Official Debian support

[alpopa]

Ok I'm getting closer.  I think the problem is with the linux kernel, specifically the option CONFIG_ROCKCHIP_CDN_DP=y is set on the Debian 5.10.40 kernel.  This may cause issues, as I have found a couple of references (https://www.kulesz.me/post/150_devuan_pinebookpro/) to recompiling a kernel without this option and it fixes the display.  Curiously, the working Manjaro image runs 5.12 with this option set to yes, so I'm wondering if it's fixed in the latest stable kernel.

I'm going to try recompiling 5.10.40 with that option unset and see if it fixes it, and then I'll try building the latest 5.12 with that option set to yes/defaulted.  With this done, all that's left is to get the wifi firmware included into somehow (linux-firmware-nonfree?).  You'll need to use u-boot in experimental or grab the itb/u-boot.img/dtbs from the Manjaro image.

Finally I figured it out: Debian bullseye stock on nvme:

Here is what I did:

Prerequisite: bulleye sd card created with https://d-i.debian.org/daily-images/arm6...rd-images/

Installed this u-boot to emmc: the modified u-boot images provided by forum user pcm720
be sure to have not boot partition on emmc

create an ext4 and a swap partition on nvme0n1
ext4 nvme0n1p1
swap nvme0n1p2

debootstrap into nvme0n1p1 following this https://gist.github.com/varqox/42e213b6b2dde2b636ef
(instead of debootstrap the Debian install can also be use but then a serial interface is needed - for debootstrap any Distro booted from SD card works)

create symlinks for vmlinuz-5.10.0-7-arm64 (vmlinuz) and initrd.img-5.10.0-7-arm64 (initrd.img)
cp dtb, dtb-5.10.0-7-arm64 and dtbs folders recursive from boot on debian sd card

to have the following boot folder on nvme0n1p1
root@Pine64:/# ls -ltra boot
total 53548
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 27400064 May 28 10:31 vmlinuz-5.10.0-7-arm64
-rw-r--r--  1 root root  254127 May 28 10:31 config-5.10.0-7-arm64
-rw-r--r--  1 root root      83 May 28 10:31 System.map-5.10.0-7-arm64
drwxr-xr-x 18 root root    4096 Jun 29 07:13 ..
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 27147997 Jun 29 07:14 initrd.img-5.10.0-7-arm64
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root      52 Jun 29 07:22 dtb -> dtbs/5.10.0-7-arm64/rockchip/rk3399-pinebook-pro.dtb
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root      52 Jun 29 07:22 dtb-5.10.0-7-arm64 -> dtbs/5.10.0-7-arm64/rockchip/rk3399-pinebook-pro.dtb
drwxr-xr-x  3 root root    4096 Jun 29 07:22 dtbs
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root      22 Jun 29 07:23 vmlinuz -> vmlinuz-5.10.0-7-arm64
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root      25 Jun 29 07:23 initrd.img -> initrd.img-5.10.0-7-arm64
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    2210 Jun 29 08:47 boot.cmd
drwxr-xr-x  3 root root    4096 Jun 29 08:47 .
-rw-r--r--  1 root root    2282 Jun 29 08:47 boot.scr


you cannot just copy the boot.scr from debian. you have to strip the 72 long u-boot header like so https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/EditBootscr to get a boot.cmd

insert a line into boot.cmd (the one I use is attached)

setenv bootargs  ${bootargs} quiet
(this one) setenv bootargs root=/dev/nvme0n1p1 rootwait ${bootargs}

if test -z "${fk_kvers}"; then

and
mkimage -C none -A arm -T script -d /boot/boot.cmd /boot/boot.scr

issues remaining:
nvme not detected sporadically though rootwait
wakening from suspend
sound: es8316.c in linux-source is outdated. Upstream contains the necessary patch by Tobias Schramm. so this will come (and I want to stick to stock as this is "Official Debian support")

Any chance to upstream / document these findings in Debian?