[TEZI] u-boot update

Technical Support
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1

Hi all,

During Toradex Easy Installer process :

  • Is u-boot stored in emmc of apalis
    module replaced by the one stored on
    USB stick ?
  • Or we have to proceed by
    this way ? link text. If so,
    “Then u-boot will adopt the default
    environment setting compiled from
    u-boot source code where you can add
    what you want.” do you talk about
    u-boot that we put in the directory
    of our custom image ? (SPL +
    u-boot.imx ?)

Cause I try to update uboot vidargs variable (edit with yocto append recipe) and it doesn’t seem to work.

Thanks

2

During Toradex Easy Installer process :

Is u-boot stored in emmc of apalis module replaced by the one stored on USB stick ?

Yes.

Or we have to proceed by this way ? link text. If so, “Then u-boot will adopt the default environment setting compiled from u-boot source code where you can add what you want.” do you talk about u-boot that we put in the directory of our custom image ? (SPL + u-boot.imx ?)

Those are really two separate things. While U-Boot does get replaced as mentioned above U-Boot’s environment is not affected by that and would need separate erasing if desired/required.

Cause I try to update uboot vidargs variable (edit with yocto append recipe) and it doesn’t seem to work.

Then it probably does re-use whatever U-Boot environment still stored on the eMMC. It will only fall back to using U-Boot’s built-in one in case none is found on flash.

3

Ok but does u-boot stored on USB stick come with its own environment variables ?
What is the way to proceed ? I mean, to change u-boot default environment with TEZI process ?

4

Ok but does U-Boot stored on USB stick come with its own environment variables?

Yes, any U-Boot binary has its own default compiled-in but it will only be used if no environment is already found on flash.

What is the way to proceed? I mean, to change U-Boot default environment with TEZI process?

The Toradex Easy Install has nothing per se to do with any U-Boot default environment really. So if you desire to modify the default environment make sure to compile that one into your U-Boot binary and make sure no environment is stored on flash in order for your custom built-in one to really get used.

5

To resume :
If we erase the actual default environment by transfering a blank file (like it described in the other post), u-boot default environment will disappear and it will be replaced by the default environment of new compiled u-boot ?

6

To resume : If we erase the actual default environment by transfering a blank file (like it described in the other post), u-boot default environment will disappear and it will be replaced by the default environment of new compiled u-boot ?

Yes.

7

Ok so I may have an issue in the application of the patch :

    diff --git a/include/configs/apalis_imx6.h b/include/configs/apalis_imx6.h
    index 8dce5af..ff0ab7f 100644
    --- a/include/configs/apalis_imx6.h
    +++ b/include/configs/apalis_imx6.h
    @@ -286,10 +286,10 @@
     		"load ${interface} ${drive}:1 ${loadaddr} flash_blk.img && " \
     		"source ${loadaddr}\0" \
     	"splashpos=m,m\0" \
    -	"vidargs=mxc_hdmi.only_cea=1 " \
    -		"video=mxcfb0:dev=hdmi,1920x1080M@60,if=RGB24 " \
    -		"video=mxcfb1:off video=mxcfb2:off video=mxcfb3:off " \
    -		"fbmem=32M\0 "
    +	"vidargs=video=mxcfb0:dev=ldb,if=LVDS888 " \
    +		"video=mxcfb1:dev=hdmi,1280x1024M@60,if=RGB24 " \
    +		"video=mxcfb2:off video=mxcfb3:off " \
    +		"bmem=128M\0 "
     
     /* Miscellaneous configurable options */
     #define CONFIG_SYS_LONGHELP

Tree :
recipe-bsp:

  • u-boot : u-boot-toradex_git.bbapend + u-boot-toradex directory
  • u-boot-toradex : uboot-env.patch

Content of u-boot-toradex_git.bbapend :

FILESEXTRAPATHS_prepend := "${THISDIR}/${PN}:"
SRC_URI += "\
	file://uboot-env.patch \
"

This patch is provided by an append recipe file named u-boot-toradex_git.bbappend in a custom layer that is correctly added in the bblayer.conf.

Then I deploy SPL + u-boot/imx files in the USB directory in compliance of TEZI requirement. image.json file has an entry to put an empty file in u-boot environment variable. I then flash the apalis module by enter in recovery mode in u-boot to have TEZI UI.

U-boot environment variables remain the default one.

EDIT : There was an error in my bbappend file name. That’s ok now. Thanks for your help

8

You are very welcome and thanks for letting us know.

9

Note that if there is a environment written to the flash U-Boot will favor the one on flash over the compiled-in. (e.g. when somebody in development used saveenv…)

Future Toradex Easy Installer (see Issue #21484) will have a method to erase the complete flash before writing the new image, which guarantees that there is no environment present on the flash and U-Boot will fall back to the compiled-in environment.