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+-- Forum: Pinebook Pro (https://forum.pine64.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=111)
+--- Forum: Pinebook Pro Hardware and Accessories (https://forum.pine64.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=116)
+--- Thread: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? (/showthread.php?tid=8041)
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - bcnaz - 10-27-2019
There are a few posts describing why it is not currently possible.
They did discuss some 'work arounds' such as putting the boot loader on the emmc drive...
It will likely be possible........eventually
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - brent.thierens - 10-27-2019
(10-27-2019, 07:16 AM)kaylios Wrote:(10-27-2019, 07:05 AM)bcnaz Wrote: I will look farther into this, but at the moment I can only suppose the adapter kits have been "updated".
The main reason I wanted this fast drive originally was because I thought I could "boot" from it.
Since it is not currently possible to boot from this drive,
it is not very important to have a super fast storage drive, when the boot drive is so slow.
Hopefully it "May" be possible someday.
oh ... I didn't know that we cannot boot from it.
I suppose uboot doesnt have the required driver, and we have to write/port it.
Thank you for this info
It's not possible out of the box, but the proposed workaround of putting the boot partition on the eMMC and the rest on the SSD is fairly easy. So definitely worth to do it if you want a faster boot.
For example: https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=4971
This applies to the RockPro64, but is (almost) identical for the PBP.
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - kaylios - 10-28-2019
(10-27-2019, 12:03 PM)brent.thierens Wrote:(10-27-2019, 07:16 AM)kaylios Wrote:(10-27-2019, 07:05 AM)bcnaz Wrote: I will look farther into this, but at the moment I can only suppose the adapter kits have been "updated".
The main reason I wanted this fast drive originally was because I thought I could "boot" from it.
Since it is not currently possible to boot from this drive,
it is not very important to have a super fast storage drive, when the boot drive is so slow.
Hopefully it "May" be possible someday.
oh ... I didn't know that we cannot boot from it.
I suppose uboot doesnt have the required driver, and we have to write/port it.
Thank you for this info
It's not possible out of the box, but the proposed workaround of putting the boot partition on the eMMC and the rest on the SSD is fairly easy. So definitely worth to do it if you want a faster boot.
For example: https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=4971
This applies to the RockPro64, but is (almost) identical for the PBP.
thank you. Will check that
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - binarian - 10-28-2019
(10-23-2019, 05:59 PM)Luke Wrote: Hi all, the NVMe adapter issue has been identified and resolved. If you already have an adaptor then you'll be getting the bits and pieces necessary to make it work properly. Thanks for testing and letting us get to the bottom of this issue!
[edit] until you receive the necessary stuff for the fix, please do not use it in the Pinebook Pro chassis.
There are 2 categories of people not covered by this statement: those that have already ordered but not received the adapter, and those who have not yet ordered the adapter. I personally am in the first of those two.
I'm guessing that NEW orders will contain whatever fix you have set up. However, I can see how it would be the case that those who have already ordered the adapter but not yet received it (for instance, those who ordered the adapter who are still part of the first batch that have yet to ship) might not have that fix. In that case, should we wait for the fix? Or is it already implemented in the adapters we'll receive? Or will it be blatantly obvious because you put a note inside the box, or something?
Thanks for resolving the issue so quickly!!
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - bcnaz - 10-28-2019
(10-28-2019, 05:42 AM)kaylios Wrote:>> kaylios(10-27-2019, 12:03 PM)brent.thierens Wrote:(10-27-2019, 07:16 AM)kaylios Wrote:(10-27-2019, 07:05 AM)bcnaz Wrote: I will look farther into this, but at the moment I can only suppose the adapter kits have been "updated".
The main reason I wanted this fast drive originally was because I thought I could "boot" from it.
Since it is not currently possible to boot from this drive,
it is not very important to have a super fast storage drive, when the boot drive is so slow.
Hopefully it "May" be possible someday.
oh ... I didn't know that we cannot boot from it.
I suppose uboot doesnt have the required driver, and we have to write/port it.
Thank you for this info
It's not possible out of the box, but the proposed workaround of putting the boot partition on the eMMC and the rest on the SSD is fairly easy. So definitely worth to do it if you want a faster boot.
For example: https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=4971
This applies to the RockPro64, but is (almost) identical for the PBP.
thank you. Will check that
The main idea when I started this 'thread' was the physical installation of the M.2 NVMe adapter and drive.
The Pine people have done their homework and resolved this problem..
* > I have marked this as "Resolved" <
As far as using this for a boot drive, there are possibilities of doing a 'work-around' that are already being discussed.
