Kernel Update from 4.4 (Ayufan) on Ubuntu 20.04

[db579]

I started with Ayufan's 0.9 image (Ubuntu 18.04) - the minimal server variant. I then apt-installed ubuntu-gnome-desktop, and then upgraded the Ubuntu version through the graphical software updater to 20.04. So far so great, but I'm curious about upgrading the kernel.

Code:

$ uname -r
4.4.190-1233-rockchip-ayufan-gd3f1be0ed310

Suggests that the OS upgrade was just userland, not kernel. Am I right in thinking RockPro64 support has been fully mainlined into the Linux Kernel as off 5.8? If so is there any reason not to upgrade to it?

Basically would

Code:

$ wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.13/arm64/linux-headers-5.8.13-050813-generic_5.8.13-050813.202010011235_arm64.deb
$ wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.13/arm64/linux-image-unsigned-5.8.13-050813-generic_5.8.13-050813.202010011235_arm64.deb
$ wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.13/arm64/linux-modules-5.8.13-050813-generic_5.8.13-050813.202010011235_arm64.deb
$ sudo apt install ./*.deb

Break my system or get me onto working mainline 5.8 kernel? (Also am I right in assuming the RockPro64 does not require a signed kernel image to boot?)

[dukla2000]

I started with Ayufan's 0.9 image (Ubuntu 18.04) - the minimal server variant. I then apt-installed ubuntu-gnome-desktop, and then upgraded the Ubuntu version through the graphical software updater to 20.04. So far so great, but I'm curious about upgrading the kernel.

Code:

$ uname -r
4.4.190-1233-rockchip-ayufan-gd3f1be0ed310

Suggests that the OS upgrade was just userland, not kernel. Am I right in thinking RockPro64 support has been fully mainlined into the Linux Kernel as off 5.8? If so is there any reason not to upgrade to it?

Basically would

Code:

$ wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.13/arm64/linux-headers-5.8.13-050813-generic_5.8.13-050813.202010011235_arm64.deb
$ wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.13/arm64/linux-image-unsigned-5.8.13-050813-generic_5.8.13-050813.202010011235_arm64.deb
$ wget -c https://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v5.8.13/arm64/linux-modules-5.8.13-050813-generic_5.8.13-050813.202010011235_arm64.deb
$ sudo apt install ./*.deb

Break my system or get me onto working mainline 5.8 kernel? (Also am I right in assuming the RockPro64 does not require a signed kernel image to boot?)

If you search the repos (apt search 1144) you can find the latest (from Ayufan) 5.9 kernel that you can install into the 0.9 image just fine.

Make sure you have a recovery mechanism (depending where you are booting from) - unless I am very much mistaken there is still no support for eMMC so if you are booting from eMMC you will break your install and need to edit extlinx.conf from a bootable SDcard to recover.

[db579]

Make sure you have a recovery mechanism (depending where you are booting from) - unless I am very much mistaken there is still no support for eMMC so if you are booting from eMMC you will break your install and need to edit extlinx.conf from a bootable SDcard to recover.

Right I am booting from eMMC so that doesn't sound promising. What's the reason for it still needing to be a custom (ayufan) kernel rather than mainline?

[dukla2000]

...
Right I am booting from eMMC so that doesn't sound promising. What's the reason for it still needing to be a custom (ayufan) kernel rather than mainline?

Not sure the differences: for sure Armbian comes with a 5.8 kernel that I suspect is pretty mainline (and for sure does not support eMMC). Similarly Manjaro.

Methinks Ayufan has some PCIe bits that help the RockPro64 but I have no skills to decipher his GitHub - indeed I have minimal skills to understand Git at all! (In my day source code control was a diagonal line down the deck of punch cards!)

The other thing that used to be dodgy on mainline kernels was supporting sound (e.g. via HDMI) on the RockPro64 - I think this was solved a while ago.

But what puzzles me is how to benefit from PineBook Pro kernels/work to get a 5.x kernel that supports eMMC!