How to update nor flash via sd card with a suite u-boot for evm 811x board

Moving this to the relevant forum.

Hi Zhonghua,

Zhonghua Ke said:

because CCS is too slow for me

This is strange, CCS is very fast at my side.

Zhonghua Ke said:

Now, I want to update nor flash via sd card

Zhonghua Ke said:

How should I do that?

Seems that you can update NOR flash via UART, but not from SD:

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/TI811X_PSP_UBOOT_User_Guide#Flashing_U-Boot_without_CCS

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/TI811X_PSP_UBOOT_User_Guide#SD-Flash-Method

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/TI811X_PSP_UBOOT_User_Guide#Transferring_images_to_NOR_via_U-Boot

Zhonghua Ke said:

Or anyone has the suite u-boot with "erase" command entry for nor flash?

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/TI811X_PSP_UBOOT_User_Guide#Erasing_NOR

Regards,
Pavel

Hello Pavel, 

thanks for your reply. CCS does very slow for me, I use Linux. Yes, you are right, it performs nor flashing quickly for windows version.(btw, it uses more than 10 mins to flash a 128KB u-boot for me!)

I want to update my linux kernel, filesystem via sd card. I add nor support for ti811x_evm_config_sd via insert  "CONFIG_NOR" option in Makefile, and build OK. But unfortunately, the u-boot can't running again. However, I do not know why.

And, I do not think burn nor flash via sd card is illegal, right. I just do not know why it does not work.

Zhonghua,

Are you using the correct norflash-writer.out file? This file is not available in the DM811x EZSDK (ti-ezsdk_c6a811x-evm_5_05_01_10) and should be downloaded (or build from source) from the below wiki:

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/TI811X_PSP_Flashing_Tools_Guide#Building_NOR_Flash_Tool

Here we have the source: NOR flasher source File:Nor-flash-writer-04.07.00.01.zip

And we have the pre-built out file: The flashing tool out file File:Nor-flash-writer-04.07.00.01.zip

Regards,
Pavel

Zhonghua,

Let me clarify something. The NOR erase u-boot command (TI811X_EVM# erase <start> <end>), is available only in u-boot that is load from the NOR (u-boot.bin created with ti811x_evm_config_nor). See the below wiki info:

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/TI811X_PSP_UBOOT_User_Guide#U-Boot_NOR_Support

Important
Please note that the U-Boot commands used in this section is applicable only from a U-Boot which is already running from NOR. Please refer to the Flashing Tools page for flashing the U-Boot image to NOR.

http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/TI81XX_PSP_UBOOT_User_Guide#U-Boot_NOR_Support

Important
Please note that the U-Boot commands used in this section is applicable only from a U-Boot which is already running from NOR. Please refer to the Flashing Tools page for flashing the U-Boot image to NOR using CCS for the first time.

This means that you should flash the NOR from CCS for the first time, then you can update the uboot/linux kernel/rootfs from within the NOR (to be able to use the NOR erase command).

Regards,
Pavel

Zhonghua,

Zhonghua Ke said:

i only want to know why such function cannot be used for other booting methods

Can you provide more details on that. "why such function" - which function? "other booting methods" - which booting methods?

Zhonghua Ke said:

if the nor uboot code was run in ram before copying from nor flash, or run in place at nor flash

Run in place at NOR flash (no RAM here).

Regards,
Pavel

Hello Pavel,

What I said "such function" meant, nor flash related commands such as "erase", "flinfo", etc. I want to enable it if the board was booted from sd card. Can I?

For question 2, if the nor u-boot was run in place, then, I overwrite the u-boot address region, what will happen?

So kind of you. Thank you very much and best regards to you.