BUD17-500: 96Boards enablement for openSUSE Speaker: Andreas Färber Track: LEG ★ Session Summary ★ Progress, difficulties and questions surrounding the creation of bootable openSUSE images in the Open Build Service for the various 96Boards (HiKey, DragonBoard 410c, Bubblegum-96, Poplar, Mediatek X20) are presented. Focus is kernel and bootloaders as well as openSUSE specific tools. --------------------------------------------------- ★ Resources ★ Event Page: http://connect.linaro.org/resource/bud17/bud17-500/ Presentation: Video: --------------------------------------------------- ★ Event Details ★ Linaro Connect Budapest 2017 (BUD17) 6-10 March 2017 Corinthia Hotel, Budapest, Erzsébet krt. 43-49, 1073 Hungary --------------------------------------------------- http://www.linaro.org http://connect.linaro.org --------------------------------------------------- Follow us on Social Media https://www.facebook.com/LinaroOrg https://twitter.com/linaroorg https://www.youtube.com/user/linaroorg?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.linkedin.com/company/1026961 "

1. Andreas Färber
Expert Virtualization
andreas.faerber@suse.com
96Boards Enablement
for openSUSE
Progress Report and Remaining Issues

2. The Presenter and ARM
●
Background in virtualization software (QEMU)
●
Involved in the openSUSE ARM port since beginning (2011)
●
Evaluating lots of ARM SoCs, feature- and software-wise
●
Not a kernel developer, but contributing
●
“Pushing the Limits of Linux on ARM” at LinuxCon Japan 2015
●
Usually showing some geeky new enablement each FOSDEM

3. About openSUSE

4. 96Boards/Linaro vs. openSUSE
●
Specifically about ARM
●
Per-board repositories*
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Cross-compilers
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Membership, w/ engineers
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ARM the third architecture
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Single code base*
●
Native builds in OBS (GCC 6)
●
Sponsors: SUSE, IHVs, ISVs

5. Tumbleweed Kernel Workflow (1/2)
linux.git
linux-stable.git
kernel-source.git
kernel.git
Kernel:linux-next
Kernel:stable
openSUSE:Factory
openSUSE:Factory:ARM
Kernel:HEAD
devel:ARM:Factory:Contrib:ILP32

6. Tumbleweed Kernel Workflow (2/2)
●
kernel-source.git: Kernel configs, patch files, scripts
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kernel.git: linux[-stable].git, with patches applied
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Branch master follows linux.git tags such as -rcX (Kernel:HEAD)
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Branch stable follows linux[-stable].git releases (Kernel:stable)
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Branch linux-next follows linux-next.git (Kernel:linux-next)
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Daily integration from Git into OBS (a.k.a. Kernel of the Day)

7. Ways to Get openSUSE Onto a New ARM Board
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Reuse binary kernel, point to root= on SD card or USB storage
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Boot custom kernel, then install kernel+initrd in openSUSE
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Install from a UEFI-bootable installation DVD
●
Build an OEM appliance image with Kiwi
– XML image description plus scripts
– Image re-partitions on first boot, generates new dracut initrd

8. Enabling 96Boards

9. Enablement Goals
●
Support boards initially in openSUSE Tumbleweed (rolling)
●
Later support boards also in openSUSE Leap (stable)
– Often based on SUSE Linux Enterprise kernels these days
●
Ideally provide a GRUB boot menu for kernel selection
– Safely leverage kernel updates with security and bug fixes
– Allow YaST tools to configure kernel command line

10. Getting Started: Acquiring Hardware
●
Availability of boards for purchasing quite limited locally
– Germany: No relevant tariffs, but 19 % Import Value-Added Tax
●
Accessories for 1.8 V or 2 mm pin spacing hard to get
– FTDI cable
– SeeedStudio 96Boards UART adapter

11. HiKey (1/2)
●
First board, best support?
●
UEFI supported via EDK2! but …
– SD timeout issues in shipping EDK2 and Linaro releases
– Not providing a working DTB? GRUB workaround unsuited!
– Doesn't boot JeOS images, doesn't save boot menu changes?
– Fallback: U-Boot, despite the more full-featured EDK2…

12. HiKey (2/2)
●
JeOS-hikey in the works
– kernel-default 4.10.0 still only has earlycon output
– pinctrl driver issue? Module vs. built-in?

13. DragonBoard 410c
●
No UEFI bootloader, instead LK
– U-Boot port by Mateusz Kulikowski to the rescue (chain-loaded)
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Unsolved: creating Qualcomm GPT partitions with Kiwi
– Workaround: U-Boot flashed to eMMC, JeOS rootfs on SD card
●
Mainline by now – but stacktrace in initrd (4.10.0)

14. Bubblegum-96
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Originally on Taobao only (China), now also on eBay (US)
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v3.10 based kernel provided, not mainline
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Initial kernel patchset sent for SUSE Hackweek (Feb 15, 2017)
– Serial driver, clocksource, s900-bubblegum-96.dts

15. MediaTek X20
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Available through ArcherMind or SeeedStudio (both China)
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LK bootloader
– No U-Boot to chain-load yet
●
Initial MT6797 kernel patches sent by Mediatek
– No .dts for this board yet
– Matthias Brugger reviewing and testing on this board

16. Cello
●
Still on pre-sale only
– Not tested, but:
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JeOS-efi.aarch64 image should just work
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https://en.opensuse.org/HCL:AArch64_EFI

17. Poplar
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Available through Taobao and AliExpress (both China)
●
Shipping an ARMv7 userspace
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Getting GPL code a drama…
– https://github.com/96boards/documentation/issues/39
●
U-Boot disguised as “Fastboot 3.3.0” – not mainline, no bootefi
●
Initial kernel patch from Hisilicon Feb 9, 2017

18. Addendum:
Other Boards

19. Andromeda Box Edge
●
Available through SolidRun exclusively
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v3.14.35 based kernel
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Initial patchset sent for SUSE Hackweek 15 (Feb 19, 2017)

20. F-Cue
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Only available for Japanese market currently
– No hardware available to SUSE, not tested
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v3.10.68 based kernel provided, with 17.3 MiB patch
●
v2016.02.2 based U-Boot provided, with v2013.01-rc1 patch
– bootefi support is available in v2016.05 and later only
●
No mainline kernel enablement, no openSUSE images

21. Conclusions

22. Requirements
●
SoC needs to be supported in mainline kernel
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If U-Boot bootloader used, needs to be mainline…
– … if required on the boot medium, or
– … to allow UEFI booting (and other evolving features)
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Any firmware needs to have an explicit redistributable license
●
Kernels and initrd get installed to /boot

23. Discussion

24. Discussion: Upstreaming
●
22 @linaro.org maintainers in linux-next.git MAINTAINERS!
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Some Linaro members performing very well!
– But: No kernel patches from, e.g., Actions, Mstar?
●
Q: Is Linaro discussing mainlining with its new members?
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Q: Is a 3.10 based kernel really 96Boards compliant?

25. Discussion: 96Boards Customers
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Q: Who is the intended audience of 96Boards?

26. Join Us at www.opensuse.org

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