Debian: Getting Started with the STM32MP157

Embedded Linux Guides
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This is a page about ST’s STM32MP1 series of Cortex-A7 based Development Kits.

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://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/tools/crosstool/files/bin/x86_64/11.3.0/x86_64-gcc-11.3.0-nolibc-arm-linux-gnueabi.tar.xz
tar -xf x86_64-gcc-11.3.0-nolibc-arm-linux-gnueabi.tar.xz
export CC=`pwd`/gcc-11.3.0-nolibc/arm-linux-gnueabi/bin/arm-linux-gnueabi-

Test Cross Compiler:

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

#Test Output:
arm-linux-gnueabi-gcc (GCC) 11.3.0
Copyright (C) 2021 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 Distribution, you will also need a host gcc and other tools, so with Debian/Ubuntu start with installing the build-essential meta package.

#Requirements
sudo apt install build-essential swig

Download:

#user@localhost:~$
git clone -b v2022.10 https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot --depth=1
cd u-boot/

Configure and Build:

#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} distclean
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} stm32mp15_trusted_defconfig

stm32mp157a-dk1

#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} DEVICE_TREE=stm32mp157a-dk1 all

stm32mp157c-dk2

#user@localhost:~/u-boot$
make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} DEVICE_TREE=stm32mp157c-dk2 all

Bootloader: Trusted Firmware A (TF-A)

Trusted Firmware A (TF-A): https://developer.trustedfirmware.org/dashboard/view/6/
Download:

#user@localhost:~$
git clone -b v2.5 https://github.com/ARM-software/arm-trusted-firmware --depth=1
cd arm-trusted-firmware/

Configure and Build: stm32mp157a-dk1

#user@localhost:~/arm-trusted-firmware$
make CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} realclean
make CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} PLAT=stm32mp1 ARCH=aarch32 ARM_ARCH_MAJOR=7 AARCH32_SP=sp_min DTB_FILE_NAME=stm32mp157a-dk1.dtb STM32MP_SDMMC=1

Configure and Build: stm32mp157c-dk2

#user@localhost:~/arm-trusted-firmware$
make CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} realclean
make CROSS_COMPILE=${CC} PLAT=stm32mp1 ARCH=aarch32 ARM_ARCH_MAJOR=7 AARCH32_SP=sp_min DTB_FILE_NAME=stm32mp157c-dk2.dtb STM32MP_SDMMC=1

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-lpae-multiplatform ./kernelbuildscripts
cd kernelbuildscripts/

For v5.15.x (Longterm 5.15.x):

#user@localhost:~/kernelbuildscripts$
git checkout origin/v5.15.x -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-11.5-minimal-armhf-2022-10-06.tar.xz

Verify:

#user@localhost:~$
sha256sum debian-11.5-minimal-armhf-2022-10-06.tar.xz

#sha256sum output:
0ea53b23483af4bcccca53f3fd907b5e404f2f607a6577d78e8c4daf5b869ad0  debian-11.5-minimal-armhf-2022-10-06.tar.xz

Extract:

#user@localhost:~$
tar xf debian-11.5-minimal-armhf-2022-10-06.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:

#Check the version of sgdisk installed on your pc
sudo sgdisk --version

#Example Output
GPT fdisk (sgdisk) version 1.0.3

#Clear Previous Formatting
sudo sgdisk -o ${DISK}

#sgdisk
sudo sgdisk --resize-table=128 -a 1 \
        -n 1:34:545    -c 1:fsbl1   \
        -n 2:546:1057  -c 2:fsbl2   \
        -n 3:1058:5153 -c 3:ssbl    \
        -n 4:5154:     -c 4:rootfs  \
        -p ${DISK}

#Set legacy BIOS partition
sudo sgdisk -A 4:set:2 ${DISK}

Install Bootloader for: stm32mp157a-dk1

#user@localhost:~$
for: DISK=/dev/mmcblk0
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157a-dk1.stm32 of=${DISK}p1
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157a-dk1.stm32 of=${DISK}p2
sudo dd if=./u-boot/u-boot.stm32 of=${DISK}p3
 
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157a-dk1.stm32 of=${DISK}1
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157a-dk1.stm32 of=${DISK}2
sudo dd if=./u-boot/u-boot.stm32 of=${DISK}3

Install Bootloader for: stm32mp157c-dk2

#user@localhost:~$
for: DISK=/dev/mmcblk0
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157c-dk2.stm32 of=${DISK}p1
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157c-dk2.stm32 of=${DISK}p2
sudo dd if=./u-boot/u-boot.stm32 of=${DISK}p3
 
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157c-dk2.stm32 of=${DISK}1
sudo dd if=./arm-trusted-firmware/build/stm32mp1/release/tf-a-stm32mp157c-dk2.stm32 of=${DISK}2
sudo dd if=./u-boot/u-boot.stm32 of=${DISK}3

Format Partition:

for: DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs ${DISK}p4
 
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L rootfs ${DISK}4

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

sudo mkdir -p /media/rootfs/
 
for: DISK=/dev/mmcblkX
sudo mount ${DISK}p4 /media/rootfs/
 
for: DISK=/dev/sdX
sudo mount ${DISK}4 /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

Setup extlinux.conf

#user@localhost:~$
sudo mkdir -p /media/rootfs/boot/extlinux/
sudo sh -c "echo 'label Linux ${kernel_version}' > /media/rootfs/boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf"
sudo sh -c "echo '    kernel /boot/vmlinuz-${kernel_version}' >> /media/rootfs/boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf"
sudo sh -c "echo '    append console=ttySTM0,115200 root=/dev/mmcblk0p4 ro rootfstype=ext4 rootwait' >> /media/rootfs/boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf"
sudo sh -c "echo '    fdtdir /boot/dtbs/${kernel_version}/' >> /media/rootfs/boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf"

Copy Kernel Image

Kernel Image:

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

Copy Kernel Device Tree Binaries

#user@localhost:~$
sudo mkdir -p /media/rootfs/boot/dtbs/${kernel_version}/
sudo tar xfv ./kernelbuildscripts/deploy/${kernel_version}-dtbs.tar.gz -C /media/rootfs/boot/dtbs/${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/mmcblk0p4  /  auto  errors=remount-ro  0  1' >> /media/rootfs/etc/fstab"

Remove microSD/SD card

sync
sudo umount /media/rootfs

Comments

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