The bootloader U-Boot

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Overview

This page is meant to be a starting point for people to learn build a u-boot image and show to people the current status of different u-boot versions for IGEP Processor Boards.

What is U-Boot?

Das U-Boot (Universal Bootloader) is an open source, primary boot loader used in embedded devices. Its primary purpose in the shipping system is to load some operating system.

That means that U-Boot is necessary to perform a certain task, but it's nothing you want to throw any significant resources at. Typically U-Boot is stored in relatively small NOR flash memory, which is expensive compared to the much larger NAND devices often used to store the operating system and the application.

How to cross compile the U-Boot

In order to compile and build the U-Boot for IGEP PROCESSOR BOARDS you should set the CROSS_COMPILE variable. Set this to the prefix of your toolchain (including the trailing dash "-"). So if your toolchain is invoked as say arm-linux-gnueabi-gcc, just chop off that trailing gcc and that's what you use: arm-linux-gnueabihf-.

As example, once you've downloaded the u-boot source, you should follow these steps:

make CROSS_COMPILE=[cross compiler] [board config]
make CROSS_COMPILE=[cross compiler]

The result will be a MLO and a u-boot.img file. You can install these files, for example, in the boot partition of a SD-card.

Necessary package

   


Download & Prepare your U-BOOT

U-Boot Freescale-NXP iMX6 Series

Downloading binary files

Clone the u-boot repo

Clone the u-boot repository using git address:
$ git clone git@git.isee.biz:arm-boot/u-boot-imx.git 

or
$ git clone https://git.isee.biz/arm-boot/u-boot-imx.git

Checkout u-boot repo 

Go to the u-boot-imx directory and checkout the version 2015.04.y as:

$ cd u-boot-imx
$ git checkout remotes/origin/isee_imx_v2017.03_4.9.11_1.0.0_ga -b isee_imx_v2017.03_4.9.11_1.0.0_ga

Set the board configuration

IGEP0046 SMARC Quad $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- igep0046_imx6dl_2G_defconfig
IGEP0046 SMARC Dual lite $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- igep0046_imx6q_2G_defconfig
IGEP0046 SMARC Solo $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- xxxxx

Build u-boot

You can build u-boot executing this command:

$ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf-



U-Boot Texas Instruments Series

Downloading binary files

Clone the u-boot repo

Clone the u-boot repository using git address:
$ git clone @git.isee.biz:arm-boot/u-boot-arm.git
or

$ git clone https://git.isee.biz/arm-boot/u-boot-arm.git

Checkout u-boot repo 

Go to the u-boot-arm directory and checkout the isee_v2017.03 as:

$ cd u-boot-arm

$ git checkout remotes/origin/isee_v2017.03 -b isee_v2017.03

Set the board configuration

IGEP COM AQUILA RB11 (256MB RAM) $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- am335x_igep0033_defconfig
IGEP COM PROTON OMAP3530 (IGEP0032) $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- igep0032_defconfig
IGEP SMARC AM335x (IGEP0034) $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- am335x_igep0034_defconfig
IGEP SMARC AM335x (IGEP0034) Lite $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- am335x_igep0034_lite_defconfig
IGEP COM Module DM3730 (IGEP0030) $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- igep0030_defconfig
IGEP COM Module DM3730 (IGEP0020) $ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf- igep0020_defconfig


Build u-boot

You can build u-boot executing this command:

$ make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=arm-linux-gnueabihf-


What next...

After build u-boot you can use it for boot the board, exist several options for boot, check the Hardware Reference Manual about the options available for your board.

  • Boot from MicroSD Card.
  • Boot from NAND flash.
  • Boot from eMMC.
  • Boot from USB.
  • Boot from Network.


Configurations files

The result for iMX6 processor based will be a u-boot.imx.

Modules Files
IGEP0046 SMARC iMX6 Duallite 2GB igep0046_imx6dl_2G_defconfig 
IGEP0046 SMARC iMX6 DUAL  
IGEP0046 SMARC iMX6 QUAD igep0046_imx6q_2G_defconfig 
IGEP0046 SMARC iMX6 SOLO  

The result for Texas Instruments processor based board will be a MLO and u-boot.img. (COMPROVAR)

Modules

"Files"
IGEP0030 DM3730 Module igep0030_defconfig
IGEP0020 DM3730 IGEPv2 igep0020_defconfig
IGEP0033 AM335x AQUILA Module am335x_igep0033_defconfig
IGEP0032 OMAP3530 PROTON Module igep0032_defconfig
IGEP0034 SMARC AM335x Module am335x_igep0034_defconfig
IGEP0034 SMARC AM335x Module lite  am335x_igep0034_lite_defconfig
IGEP0050 OMAP5 IGEPv5  

Stable U-Boot

The software git repository is located here.

U-boot: OMAP3 boards, OMAP5 boards, AM335x boards is located here.

U-boot: iMX6 boards is located here.

u-boot firmware binaries can be downloaded from here.

[EOL] For OMAP3 based platforms, ISEE do not support u-boot, instead of, ISEE provides The IGEP X-loader

u-boot Freescale-NXP iMX6 series

u-boot Texas Instruments AM335x, OMAP3, DM3730, OMAP5432 series