A1222+ - linux Debian / Ubuntu instalation questions

Hello,

I succesfully installed linux onto my A1222+. Linux installation guide and downloads are perfect. But I still have some questions:

- Is possible use onboard Display Interface Unit with Radeon card installed? For example with some kernel parameter...
It will be great if I have RX5xx card for AmigaOS, use DIU for linux. In Linux installation manual is written Note: It's not possible to use the DIU with an installed Radeon graphics card. But linux and impossible?

I also setup linuxboot variable to boot from USB. It works, but I want put kernel + tabor2.dtb to sdcard.

- In A1222+ manual is this SDcard memory map:


Is safe write kernel + dtb to address 0x4800 and above? Or are there any other boot images?

- or is possible place MBR to SDcard like is witten here and place kernel+dtb to ext2 partition?

@sailor

Hi, i use the SDcard Gparted method with my X5000.
So kernel and DTB file on SD (mmc) for years now and works great.

The RX cards wont work with the Linux kernel.

@SkatemanQuote:

I know that RX cards not work - and thus I want ( if have RX installed ) use for linux Display interface ( DIU ) on P1022 CPU. But no success. lspci output gives no device - ( it is not pci bus ).

Regarding the SD card, I see no SDcard device /dev/sdx. Is it normal? Should it be visible if I prepare card + MBR on other computer? Or is needed certain kernel version?

@sailor

Hi, a SDcard with Uboot is unreadable in a normal pc, thats correct. /dev/mmcblk0 is the SD card when using the SDcard slot on my linux laptop.

I would first make a image of your Uboot SD card. then take a new sd card and follow the tutorial for creating the partition.

Then DD the Uboot image back to the new SD.

In uboot the SD card is defined as MMC

At the end I used free space on SD card: blocks from 0x4800 and write here tabor2.dtb + kernel. It works fine.

@sailorQuote:
Oops!
Boot images ( 0x4800 - 0x 31FFF ) written in manual are pictures + animations, not space for linux images as I suspected.

I corrupt a little my nice bootscreen . Fortunately, I had a sdcard backup.

So the kernel images + .dtb must be on sdcard block address 0x32000 and above.
No problem, there are much more space.
Now I have on mmc: tabor2.dtb ... block #32000, 1st uimage block #35000, 2nd uImage at #39000, etc...

It works fine, I do not need usb for kernels. Only disadvantage is, that kernel are not backuped with SDbackup tool, only with dd under linux.

I played a litle with Debian 8 powerpcspe.
It works great. But I need some advice.

OOTB it has in souces.list debian-ports unstable
It is not exists now, so I changed repo to last powerpcspe snapshot:
deb [trusted=yes] http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian-ports/20190519T171610Z/ unstable

I can install nore packages, like hwloc and nano, but libreoffice is removed. When I install it manually, it have missing libreglo.so
Also I cannot use DIU inteface. Probably it is caused by missing xserver-xorg-video-fbdev package. Again cannot install, unmet dependencies.

I have some questions:

- please, what is the best practise for linux on A1222? Install directly Debian 8 powerpcspe, or install Ubuntu 16.04 and Debian 8 powerpcspe in chroot environment? I am not tested Ubuntu yet..

- please, what is best snapshot for installing powerpcspe packages ? I.e. the one with biggest number of packages . Or howto setup sources.list to not remove libre office

- please, is possible to install fbdev on Debian or Ubintu? And how? I see it is possible with SliTaz... Or some other trick how to use DIU / display on A1222 with Debian or Ubuntu?

- are there still any repo for Ubuntu 16.04?

@sailor

For now i would suggest using the VOID Linux image, and adjust the repository settings so the package manager is working again.

http://www.xenosoft.de/void-live-powerpc-20230317.img.tar.gz

Repo adjust here: https://forum.hyperion-entertainment.c ... wtopic.php?p=58185#p58185

This is all working X5K stuff so i cant say anything regarding SPE and other A1222 related stuff.

@Skateman
thank you, I will test it.

Please, is it whole image ( i.e. dd of=/dev/sdb ) or partition image ( of=/dev/sdb3 ) ?
Probably whole disk image, as it's name is live...
And please, root passwd is the same like in first post?

https://forum.hyperion-entertainment.c ... wtopic.php?p=56700#p56700

I would DD it to sda1 (so partition image)

Just now I testing Ubuntu 16.04 and after that I will try void linux.

Ubuntu and void are powerpc ( not powerpcspe ) versions.
How is it possible that they work with SPE FPU and powerpc code?

Are there also some software emulation layer in linux kernel?

@sailor

I dont know if they work on a A1222 as you mentioned they are Powerpc distros.. so you need to check yourself.
I dont have a A1222.

@Skateman
I tested Ubuntu 16.04 yesterday, and it works on A1222+ OOTB.
It is slower ( especially Mate deskrop ) than Debian 8 powerpcspe, but works. Even office and similar.
Void I will try on weekend.

With Ubuntu, sources.list is set to /ubuntu-ports/dists/xenial and there are only powerpc port, not powerpcspe. I installed sw from there and it works.

So linux kernel should use some sort of soft floats if there is no FPU. It is my speculation only, but it makes sense as very popular ARM cpus have also several types of FPU units with incompatible API.

I will try to ask Adrian Glaubitz about that.

@Skateman
void linux also works on A1222.
I tested only terminal, not desktop.

@sailor

On the X5000 the desktop is also working fine.
Change the driver in Xorg.conf from FBdev to radeon depending on the card you are using for Hardware acceleration.

Quote:

I received answer from debian mailing list. It is caused by kernel parameter:

I.e. our custom kernels has buitlin FPU emulator.
Explanation from Kconfig:


Thanks for linux kernel and A1222 linux core team, is possible to run even Debian Sid, of course with slow FPU...