modifying and verifying debian installer for armhf board (a10-eoma68)
i got debian/armhf up and running on the a10-eoma68 board, but i'd
like to make it easier for other people to install debian on it. the
generally-proven method "go download some whopping great 1gbyte random
image off the internet with packages preinstalled that you don't
actually want" is pretty shit, so i'd like to do a debian-installer
image. previously it was frans pop, bless 'im, who created a suitable
debian-installer netinst for us.
the hardware we have is as follows:
* no JTAG (don't ask...)
* A10 processor with direct-to-memory loading and execution over
Micro-USB [called FEL: front-end-loader]
* NAND driver which needs some work (messy android, not mtd-compliant)
so can't use it
* working SDcard working (on SD3)
* usb-gadget *only* (no network, no usb-host)
here's what's been achieved already [thanks to help from several people]:
* usb fel boot using miniroot:
https://github.com/hno/miniroot
* modify miniroot to get it working with g_ether and usbnet
* modify miniroot to allow telnetd logins
* usb fel boot using debian armhf image:
http://rhombus-tech.net/allwinner_a10/boot/
* confirm HDMI working on /dev/fb0
so - here's what i'd like to achieve over the next few days
* boot a board using usb felboot:
https://github.com/linux-sunxi/sunxi-tools/tree/master/felboot
* create a modified netinst-initrd that uses usb0 ethernet gadget
*blind* (no console!!) which gets far enough on its own to do DHCP
client
* also pre-install some sort of service (ssh? busybox telnet? other?)
which allows an interactive login
* use felboot to download a kernel, netinst-ramdisk and u-boot
*direct* to memory of the board
* log in (somehow) to the board over usbnet
* get a kernel installed e.g. from here without prompting:
http://dl.linux-sunxi.org/users/niall/debian/
* do an example minimal install onto a blank sdcard.
that's the main goal. preparing the boot partition (vfat) so that the
sdcard will boot is *outside* the scope, here. my main concern is to
get past this first stage.
i apologise: it looks like a lot, but it isn't! it's just a large
chain of inter-connected awkwardness that should clear up a
considerable mess in the arm world where people just insist on putting
out these absolutely shit 1gbyte and 4gbyte pre-installed images. or
force people into a situation of using the cross-install mode
debootstrap.
so - another way is rather badly needed, not just for this board but
for MK802 and many other bits of hardware which have micro-usb gadget.
suggestions on how to proceed greatly appreciated. also, where's the
best place to hold this discussion?
l.
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