Debian: Getting Started with the ATSAMA5D27-SOM1-EK1

Embedded Linux Guides
1

This is a page about Microchip’s Cortex-A5 SMART SAMA5D27-SOM1 based evaluation platform (ATSAMA5D27-SOM1-EK1).

Availability

Boards:

Vendor Documentation

Basic Requirements

ARM Cross Compiler: GCC

This is a pre-built (64bit) version of GCC that runs on generic linux, sorry (32bit) x86 users, it’s time to upgrade…
Download/Extract:

#user@localhost:~$
wget -c https://releases.linaro.org/components/toolchain/binaries/6.5-2018.12/arm-linux-gnueabihf/gcc-linaro-6.5.0-2018.12-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz
tar xf gcc-linaro-6.5.0-2018.12-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz
export CC=`pwd`/gcc-linaro-6.5.0-2018.12-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf/bin/arm-linux-gnueabihf-

Test Cross Compiler:

#user@localhost:~$
${CC}gcc --version

#Test Output:
arm-linux-gnueabihf-gcc (Linaro GCC 6.5-2018.12) 6.5.0
Copyright (C) 2017 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Bootloader: AT91Bootstrap

AT91Bootstrap – Microchip’s first step bootloader: http://www.at91.com/linux4sam/bin/view/Linux4SAM/AT91Bootstrap
Source: https://github.com/linux4sam/at91bootstrap
Download:

#user@localhost:~$
git clone -b v3.9.3 https://github.com/linux4sam/at91bootstrap --depth=1
cd at91bootstrap/

Configure and Build:

#user@localhost:~/at91bootstrap$
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} distclean
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} sama5d27_som1_eksd_uboot_defconfig
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC}

Bootloader: U-Boot

Das U-Boot – the Universal Boot Loader: http://www.denx.de/wiki/U-Boot
Depending on your Linux Distrubution, you will also need a host gcc and other tools, so with Debian/Ubuntu start with installing the build-essential meta package.
eewiki.net patch archive: https://github.com/eewiki/u-boot-patches
Download:

#user@localhost:~$
git clone -b v2020.04 https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot --depth=1
cd u-boot/

Patches:

#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
wget -c https://github.com/eewiki/u-boot-patches/raw/master/v2020.04/0001-sama5dX-fixes.patch
 
patch -p1 < 0001-sama5dX-fixes.patch

Configure and Build:

#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} distclean
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} sama5d27_som1_ek_mmc_defconfig
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC}

Linux Kernel

This script will build the kernel, modules, device tree binaries and copy them to the deploy directory.
Download:

#user@localhost:~$
git clone https://github.com/RobertCNelson/armv7_devel ./kernelbuildscripts
cd kernelbuildscripts/

For v5.15.x-sama5-armv7 (Longterm 5.15.x):

#user@localhost:~/kernelbuildscripts$
git checkout origin/v5.15.x-sama5-armv7 -b tmp

Build:

#user@localhost:~/kernelbuildscripts$
./build_kernel.sh

Root File System

Debian 11

User Password
debian temppwd
root root

Download:

#user@localhost:~$
wget -c https://rcn-ee.com/rootfs/eewiki/minfs/debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz

Verify:

#user@localhost:~$
sha256sum debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz

#sha256sum output:
575738843651de2962f251447f4742d4f33313d6f7f5edf282a401207f5e6646  debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz

Extract:

#user@localhost:~$
tar xf debian-11.3-minimal-armhf-2022-04-15.tar.xz

Setup microSD card

We need to access the External Drive to be utilized by the target device. Run lsblk to help figure out what linux device has been reserved for your External Drive.

#Example: for DISK=/dev/sdX
lsblk
NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0 465.8G  0 disk
├─sda1   8:1    0   512M  0 part /boot/efi
└─sda2   8:2    0 465.3G  0 part /                <- Development Machine Root Partition
sdb      8:16   1   962M  0 disk                  <- microSD/USB Storage Device
└─sdb1   8:17   1   961M  0 part                  <- microSD/USB Storage Partition

#Thus you would use:
export DISK=/dev/sdb

#Example: for DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
lsblk
NAME      MAJ:MIN   RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda         8:0      0 465.8G  0 disk
├─sda1      8:1      0   512M  0 part /boot/efi
└─sda2      8:2      0 465.3G  0 part /                <- Development Machine Root Partition
mmcblk0     179:0    0   962M  0 disk                  <- microSD/USB Storage Device
└─mmcblk0p1 179:1    0   961M  0 part                  <- microSD/USB Storage Partition

#Thus you would use:
export DISK=/dev/mmcblk0

Erase partition table/labels on microSD card:

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=${DISK} bs=1M count=50

Create Partition Layout:
With util-linux v2.26, sfdisk was rewritten and is now based on libfdisk.

