Install Android boot image in NAND flash over USB

We generally recommend to use SD card as boot device at least during development stages.

Currently the TI Android DevKit only supports flashing NAND using u-boot loaded from SD card.

Thank you sir

So it's absolutely impossible to boot and manage OS, completely from NAND Flash? I need SD-Cardless operation. There is no any way?

Forget my last thread.

I'm able to work with NAND completely. I can remove Sd-Card. Anyway. This good for my product.

So my new questions are;

* Is it possible to copy NAND image from different source? Like USB device and Host Based Flash Downloader.

* Is it possible to copy any files from any source to NAND Flash based File system's "data" directory. (Maybe i can give the answer on today with my effort.)

Many Thanks

Babur

Hi Bahabur,

Could you please share me the way to flash boot-loaders images to NAND without SDcard?

Did you boot over USB or UART?

THanks for help!

JPhan

MAKE FS TARBALL 

type following

  make TARGET_PRODUCT=<product name> fs_tarball</code>

to create Manual,

$ cd out/target/product/<product-name>

  $ mkdir android_rootfs

  $ cp -r root/* android_rootfs

  $ cp -r system android_rootfs

  $ ../../../../build/tools/mktarball.sh ../../../host/linux-x86/bin/fs_get_stats android_rootfs . rootfs rootfs.tar.bz2

Product-name = “am335xevm” 

This will create "android_rootfs". We will create an ubi.img. MTD Util will help us.

Create UBIFS image

make permissions to release

Download MTD Utils

MTD util’i indir. You must download 3 libraries.

Those; zlib, lzo and e2fsprogs

for ZLIB Zlib’i http://zlib.net

for Lzo  http://www.oberhumer.com.opensource/lzo/download 

for E2fsprogs http://e2fsprogs.sourceforge.net 

Copy all of them to  "/home/mtd/install" folder

And for ZLIB 

 for LZO

   host$ tar xvf lzo-2.06.tar.gz

    host$ cd lzo-2.06/

    host$ ./configure --build=i686-pc-linux --prefix=/home/user/mtd/install

    host$ make

    host$ make install

    host$ cd ..

for 

E2fsprogs 

  host$ tar xvf e2fsprogs-1.42.tar.gz

    host$ cd e2fsprogs-1.42/

    host$ ./configure --build=i686-pc-linux --prefix=/home/user/mtd/install 

    host$ make

    host$ make install

    host$ cd lib/uuid/

    host$ make install

    host$ cd ../../../

Those steps will create some files on some folders. And 

Download  http://git.infradead.org/mtd-utils.git/snapshot/d37fcc0afd0d4a14c56812847e8e4257d0a99e3b.tar.gz (--> mtd-utils-d37fcc0.tar.gz)

Now we are ready.

in "Mtd-utils" folder

  $ tar xvf mtd-utils-d37fcc0.tar.gz

  $ cd mtd-utils-d37fcc0/

Then

Edit "makefile" file and add following lines to "Top"

    host$ vi Makefile

           PREFIX = /home/user/mtd/install

           ZLIBCPPFLAGS = -I$(PREFIX)/include

           LZOCPPFLAGS = -I$(PREFIX)/include

           ZLIBLDFLAGS = -L$(PREFIX)/lib

           LZOLDFLAGS = -L$(PREFIX)/lib

           LDFLAGS += $(ZLIBLDFLAGS) $(LZOLDFLAGS)

           CFLAGS ?= -O2 -g $(ZLIBCPPFLAGS) $(LZOCPPFLAGS)

           CROSS=arm-none-linux-gnueabi-

Then open common.mk and commen out  “PREFIX=/usr” line

And complie like this

    $ WITHOUT_XATTR=1 make

    $ make install  DESTDIR=/home/user/mtd/install

    $ cd ..

If you have any error; this mean any of 3 libraries compiling had a problem. Compile all for sure.

Now MTD-util is ready

for Ubifs.img 

in "Mkfs.ubifs" folder

   $  ./mkfs.ubifs -r <path-to-rootfs>/ -F -o ubifs.img -m 2048 -e 126976 -c 1580

This will make all things we need automaticly.

Then cut "ubifs.img" file from here and put "ubi-utils" folder.

Also in this folder, create a file named "ubinize.cfg”

and add followings

   [ubifs]

    mode=ubi

    image=ubifs.img

    vol_id=0

    vol_size=192MiB

    vol_type=dynamic

    vol_name=rootfs

    vol_flags=autoresize

After to create "ubi.img" file;

   $ ./ubinize -o ubi.img -m 2048 -p 128KiB -s 512 -O 2048 ubinize.cfg

(make sure page and subpage parameter)

Now all files are ready.

Copy all files to any folder. for ex: AM335xEVM

Plug any SD-MMC card to your pc. (this probably named "sdb")

Then

This will copy the NAND images to our exchange SD-Card

Finally,

Put this sd card to your eval board and configure board to boot from sdcard.

in u-boot prompt, (hyperterminal window)

hit any key and type

#boot 

and enter. This step will copy nandimages, from sdcard to NAND flash.

I know this is bad way for manufacturing. Also there are some more method to copy nand images. I didn't success. It uses UART and terminal x-modem file transfer methods and takes ages.

:)

Hi,

Thank you for sharing!

Your way still need a boot-able SD card.

I need a way that can flash images to NAND without u-boot loaded from SD card.

Actually, I used method of booting over UART. I tried omap-u-boot-utils from Nishanth Menon, but I got failed at using "ukemit" (error "Failed after 4 retries in sequence...")

Is there anyone facing same my issue?

Thank you,

JPhan

Yes you need NAND flasher SD and of course sd-card slot. But you can use portable SD card slot. If you make another small circuit which contains sd-card slot, some bypass capacitors and a 9 pin IDC to connect mainboard then you can apply this method to all your mass manufactured Mainboards. (You need sdcard just for one time)

Also the NAND flash writing is very clear. There are some NAND flasher utility for TSOP-48's. If you have binary files and you know what it's starting address then okay. Look at NAND-Flasher utilities and programming adapters. (of course this can change production process, so u must flash all your NAND before populate)

3 months ago, i searched same resolve like this. Completely same.

But for the AM335x and Android, NOTHING! We can't flash NAND from USB. There is no any tool.

Thanks