> (The Pinebook Pro does have a slightly modified booting order from the RockPro, mentioned elsewhere)
There are discussions on writing/building a mainline boot system...
My understanding is the existing 'uboot' needs to be modified. Something to do with the PCIe ???
Manipulating or modifying the 'uboot' is far above what I can do myself, so I will wait until there is a 'mainline' method to utilize the
PCIe/NVMe drive.
There are some much smarter persons discussing this 'uboot' in other posts.
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - CampGareth - 10-28-2019
(10-28-2019, 11:37 AM)bcnaz Wrote: Manipulating or modifying the 'uboot' is far above what I can do myself, so I will wait until there is a 'mainline' method to utilize the
PCIe/NVMe drive.
If you think about an x86 PC booting there's a chain of events where several operating systems load up one after another with each being more complex and featureful than the last until you eventually get a recognisable desktop for a user. A BIOS might be extremely basic, barely able to take keyboard input and display text on screen but it can read a sector off a SATA HDD. If that sector contains a bootloader that supports NVMe drives, encryption and pretty graphics then you can use that to load a more complex OS and eventually your user-facing OS. It was common practice back before UEFI came along to use a SATA drive to bootstrap from since nothing x86 supported directly booting off an NVMe drive at the lower levels.
With the pinebook pro we're saying the BIOS doesn't support booting off NVMe drives directly, but it will support booting off the eMMC. If we put something in the eMMC that understands how to boot off an NVMe drive we can use that to get a user facing OS up and running off the NVMe.
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - bcnaz - 10-28-2019
CampGareth :
Thanks for your (Block diagram style) description of the process, I think that makes it easier to comprehend what needs to happen.
but actually writing the code for each device to communicate with the next I believe is slightly more complex. ? ?
Arwen and z4v4l are having a more detailed discussion on this, in the thread "u-boot location on the disk"
As I said earlier, I started this particular thread to discuss physically fitting the NVMe and adapter into the Pinebook Pro laptop.
> That issue has been solved by the Pine staff.<
The thread " u-boot location on disk" will be a better place to discuss the firmware/software issues.
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - belfastraven - 11-01-2019
(10-28-2019, 11:10 PM)bcnaz Wrote: CampGareth :
Thanks for your (Block diagram style) description of the process, I think that makes it easier to comprehend what needs to happen.
but actually writing the code for each device to communicate with the next I believe is slightly more complex. ? ?
Arwen and z4v4l are having a more detailed discussion on this, in the thread "u-boot location on the disk"
As I said earlier, I started this particular thread to discuss physically fitting the NVMe and adapter into the Pinebook Pro laptop.
> That issue has been solved by the Pine staff.<
The thread " u-boot location on disk" will be a better place to discuss the firmware/software issues.
Has any one gotten the "fixed bits and pieces" for the NVME adapter.? I've had the adapter for weeks. I ordered it with the other bits and pieces in August. I just got the PBPro and would really like to install the drive....
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - bcnaz - 11-01-2019
*
Hmm...
I have not seen any posts mentioning they had received those "pieces" yet.
I also have the adapter without the updated pieces.
RE: Pro NVMe adapter Does not fit ! ? - binarian - 11-01-2019
(11-01-2019, 08:55 AM)belfastraven Wrote:(10-28-2019, 11:10 PM)bcnaz Wrote: CampGareth :
Thanks for your (Block diagram style) description of the process, I think that makes it easier to comprehend what needs to happen.
but actually writing the code for each device to communicate with the next I believe is slightly more complex. ? ?
Arwen and z4v4l are having a more detailed discussion on this, in the thread "u-boot location on the disk"
As I said earlier, I started this particular thread to discuss physically fitting the NVMe and adapter into the Pinebook Pro laptop.
> That issue has been solved by the Pine staff.<
The thread " u-boot location on disk" will be a better place to discuss the firmware/software issues.
Has any one gotten the "fixed bits and pieces" for the NVME adapter.? I've had the adapter for weeks. I ordered it with the other bits and pieces in August. I just got the PBPro and would really like to install the drive....
I have not gotten the bits and pieces. However:
I was one of the 15 who didn't get the original delivery for the first batch. I had also ordered the adapter at the same time, in the same shipment, so that arrived yesterday along with the laptop. Since the issue has been fixed between when I ordered the PBP and when the unit (including the adapter) left the factory, it was unclear as to whether the adapter I received was the new version or the old version. I asked Luke this, and he said that I should have the new version. I have not yet confirmed this by physically installing the adapter. I don't know what the new adapter looks like compared to the old one, but what I received is just the backplate, adapter cable, and screws.
I will be testing tonight or tomorrow.