Kernel Update from 4.4 (Ayufan) on Ubuntu 20.04
#1
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?)
#2
(10-04-2020, 02:45 PM)db579 Wrote: 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.
  • ROCKPro64 v2.1 2GB, 16Gb eMMC for rootfs, SX8200Pro 512GB NVMe for /home, HDMI video & sound, Bluetooth keyboard & mouse. Arch (6.2 kernel, Openbox desktop) for general purpose daily PC.
  • PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition, daily driver, rk2aw & U-boot on SPI, Arch/SXMO & Arch/phosh on eMMC
  • PinePhone BraveHeart now v1.2b 3/32Gb, Tow-boot with Arch/SXMO on eMMC
#3
(10-21-2020, 05:17 PM)dukla2000 Wrote: 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?
#4
(10-22-2020, 09:37 AM)db579 Wrote: ...
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!
  • ROCKPro64 v2.1 2GB, 16Gb eMMC for rootfs, SX8200Pro 512GB NVMe for /home, HDMI video & sound, Bluetooth keyboard & mouse. Arch (6.2 kernel, Openbox desktop) for general purpose daily PC.
  • PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition, daily driver, rk2aw & U-boot on SPI, Arch/SXMO & Arch/phosh on eMMC
  • PinePhone BraveHeart now v1.2b 3/32Gb, Tow-boot with Arch/SXMO on eMMC


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Installing Ubuntu Server on RockPro64 deutschlmao 2 3,535 10-29-2023, 04:43 PM
Last Post: brotherj4mes
Exclamation Ethernet regression on Linux Kernel 6.5.4? Deathcrow 3 1,547 09-22-2023, 04:27 AM
Last Post: diederik
  Installing CH431SER on Ayufan 0.9.14: gitlab-ci-linux-build-159 Thisone 4 2,345 07-14-2023, 04:22 AM
Last Post: hunderteins
Question How do I compile an arbitrary kernel for U-Boot? Valenoern 3 1,883 06-16-2023, 10:54 AM
Last Post: CounterPillow
  GPIO on Ayufan 0.9.14 Build Thisone 7 3,577 04-23-2023, 01:32 PM
Last Post: diederik
  Accidentally updated Ubuntu/ Revert possible? Thisone 0 733 04-19-2023, 12:03 AM
Last Post: Thisone
  [OS] SkiffOS and Buildroot for Rockpro64 w/ 5.17 kernel paralin1 1 2,227 05-08-2022, 03:26 PM
Last Post: paralin1
  Kernel OOPs triggered by big writes to ext4 FS ajtravis 1 1,813 04-04-2022, 05:29 PM
Last Post: ajtravis
  WORKING: GPU-accelerated Widevine Chromium for Ubuntu 64 twilite 0 1,928 09-13-2021, 11:02 AM
Last Post: twilite
  Manjaro ARM - Built-in ethernet was broken with kernel 5.14.1-1 (over now) Dendrocalamus64 2 2,756 09-11-2021, 08:58 PM
Last Post: t4_4t

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)