#Check the version of sfdisk installed on your pc is atleast 2.26.x or newer.
sudo sfdisk --version

#Example Output
sfdisk from util-linux 2.27.1

#sfdisk >= 2.26.x
sudo sfdisk ${DISK} <<-__EOF__
1M,48M,0xE,*
49M,,,-
__EOF__

Format Partition:

for: DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 16 -n BOOT ${DISK}p1
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs ${DISK}p2
 
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 16 -n BOOT ${DISK}1
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs ${DISK}2

Mount Partition:
On most systems these partitions may be auto-mounted…

sudo mkdir -p /media/boot/
sudo mkdir -p /media/rootfs/
 
for: DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
sudo mount ${DISK}p1 /media/boot/
sudo mount ${DISK}p2 /media/rootfs/
 
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo mount ${DISK}1 /media/boot/
sudo mount ${DISK}2 /media/rootfs/

Install Bootloader

Copy at91bootstrap/u-boot binaries to the boot partition

#~/
sudo cp -v ./at91bootstrap/binaries/sama5d27_som1_ek-sdcardboot-uboot-3.9.3.bin /media/boot/BOOT.BIN
sudo cp -v ./u-boot/u-boot.bin /media/boot/

Install Kernel and Root File System

To help new users, since the kernel version can change on a daily basis. The kernel building scripts listed on this page will now give you a hint of what kernel version was built.

-----------------------------
Script Complete
eewiki.net: [user@localhost:~$ export kernel_version=5.X.Y-Z]
-----------------------------

Copy and paste that “export kernel_version=5.X.Y-Z” exactly as shown in your own build/desktop environment and hit enter to create an environment variable to be used later.

export kernel_version=5.X.Y-Z

Copy Root File System

#Debian; Root File System: user@localhost:~$
sudo tar xfvp ./debian-*-*-armhf-*/armhf-rootfs-*.tar -C /media/rootfs/
sync

Copy Kernel Image

Kernel Image:

#user@localhost:~$
sudo cp -v ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}.zImage /media/boot/zImage

Copy Kernel Device Tree Binaries

#user@localhost:~$
sudo mkdir -p /media/boot/dtbs/
sudo tar xfvo ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}-dtbs.tar.gz -C /media/boot/dtbs/

Copy Kernel Modules

#user@localhost:~$
sudo tar xfv ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}-modules.tar.gz -C /media/rootfs/

File Systems Table (/etc/fstab)

#user@localhost:~/$
sudo sh -c "echo '/dev/mmcblk0p2  /  auto  errors=remount-ro  0  1' >> /media/rootfs/etc/fstab"
sudo sh -c "echo '/dev/mmcblk0p1  /boot/uboot  auto  defaults  0  2' >> /media/rootfs/etc/fstab"

Remove microSD/SD card

sync
sudo umount /media/boot
sudo umount /media/rootfs

Comments

Any questions or comments please go to our TechForum: TechForum

1 Like
2

Hi
Thanks for this work !
Just following this procedure, I don’t have the rtcwake command working (for examplertcwake -m mem -s 5), it never wakes up. I have tried commands in
https://www.linux4sam.org/bin/view/Linux4SAM/UsingUltraLowPowerMode1#RTC_alarm_to_wake_from_the_sleep

root@arm:~# uname -a
Linux arm 5.15.94-sama5-armv7-r1.1 #1 Tue May 9 20:09:42 CEST 2023 armv7l GNU/Linux
root@arm:~# rtcwake -m mem -s 5
rtcwake: wakeup from "mem" using /dev/rtc0 at Sun Jan  1 00:01:21 2012
[   69.797815] PM: suspend entry (deep)
[   69.802636] Filesystems sync: 0.001 seconds
[   69.819551] Freezing user space processes ... (elapsed 0.001 seconds) done.
[   69.828147] OOM killer disabled.
[   69.831277] Freezing remaining freezable tasks ... (elapsed 0.001 seconds) done.
[   69.839865] printk: Suspending console(s) (use no_console_suspend to debug)

and it never wakes up.

But if I use the demo archive of
https://www.linux4sam.org/bin/view/Linux4SAM/Sama5d27Som1EKMainPage
it works.

Thanks for any help to fix this.

Karim

3

Hi @karim.bernardet which demo image does it work? I see that Microchip is now on 5.15.x/6.1.x so it’s something we should be able to pull in from the mainline tree… But i’m also wondering if it’s a feature of the newer “OP-TEE” builds…

Regards,

4

Hi Robert

It is

Poky (Yocto Project Reference Distro) 4.0.3 sama5d27-som1-ek-sd ttyS0

sama5d27-som1-ek-sd login: root
root@sama5d27-som1-ek-sd:~# uname -a
Linux sama5d27-som1-ek-sd 5.15.68-linux4microchip-2022.10 #1 Wed Nov 9 12:48:42 UTC 2022 armv7l armv7l armv7l GNU/Linux
root@sama5d27-som1-ek-sd:~#

Got from there :
https://www.linux4sam.org/bin/view/Linux4SAM/Sama5d27Som1EKMainPage
https://files.linux4sam.org/pub/demo/linux4sam-2022.10/linux4sam-poky-sama5d27_som1_ek-headless-2022.10.img.bz2
It is the headless version

5

Hi

I got it working recompiling a kernel from microchip

Now I would like to have the wakeup using uart

for the moment

echo enabled > /sys/class/tty/ttyS0/power/wakeup

echo enabled > /sys/class/tty/ttyS1/power/wakeup

dont work

I imagine I have to modify some dts file

Cheers

Karim