[RFC] Re: TP link MR3220 status, boot from flash via u-boot question

[Aleksandr Rybalko]

On Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:00:41 +0200
Milan Obuch <freebsd-mips at dino.sk> wrote:

>> On Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:41:59 +0300, Aleksandr Rybalko <ray at dlink.ua> wrote:
>> 
>> > On Sat, 9 Apr 2011 14:29:31 +0200
>> > Milan Obuch <freebsd-mips at dino.sk> wrote:
>> > 
>> > >> On Fri, 8 Apr 2011 11:31:32 +0300, Aleksandr Rybalko <ray at dlink.ua>
>> > >> wrote:
>> > >> 
>> > >> > On Fri, 8 Apr 2011 09:57:12 +0200
>> > >> > Milan Obuch <freebsd-mips at dino.sk> wrote:
>> > >> > 
>> 
>> [ snip ]
>> 
>> > >> For lzma, u-boot told 'bad gzip data, must reset'. No joy. I have
>> > >> no idea on old lzma method, will try xz, but I have little hope it
>> > >> will be any better.
>> > >> 
>> > 
>> > oldlzma is a lzma tool 4.17
>> > You can use my copy (Makefile reorganized to simple BSD Makefile) 
>> > http://my.ddteam.net/files/oldlzma.tar.gz
>> > 
>> 
>> I will try, but not too hard :) (see below)
>> 
>> [ snip ]
>> 
>> > >> Will try with -O binary, actually I am using it now without this
>> > >> option.
>> > Don't forget to use objcopy of mips toolchain (somewhere
>> > in /usr/obj/mips.mipsel)
>> > 
>> 
>> Yes, naturally - all tools are cross build ones...
>> 
>> [ snip ]
>> 
>> > >> > >> On a side note, there is one thing to be addressed. As my
>> > >> > >> device has only 4 MB flash, I still need to shrink the image
>> > >> > >> I would like to use there. I could put there working kernel,
>> > >> > >> when flash boot issue is solved, but root fs not yet,
>> > >> > >> together they do not fit. I still need to save as much as 600
>> > >> > >> kB of space... Do you have any tips to share? In some older
>> > >> > >> mails here I saw you managed to do it for other device...
>> > >> > 
>> > >> > 1. compile with NOSHARED=no
>> > >> > 2. delete .h, .a, .o and many other docs and unused binary's (I
>> > >> > think that step you know :) ) 3. mkulzma+geom_uncompress instead
>> > >> > mkuzip+geom_uzip
>> > >> > 
>> > >> 
>> > >> There are following files at http://my.ddteam.net page:
>> > >> 
>> > >> 2011-01-19_add_contrib_xz-embedded.patch
>> > >> 2011-01-19_geom_ulzma_and_mkulzma.patch
>> > >> 2011-01-21_geom_ulzma_and_uzip.diff
>> > >> 2011-01-23_geom_uncompress.diff
>> > >> 2011-01-23_geom_uncompress.patch
>> > >> 2011-01-24_mkulzma.patch
>> > >> 
>> > >> Which one should I use? There is no mkulzma in base now...
>> > >> 
>> > >> Regards,
>> > >> Milan
>> > 
>> > Use please:
>> > mkulzma utility - http://my.ddteam.net/files/2011-01-24_mkulzma.patch
>> > geom_uncompress(uzip/ulzma) -
>> > http://my.ddteam.net/files/2011-01-23_geom_uncompress.patch
>> > xz-embedded decompressor -
>> > http://my.ddteam.net/files/2011-01-19_add_contrib_xz-embedded.patch
>> > 
>> 
>> Looks like my guess was right. It works and I am able to create
>> combined kernel + root fs fitting in 4 MB flash, kernel is gzipped as
>> u-boot seems support only that and rootfs lzma-compressed.
>> 
>> Trouble is u-boot does not like my images, so I need to investigate
>> that, which does not seems to be easy now... Has anybody some
>> experience in this area? There is GPL compliance tarball from TP-link
>> with some u-boot directory in it, but is it possible to build it
>> somehow under FreeBSD? All in this tarball seems to be 'just Linux'...

cd OpenWRT/trunk/tools/firmware-utils/src/
cc -o mktplinkfw md5.c mktplinkfw.c

>> 
>> Regards,
>> Milan


-- 
Alexandr Rybalko <ray at dlink.ua> 
aka Alex RAY <ray at ddteam.net>