PlugPBX with Guruplug Server Plus - WORKING!

[Tiz]

Ok, I learned a little since I have the Guruplug and wanted to share what I know, hoping that one of you guys has additional information or can correct me if I made a mistake.
The latest Uboot from the Guruplug does not allow the kernel to be on any attached device. It seems that it is only possible to have the RFS (Root File System) on an USB device. I am wondering what I have to do now.
Is it necessary (and possible) to load the kernel from the PlugPBX download section into the nand of the Guruplug and than put the RFS on a USB stick ? (I don't see this in the download section, but I know how to create an ubi.img if I have the RFS) IF i do use the kernel used for the sheevaplug, do I have the guruplug " extra's"  available like eSata and wireless eth?
Or can I use the kernel as is and only build the RFS and put it on the disk?

Please advice.

(PS maybe we can use a Guruplug section on this forum? )

[PlugPBX Admin]

I just posted about this

1) Flash the image to the USB thumb drive instead
2) configure Uboot to boot from USB device

[Tiz]

As I understood it is only possible to have the RFS boot from sd / usb.
When I use your image as a RFS, the kernel in the RFS would differ from the one loaded from the nand of the Guruplug which would lead to problems. That is why I thought that your solution wouldn't work.

The other option I mentioned is flashing the kernel you have available for download to the Guruplug so the same kernel can be loaded from nand as is on the sd-card. But then I am not sure whether eSata and other Guruplug specific hardware would be available from that kernel (do you know?).

BTW to be sure it wouldn't work I did try your image on USB and it did not boot while I can boot from usb using a different RFS. Sorry If I am being stupid here, still need some advice I think.

In the meantime I am trying to extend my RFS to have Asterisk and FreePBX (and Squeezebox Server) if this does work for me I can share what I did and have an image available if that would help other people.

[PlugPBX Admin]

Without seeing the serial console output I can't help in determining why it didn't boot from USB media.

It can be as simple as building your own booting RFS, and then copying my binaries over - you can do that by loopback mounting partitions inside the image I've provided, or imaging to actual SD card and mounting / copying the files you want off partitions.

As far as the SoC and what the hardware supports, its easy - you know my kernel rev, and you can google the chipsets in the PP, so see if they are supported - Linux is pretty agnostic hardware wise as long as its in the kernel it just 'works' usually. What the hell does a PBX need eSata ports anyway

NOW all this being said, it is VERY limited what I can do supporting anything beyond a SheevaPlug, and I'll tell you why....

1) This website I host with my own money. No ad-revenues or other income, Donations I ask for without conditions, but so far this hobby is costing me money
2) The hardware I've purchased comes out of my own pockets, donations don't cover my costs there either
3) I'm not getting paid to do this work, or compensated. In fact, I've discovered at least one other person attempting to sell PlugPBX outright without me seeing any kickbacks, which well honestly, it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth - In fact, trying to charge seat licenses for what has none already, is just stinky.

So why should I put myself out another $150 bucks for a GuruPlug?  So for right now, I'm limited to what I can offer direct support wise. I just bought a third SheevaPlug so I can start work again since taking down my in-use units is too much of a pain.

I would speculate, since GuruPlug is a new revision, there will be some initial growing pains, but very quickly it'll be easy to support.  With enough time and energy I could even perhaps build a NAND version of PlugPBX - but again, time, money, justification...

Post a dump of your serial console while it tried to boot from your USB key, can't make any progress unless we listen to what its saying during bootup

Basically, you have to keep digging, don't give up the first time you try something, get your hands dirty. I'd have not gotten PlugPBX going if I gave up first trial

Everything is possible, and what I've provided can be distilled and re-used on the GuruPlug - I'm certain of it.

[Tiz]

That indeed seems very frustrating if other people try to make money out of your hard work without sharing. Don't get me wrong, I do not expect you to go burning your free time on my problems. The hints you give me already help a lot. And for sure when I get this working, I will share my image with you and others on this forum.
I still believe in an open community despite the misuse of people trying to make money out of other people's work.

Regarding the eSata, I now have Squeezebox server life on my Guruplug and I use eSata for the disk with my music. That's why 

The dump I will try sometime. But it comes down to the fact that the plug "hangs" on the loading kernel done.

Again, thank you for pointing me in the right direction. Hope I can do a little bit back by sharing the information I gather along my journey.

[PlugPBX Admin]

Perhaps get the latest kernel - or at least use the same kernel they including when they shipped the GuruPlug to you?

[Tiz]

Status and steps:

 - copied the Guruplug internal filesystem to an USB stick.  (after initially updating the uboot, kernel and RFS)
 - changed U-boot to boot from this stick: working
 - installed webmin, munin, squeezebox server to the stick: working
 - trying to boot from imaged sdcard (PlugPBX) in usb adapter: not working
 - trying to mount the sdcard when in sd slot: not working
 - trying to mount the sdcard when in USB adapter: working! --> found out the root seems on SDE2
 - changing boot parameters to boot from sde2: apparently now it is sdd
 - changing boot parameters to boot from sdd2: not working. (msg: unable to mount volume with following filesystems.........)

