BeagleBone

This page has terse notes on installing the Linaro LEB root filesystem on a BeagleBone, setting up the USB Ethernet gadget, and enabling basic networking.

Initial

Grab the boot partition contents to get MLO, u-boot, and the kernel.

Grab the modules from the rootfs.

Use linaro-media-create to fill the SD card. Claim we’re a BeagleBoard for no real reason.

./linaro-media-create --mmc /dev/sdb-check-this --dev beagle \
    --rootfs ext4 --console ttyO0,115200n8 \
    --hwpack ~/Downloads/hwpack_linaro-omap3_20120210-0_armel_supported.tar.gz \
    --binary ~/Downloads/linaro-o-developer-tar-20120210-0.tar.gz \
    --hwpack-force-yes --align-boot-part

Copy the original boot files to the new boot partition and the original modules to the new rootfs partition.

Boot issues

Seems to hang. Use an initial shell via:

set ip_method none --verbose init=/bin/sh

/etc/network/interfaces includes a DHCP on eth0 which is causing the long boot time. Disable.

I prefer LABEL=rootfs instead of UUID in /etc/fstab.

Enabling gadget based networking

Add g_ether to /etc/modules to enable the USB Ethernet gadget.

Add a iface usb0 inet static stanza to /etc/network/interfaces:

auto usb0
iface usb0 inet static
    address 192.168.7.10
    netmask 255.255.255.0
    gateway 192.168.7.1
    hwaddress ether fa:aa:55:aa:55:01

Set /etc/modprobe.d/gether.conf to options g_ether host_addr=fa:aa:55:aa:55:02 to fix the host MAC address.

Note the fixed instead of random MAC address.

Setup usb0 on the host as 192.168.7.1. Note that NetworkManager might interfere. If so, add a connection for the usb0 MAC address that does nothing.

SSH into the host and forward off to the main network proxy:

ssh -L 8123:proxy:8123 -N michaelh@192.168.7.1

Install openssh-server:

http_proxy=http://localhost:8123/ apt-get install openssh-server

Add a user adduser michaelh, put them in the sudo group adduser michaelh admin, ssh in from the host.

You can now ssh into the board.

Internet access via the host

The Maemo guys have documented this at http://wiki.maemo.org/USB_networking.

On the host, add a usb0 stanza to /etc/network/interfaces:

iface usb0 inet static
        address 192.168.7.1
        netmask 255.255.255.0
        up echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
        up iptables -P FORWARD ACCEPT
        up iptables -A POSTROUTING -t nat -j MASQUERADE -s 192.168.7.0/24
        down echo 0 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
        down iptables -t nat -F POSTROUTING

Post boot

Set the hostname:

echo bone > /etc/hostname

Consider installing avahi-daemon. Allows ssh bone.local.

sudo ntpdate-debian to set the date. Works best with eth0 due to the forwarding delays in usb0.

Make a LED turn on and off:

cd /sys/devices/platform/leds-gpio/leds/beaglebone::usr2
echo 255 > brightness
echo 0 > brightness

Profit.

Wireless

I have a Edimax EW-7711UTn USB Wifi dongle.

Add a wlan0 stanza to /etc/network/interfaces:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
        wireless-essid Public

(I have a profile on my router called ‘Public’ with no password).

Actually, it drops after a while. Ignore.

Notes

Env:

autoload=yes
baudrate=115200
bootargs_defaults=setenv bootargs console=${console} ${optargs}
bootcmd=if mmc rescan; then echo SD/MMC found on device ${mmc_dev};if run loadbootenv; then echo Loaded environment from ${bootenv};run importbootenv;fi;if test -n $uenvcmd; then echo Running uenvcmd ...;run uenvcmd;fi;if run mmc_load_uimage; then run mmc_args;bootm 0x80007fc0;fi;fi;run nand_boot;
bootdelay=1
bootenv=uEnv.txt
bootfile=uImage
console=ttyO0,115200n8
ethact=cpsw
ethaddr=40:5f:c2:76:ab:62
importbootenv=echo Importing environment from mmc ...; env import -t $loadaddr $filesize
ip_method=none
loadaddr=0x82000000
loadbootenv=fatload mmc ${mmc_dev} ${loadaddr} ${bootenv}
mmc_args=run bootargs_defaults;setenv bootargs ${bootargs} root=${mmc_root} rootfstype=${mmc_root_fs_type} ip=${ip_method}
mmc_boot=run mmc_args; run mmc_load_uimage; bootm 0x80007fc0
mmc_dev=0
mmc_load_uimage=fatload mmc ${mmc_dev} 0x80007fc0 ${bootfile}
mmc_load_uimage_ext2=ext2load ${mmc_dev} 0x80007fc0 /boot/${bootfile}
mmc_root=/dev/mmcblk0p2 ro
mmc_root_fs_type=ext4 rootwait
nand_args=run bootargs_defaults;setenv bootargs ${bootargs} root=${nand_root} noinitrd rootfstype=${nand_root_fs_type} ip=${ip_method}
nand_boot=echo Booting from nand ...; run nand_args; nand read.i ${loadaddr} ${nand_src_addr} ${nand_img_siz}; bootm ${loadaddr}
nand_img_siz=0x500000
nand_root=/dev/mtdblock7 rw
nand_root_fs_type=jffs2
nand_src_addr=0x280000
net_args=run bootargs_defaults;setenv bootargs ${bootargs} root=/dev/nfs nfsroot=${serverip}:${rootpath},${nfsopts} rw ip=dhcp
net_boot=echo Booting from network ...; setenv autoload no; dcache off; dhcp; tftp ${loadaddr} ${bootfile}; run net_args; bootm ${loadaddr}
nfsopts=nolock
nor_args=run bootargs_defaults;setenv bootargs ${bootargs} root={nor_root} rootfstype=${nor_root_fs_type} ip=${ip_method}
nor_boot=echo Booting from NOR ...; run nor_args; cp.b ${0x08080000} ${loadaddr} ${nor_img_siz}; bootm ${loadaddr}
nor_img_siz=0x280000
nor_root=/dev/mtdblock3 rw
nor_root_fs_type=jffs2
nor_src_addr=0x08080000
rootpath=/export/rootfs
script_addr=0x81900000
spi_args=run bootargs_defaults;setenv bootargs ${bootargs} root=${spi_root} rootfstype=${spi_root_fs_type} ip=${ip_method}
spi_boot=echo Booting from spi ...; run spi_args; sf probe ${spi_bus_no}:0; sf read ${loadaddr} ${spi_src_addr} ${spi_img_siz}; bootm ${loadaddr}
spi_bus_no=0
spi_img_siz=0x280000
spi_root=/dev/mtdblock4 rw
spi_root_fs_type=jffs2
spi_src_addr=0x62000
static_ip=${ipaddr}:${serverip}:${gatewayip}:${netmask}:${hostname}::off
stderr=serial
stdin=serial
stdout=serial