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+--- Thread: Distros that don't use legacy boot0? (/showthread.php?tid=5278)
Distros that don't use legacy boot0? - gregjo - 10-17-2017
Which Pine64 OS distributions use the newer SPL (secondary program loader), and not just fall back on the older boot0 code?
I'm tracking the Fedora ARM team's efforts as they are nearing the point of releasing support for the Pine64+. They have had preliminary builds that I've wanted to test. However, these new builds require using a serial console (uart) to view the boot process, and access a login prompt. I can successfully watch many of the Pine64 distros boot over the serial console. But most of these distros use the legacy boot0 code. Fedora is using the newer ATF (ARM Trusted Firmware) / SPL/U-Boot code.
See here for details:
https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot/blob/master/board/sunxi/README.sunxi64
When I try to boot the Fedora distribution, I see absolutely nothing on the serial console. I know the OS is booting, because I can later pull the microSD card from the Pine, and view the log files on another computer. In troubleshooting, I'm attempting to rule out all the variables I can. As I mentioned, I can view text on the serial console for distributions that use the legacy boot0 code. I'd like to locate other distributions that don't use boot0, so I can attempt to boot them and see if the serial console works for me on those.
Forgive me if I've used the wrong terms for some of this technology. School me if necessary! :-)
RE: Distros that don't use legacy boot0? - MarkHaysHarris777 - 10-19-2017
lennyraposo's builds ( a year ago ) used the boot0 , and his builds had serial console boot log running fine.
... if Fedora does not have a serial console boot log , that will eventually ( if not right now ) be a problem for them; on your end make sure you're using the right baud rate ( they may have changed to a higher rate 1.5M ? ) so check with them.
RE: Distros that don't use legacy boot0? - gregjo - 10-19-2017
(10-19-2017, 02:22 AM)MarkHaysHarris777 Wrote: lennyraposo's builds ( a year ago ) used the boot0 , and his builds had serial console boot log running fine.
... if Fedora does not have a serial console boot log , that will eventually ( if not right now ) be a problem for them; on your end make sure you're using the right baud rate ( they may have changed to a higher rate 1.5M ? ) so check with them.
I found my problem...the serial console cable. It worked fine with boot0-based distros, but failed with the newer SPL code. I swapped to a different cable, and can now see Fedora booting. :-)
I'm still baffled why that old cable worked with boot0, and not the newer code.
