11-12-2022, 11:52 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-12-2022, 05:09 PM by KC9UDX.
Edit Reason: Also also wik
)
I am writing this from my PBP running NetBSD. (I only run NetBSD on both of mine. My wife still runs Manjaru on hers.)
What you are experiencing is exactly what I found with the new Manjaru-installed U-boot.
My advice is to do what I do, and that is, to install NetBSD on the eMMC, and Manjaru on a micro-SD card. I do this because I rarely use Manjaru. But even if I planned to use it primarily, I worry that Manjaru updates will automatically update U-Boot on the Manjaru-installed device back to the "non-working" state.
My original #4, disabling the eMMC ("permanently") *is* viable; then the (any) micro-SD will boot. But as @wdt says, turning on and off the eMMC when you do want to use it, is not convenient.
If you do decide to install NetBSD on the eMMC, it is actually pretty simple.
1) Turn off the PBP.
2) Insert the NetBSD-installed micro-SD card.
3) Leave the PBP open and hang it over the edge of a table.
4) Remove the bottom cover.
5) Turn off the eMMC.
6) Turn on the PBP, NetBSD will boot.
7) As soon as you see the green text which is the NetBSD kernel booting, quickly turn the eMMC back on.
8) Reinstall the bottom cover.
9) Set up your network in NetBSD
10) Download the NetBSD image again, and dd it to /dev/rld0. (ld1 *should* be your SD card, ld0 *should* be your eMMC).
The caveat is that downloading the NetBSD image from a the fresh NetBSD install is not straightforward. At least, I cannot find it anywhere via ftp. So if you have an external hard drive or card slot that you can plug into a USB slot on the PBP, you can access the image that way. Also, unless you have -current, the inbuilt Wi-Fi in the PBP will not work in NetBSD. Even in -current, unless it has been fixed, it is unreliable and will frequently lock up the computer. So ideally you already have a different means of networking. I use a TP-Link model TL-WN722N Wi-Fi dongle.
Also be aware that the PBP with the cover removed is *extremely* fragile. If you need to pick it up or relocate it, only handle it by the display half.
What you are experiencing is exactly what I found with the new Manjaru-installed U-boot.
My advice is to do what I do, and that is, to install NetBSD on the eMMC, and Manjaru on a micro-SD card. I do this because I rarely use Manjaru. But even if I planned to use it primarily, I worry that Manjaru updates will automatically update U-Boot on the Manjaru-installed device back to the "non-working" state.
My original #4, disabling the eMMC ("permanently") *is* viable; then the (any) micro-SD will boot. But as @wdt says, turning on and off the eMMC when you do want to use it, is not convenient.
If you do decide to install NetBSD on the eMMC, it is actually pretty simple.
1) Turn off the PBP.
2) Insert the NetBSD-installed micro-SD card.
3) Leave the PBP open and hang it over the edge of a table.
4) Remove the bottom cover.
5) Turn off the eMMC.
6) Turn on the PBP, NetBSD will boot.
7) As soon as you see the green text which is the NetBSD kernel booting, quickly turn the eMMC back on.
8) Reinstall the bottom cover.
9) Set up your network in NetBSD
10) Download the NetBSD image again, and dd it to /dev/rld0. (ld1 *should* be your SD card, ld0 *should* be your eMMC).
The caveat is that downloading the NetBSD image from a the fresh NetBSD install is not straightforward. At least, I cannot find it anywhere via ftp. So if you have an external hard drive or card slot that you can plug into a USB slot on the PBP, you can access the image that way. Also, unless you have -current, the inbuilt Wi-Fi in the PBP will not work in NetBSD. Even in -current, unless it has been fixed, it is unreliable and will frequently lock up the computer. So ideally you already have a different means of networking. I use a TP-Link model TL-WN722N Wi-Fi dongle.
Also be aware that the PBP with the cover removed is *extremely* fragile. If you need to pick it up or relocate it, only handle it by the display half.
