Project:Bifferboard

Bifferboard
QR code

Notes

Bifferboard doesn't have working serial, so we need a distro that boots without asking.

Tried http://blog.famzah.net/category/bifferboard/ This can be done on Babbage (it has an autosensing ethernet card):

sudo ./bb_eth_upload.py eth0 00:b3:f6:00:35:c7 ../vmlinuz-2.6.30.5-bifferboard-ipipe

And everything else from there. Wouldn't boot:

VFS: Cannot open root device "<NULL>" or unknown-block(0,0)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option; here are the available partitions:
Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)

Ditto for http://www.sunspot.co.uk/Projects/Bifferboard/Debian_distro.html:

[    0.822178] usb usb2: Product: OHCI Host Controller
[    0.827287] usb usb2: Manufacturer: Linux 2.6.32.2-bifferboard ohci_hcd
[    0.827287] usb usb2: SerialNumber: 0000:00:0a.0
[    0.838835] usb usb2: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
[    0.846961] hub 2-0:1.0: USB hub found
[    0.846961] hub 2-0:1.0: 2 ports detected
[    0.856890] Initializing USB Mass Storage driver...
[    0.856890] usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
[    0.871526] USB Mass Storage support registered.
[    0.876429] VFS: Cannot open root device "<NULL>" or unknown-block(0,0)
[    0.890057] Please append a correct "root=" boot option; here are the available partitions:
[    0.898733] Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)

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Final result: Slackware works perfectly, without any trouble. Debian, does not. At all.

Not that any of this matters, as ms7821 fried the thing...

We now have three bifferboards (biffercluster will happen at some point)

Wiring through Bus Bandit

Bifferboard Bus Pirate

Connect BusPirate connector -> Black Grey Brown -> Yellow Green Black -> Bifferboard 9, 8, 7

(NB the blacks don't connect to each other)

Settings:

UART, 115200, 8N1, Idle 1, 3.3V

m 3, 9, [1], [1], [1], 2

(then use macro (1) to enter UART bridge mode)

New attempt

http://blog.famzah.net/2009/11/20/running-debian-on-bifferboard/

SVN revision 238 required build-essential, libncurses5-dev (ncurses), kernel-package (make-kpkg), and took 3 hours to build on lovelace.

svn co https://bifferboard.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/bifferboard bifferboard
cd bifferboard/debian/
./build.sh 2.6.32

The rootfs step requires debootstrap, and took 1 hour to build on lovelace. The root password is hackspace.

sudo su
mkdir /mnt/biffo
./format-and-mount.sh /dev/sdb /mnt/biffo
./install-debian.sh /mnt/biffo/ uk

Set up the BusPirate if you're using it:

screen /dev/ttyUSB2 115200

M
3
9
1
1
1
2
(1)

Space, Ctrl+A, :quit, Enter

And finally, burn the loader:

boot/bb_upload8.py /dev/ttyUSB2 /mnt/biffo/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-bifferboard

When booting, hit Esc, and type

usbroot
save
go

as my Bifferboard attempted to boot without a commandline otherwise.