I think the best is to mount the image and try to copy to my usb stick what is needed for PlugPBX. Now I have to find out what that is.....

[Tiz]

FInally it seems I have got it working. That is, I can boot the RFS from Sdcard in USB adapter. Made some foolish mistakes along the way, but I think the following steps should get your there:

 - Image a USB device of minimal 4Gb with the image from this site.
 - Update boot, kernel and RFS with ones found here http://www.plugcomputer.org/index.php/us/resources/downloads?func=select&id=14 Use the plugcomputer wiki to find out how.
 - Mount the second partition of the USB device and copy everyting under /lib/modules that to "path_to_usb_mount"/lib/modules. Delete what was in there already. Now remember which device was mounted, in this example it is /dev/sdb2
 - Adjust boot parameters with 'root=sdb2' and add 'rootdelay=10'  to that. (use printenv, setenv and saveenv, more info on the Plugcomputer forum and wiki)
 - This will most probably be wrong, but look at the error message you get. A few options are being proposed and you should look for a device that shows 5 partitions. Then write down the number of the second partition (With me it was the sdd2 device , number 0832. Now reset the Guruplug and change root=sdb2 to 'root=0832'
 - Now it boots from the image! Write down what is not ok (with me dahdi was not ok) and repair afterwards with apt-get rituals.

Good luck and feel free to ask if something is not working.

[PlugPBX Admin]

Wicked! Nice job!

So people can still use SD media, just via a USB adaptor. Very clever!

If its Okay Tiz, I've gone and added it to the sites News Section - quoting your contribution so Google will absorb the fact you've nailed this. I'd also recommend you post this info to the PlugComputer.org forums, as I'm sure other hobbyists would be curious to know of your progress made.

http://www.plugpbx.org/?p=389

I think its high time I get the Wiki up and running. Let me play around and try and find a Wiki that's SIMPLE for users to format and contribute to, and everyone can start pumping data into it.

Once you have a guruplug image you are happy with, I'm more then happy to host the image for downloading - that choice is entirely yours if you wish to make it available.

Sound like its a wee bit more work to get things working on the GuruPlug, but I'm sure improvements are coming to the GuruPlug platform as it matures.

So from looking into the hardware in more detail, the SD card reader on the GuruPlug is connected to an internal USB hub inside the GuruPlug, so its a USB device - and I assume the SD card reader in the SheevaPlug is different. So is the issue of booting from SD card that uboot does not yet support that as cleanly?

[Truckchase!]

Thank you so much Tiz, I just got my plug (finally after 5 months!) yesterday so I'm going to give it a shot. I don't have the JTAG yet, so I can't do UBOOT yet... doh!

[Truckchase!]

Tiz, what was your starting and final UBoot version w/ the Guruplug server? My starting is:

U-Boot 2009.11-rc1-00602-g28a9c08-dirty (Feb 09 2010 - 18:15:21)
Marvell-Plug2L

I didn't see a definitive backup command in the PBE, so I'm nervous to flash since I don't know what version it will be flashing to. The D/L site version just says 1.0.0 and the bin isn't named with a date format in the fn.         

Thanks!

[Truckchase!]

Tiz, what was your starting and final UBoot version w/ the Guruplug server? My starting is:

U-Boot 2009.11-rc1-00602-g28a9c08-dirty (Feb 09 2010 - 18:15:21)
Marvell-Plug2L

I didn't see a definitive backup command in the PBE, so I'm nervous to flash since I don't know what version it will be flashing to. The D/L site version just says 1.0.0 and the bin isn't named with a date format in the fn.         

Thanks!

Nevermind that. I got the guts and just flashed it. I had a couple other problems, but I'm at least got my guruplug  booting the rootFS off of a USB thumb drive now thanks to both you guys. I'm having some issues on start up (i.e. MySQL won't start, etc.), but I'm going to put a pin in it for the day. Thanks so much GWJ and Tiz. BTW, uboot version from the aforementioned link is:

U-Boot 2010.03-01161-gd91b0a9 (Apr 22 2010 - 03:24:41)
Marvell-GuruPlug

[PlugPBX Admin]

Will SD card booting ever come to the GuruPlug?

[Truckchase!]

Will SD card booting ever come to the GuruPlug?

http://plugcomputer.org/plugforum/index.php?topic=1642.30 

[PlugPBX Admin]

So it appears so from reading that URL. Wicked!

So other than being at the latest and greatest Linux Kernel, anything else required for the GuruPlug? Because if not, then the next release of PlugPBX will work out of box on

-Original SheevaPlug
-Updated Sheevaplug (fix clock drift and garbage serial console glitch)
-Work on GuruPlug (once user updates uboot as required)