC.) Does your initfs_flash do it?

And which initfs? Presumably it does matter if it's a 2007 or 2008 one, where are they and how do I tell the difference?

so...

1) find kernel for required OS
- be somewhere on SD card or internal
2) find initfs for required OS
- I have the backup I made on original flash, so I know where that is
3) use PC version of flasher to flash kernel
4) reboot

THe obvious pain is step 3, but initfs_flash doesn't do kernels does it?

Zebee

Machster | # 79 | 2008-01-23, 04:34 | Report

Fanoush,

Just some feedback from a relatively new user here. When I received my n800 a few weeks ago I immediately flashed to the latest release OS2008. I was surprised at the lack of memory after adding just a few applications.

I searched for a solution and found the thread for using the SD card instead of the internal flash for OS2007. Then Sunday I successfully (i.e. no errors) completed instructions posted by Millhouse using your initfs_flasher. However I have had no luck booting from the internal slot using a partitioned 16GB card. The bootmenu is installed but selecting the second partition results in a failure every time. I have repeated the installation process to no avail.

I have read here in the forums that some have had success (albeit without access to WIFI???) and some like myself that have not. It is yet unclear to me after browsing the forums that this process is successful with the n800 and OS2008. This thread makes it sound that a custom bootmenu file may need to be in the initfs_flasher folder?

vormund | # 80 | 2008-01-23, 04:55 | Report

Do you have a card in both slots? When I did this on my n810 the labels for the internal and external cards would switch when booting and then switch back after booting. To fix this I had to add an entry to the boot menu to boot from partition 2 of what would normally be the external card. This was discussed back on page 5 of this thread for more info on what to do if this is your problem. If you do have two cards in try booting with only the internal card in first to see if that works.