Debian: Getting Started with the R-CAR M2 PORTER R-CAR M2 EVAL BD

Embedded Linux Guides
1

This is a page about Renesas’s Cortex-A15 based R8A7791; R-Car_M2_Porter.

Availability

Boards:

Basic Requirements

Baud Rate: 38400

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/4.9-2017.01/arm-linux-gnueabihf/gcc-linaro-4.9.4-2017.01-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz
tar xf gcc-linaro-4.9.4-2017.01-x86_64_arm-linux-gnueabihf.tar.xz
export CC=`pwd`/gcc-linaro-4.9.4-2017.01-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 4.9-2017.01) 4.9.4
Copyright (C) 2015 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: 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.
Download:

#user@localhost:~$
git clone -b v2013.01.01 https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot --depth=1
cd u-boot/

Patches:

#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
git pull --no-edit https://github.com/RobertCNelson/u-boot-boards v2013.01.01_porter

Configure and Build:

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

Programming: U-Boot

elinux Porter section on programming: https://elinux.org/R-Car/Boards/Porter#Updating_U-Boot

JP2: move to Jumper to 2-3

Start picocom

#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
sudo picocom -b 38400 --send-cmd "ascii-xfr -vvs" /dev/ttyUSB0

Switch on Board

Execute ls command

#PICOCOM
PORTER(M2W) SPI_LOADER(DDR3L) V0.20 2015.07.14
 DEVICE S25FL032
 
PORTER(R-CarM2W) MiniMonitor SPI_BOOT 
 Work memory DRAM (H'40200000-)
 DDR mode : DDR3-1600
 2015.10.29 Ver0.10 ** Program on DRAM (H'40000000-)  **
 
>ls
Load Program to Spiflash memory (U16:S25FL512S)
JP2(SPI_SEL) 1pin-Side! Setting OK? (Push Y key)
{code}
# JP2: move to Jumper to 1-2 and press "Y"
{code:title=PICOCOM}
---------------------------------------------------------
Please select,SPI-FLASH Save Area. 
 1:Loader Program : Program to execute on SecureRAM
        SPI_Address = H' 000_0000-H' 003_FFFF
 
 2:User Program : Program to execute on DRAM or SecureRAM
        SPI_Address = H' 008_0000-H' 3FF_FFFF
---------------------------------------------------------
  Select area(1-2)>

Press “2”

#PICOCOM
  Select area(1-2)>2
-- User Program ----------------------------
Please Input User Program Start Address :

Use: “e6304000”

#PICOCOM
Please Input User Program Start Address : e6304000
Work RAM(H'50000000-H'53FFFFFF) Clear....
please send ! ('.' & CR stop load)

Type: CTRL-A, CTRL-S (file=u-boot.srec)

#PICOCOM
please send ! ('.' & CR stop load)
 
*** file: u-boot.srec

Press “y” to save u-boot into the SPI flash

#PICOCOM
$ ascii-xfr -vvs u-boot.srec
ASCII upload of "u-boot.srec"

699.0 Kbytes transferred at 3827 CPS... Done.

*** exit status: 0 ***
SPI Data Clear(H'FF) Check :H'00080000-000BFFFF,Clear OK?(y/n)

Flashing Complete

#PICOCOM
*** exit status: 0 ***
SPI Data Clear(H'FF) Check :H'00080000-000BFFFF Erasing..Erase Completed
SAVE SPI-FLASH....... complete!
-- Save (Program Start Address & Size ) -----
SPI Data Clear(H'FF):H'040000-07FFFF Erasing..Erase Completed
SAVE SPI-FLASH....... complete!
 
==========  SPI Flash Sector1 Save Information  =========
 Program Start Address :  H'E6304000
 Program Size          :  H'0003A3E0
=========================================================

Hit Reset Button to verify u-boot was flashed correctly

#PICOCOM
> 
PORTER(M2W) SPI_LOADER(DDR3L) V0.20 2015.07.14
 DEVICE S25FL512
 
 
U-Boot 2013.01.01-00207-gefb7469873-dirty (Oct 24 2017 - 09:54:27)
 
CPU: Renesas Electronics R8A7791 rev 3.0
Board: Porter Board
 
DRAM:  1 GiB
MMC:   sh-sdhi: 0, sh-sdhi: 1
SF: Detected S25FL512S with page size 256 KiB, total 64 MiB
In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Net:   Please set MAC address
sh_eth
Hit any key to stop autoboot:  0
=>

save defaults to spi flash

#PICOCOM
=> env default -a
## Resetting to default environment
=> saveenv
Saving Environment to SPI Flash...
SF: Detected S25FL512S with page size 256 KiB, total 64 MiB
Erasing SPI flash...Writing to SPI flash...done

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 v4.14.x-shmobile-armv7 (Longterm 4.14.x):

#user@localhost:~/kernelbuildscripts$
git checkout origin/v4.14.x-shmobile-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=10

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,,L,*
__EOF__

Format Partition:
With mkfs.ext4 1.43, we need to make sure metadata_csum and 64bit ext4 features are disabled.
As the version of U-Boot needed for this target CAN NOT correctly handle reading files with these newer ext4 options.

#mkfs.ext4 -V
sudo mkfs.ext4 -V
mke2fs 1.43-WIP (15-Mar-2016)
        Using EXT2FS Library version 1.43-WIP

#mkfs.ext4 >= 1.43
for: DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs -O ^metadata_csum,^64bit ${DISK}p1
 
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs -O ^metadata_csum,^64bit ${DISK}1

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

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

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

Set uname_r in /boot/uEnv.txt

#user@localhost:~$
sudo sh -c "echo 'uname_r=${kernel_version}' >> /media/rootfs/boot/uEnv.txt"

Copy Kernel Image

Kernel Image:

#user@localhost:~$
cat ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}.zImage ./kernelbuildscripts/arch/arm/boot/dts/r8a7791-porter.dtb > ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}.zImage.dtb
sudo cp -v ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}.zImage.dtb /media/rootfs/boot/vmlinuz-${kernel_version}

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/mmcblk0p1  /  auto  errors=remount-ro  0  1' >> /media/rootfs/etc/fstab"

Remove microSD/SD card

sync
sudo umount /media/rootfs

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